Smart Converter for Mac

CNET Editors' review

by: CNET staff on September 23, 2012

Although Smart Converter promises better and faster results than most of its competitors, it fails to achieve this goal. Its simple, intuitive user interface is excellent, providing a great user experience; beginner-level converters will appreciate it. The results aren't as stellar as expected, especially the audio, but the movie conversion is worth the additional minutes spent waiting.

Smart Converter could easily become one of the most convenient beginner-level converter tools, because users will love being able to just drag and drop their movie or audio files and choose an output format from the available list -- which is kind of limited to mobile devices compared with its competitors -- and then hit convert. It could not be easier than that.

The app calls itself smart because it supports a wide variety of file formats and it doesn't require anything from the user except the output format -- useful enough for beginners. Then the app analyzes the video or audio format and prepares it for conversion; depending on the file size and how much work it needs to do, it might finish it quickly, or you might need to make a couple cups of coffee.

Smart Converter excels when converting video, despite being generally slower than the competition, but the audio file conversion doesn't really reach the same level. Advanced-level users will feel the app is limited, as it provides no custom options or speed conversion adjustments. But beginners will love to use it, because the app saves them from browsing through lots of options, which they may not understand.

Overall, we liked the intuitive interface of the app, and the automatic conversion option, although the app's limitations make it most enjoyable for beginners.