Free vs Pro Features

Every feature in Parallel Media Encoder, organised by category. Look for the Pro badge to see which features require a Pro license.

Encoding

Batch queue Free

Queue up to 8 files with 2 simultaneous encodes

Full parallel encoding Pro

Encode 2-10 files simultaneously based on chip tier

Hardware-aware scheduling Pro

Auto-detects chip tier and sets optimal concurrency

Batch import Free

Drag folders, process all files

Video Codecs

H.264 (Baseline, Main, High) Free

Industry-standard delivery codec

HEVC Main / Main10 Free

High-efficiency 8- and 10-bit encoding

HEVC Main10 4:2:2 Pro

10-bit 4:2:2 chroma subsampling

ProRes 422 Proxy through 4444 XQ Free

Full ProRes family for editing and mastering

ProRes alpha pass-through Pro

Preserve alpha channels in ProRes 4444/XQ

DNxHR (LB, SQ, HQ, HQX, 444) Pro

Avid DNxHR for UHD+ resolutions

DNxHD (LB, SQ, HQ, HQX, 444) Pro

Avid DNxHD for HD workflows

RAW Formats

Blackmagic RAW (BRAW) Pro

Full decode with scale options

Pro (import/preview Free)
RED R3D RAW Pro

Multi-scale decode, proxy MOV support

Pro (import/preview Free)
ProRes RAW Pro

Hardware-accelerated decode

Pro (import/preview Free)

Color Science

HDR pass-through Free

Preserves HDR metadata end-to-end

HDR-to-SDR tone mapping Free

Hardware-accelerated tone mapping

3D LUT application Pro

Apply .cube LUTs during transcode

RAW exposure control Pro

Adjust exposure on RAW footage before encode

Audio

Audio pass-through Free

Keep source audio unchanged

AAC re-encode Free

Compress audio to AAC

ALAC (Apple Lossless) Free

Lossless audio encoding

PCM (Linear PCM) Free

Uncompressed audio

Multi-track handling Free

Keep all tracks, or mixdown to stereo/mono

Overlays

Timecode burn-in Pro

Overlay source timecode on output

Custom text overlay Pro

Burn in up to 12 characters of custom text

PNG watermark Pro

Overlay a transparent PNG with adjustable scale, opacity, and position

Presets

Built-in presets Free

YouTube, Vimeo, ProRes, DNxHR, and more

Custom presets Pro

Save, edit, export, and import your own presets

LUT attachment Pro

Bake a LUT into a preset

Auto-apply on import Free

Set a default preset for new files

Free (built-in only)

Workflow

Drag-and-drop Free

Import files and folders by dragging

Video preview Free

Scrub through source files before encoding

Resolution scaling Free

Match source or set a custom resolution

Video rotation Free

Rotate output 90°, 180°, or 270°

Frame rate conversion Free

Match source or custom up to 120 fps

Folder structure preservation Free

Recreate source directory layout in output

Insta360 metadata pass-through Free

Preserves Insta360 spatial metadata

Metadata embedding Free

"Transcoded by" field in output metadata

Watch folders Pro

Monitor folders for new files and auto-transcode with a preset

Output file naming Free

Suffix options and conflict resolution

Automation

CLI tool (pme) Pro

Transcode, probe, manage presets and license

AppleScript dictionary Pro

Transcode, probe, list presets via AppleScript

Service mode / REST API Pro

Headless HTTP server for remote control

macOS Shortcuts Pro

Transcode, Probe, List Presets actions

launchd auto-start Pro

Run service mode automatically at login

Upgrade to Pro

Unlock parallel encoding, RAW workflows, automation tools, and every professional codec for a one-time payment of $39.

Buy Pro License