Alternatives to VLC media player
A free player that opens almost any video or audio file, disc or stream without installing a codec pack. The listings below can replace it for an important use case. Each note says what changes if you switch.
The original
VLC media player
A free player that opens almost any video or audio file, disc or stream without installing a codec pack.
Replacements
Listings that take over the same core job as VLC media player.
mpv
A minimal, scriptable media player with high quality video output and no real interface to get in the way.
mpv replaces VLC's menus with a minimal on-screen controller and config files, adds Lua and JavaScript scripting, and has no Android or iOS builds.
SMPlayer
A front end for mpv and MPlayer that remembers where you stopped in every file you have ever opened.
SMPlayer uses mpv and MPlayer engines behind a Qt interface, remembers position per file and downloads subtitles, but has no mobile builds.
MPC-HC
A small, fast Windows video player with a classic interface and DirectShow filter support.
MPC-HC is a small Windows-only player with a classic interface and DirectShow filter support, where some exotic formats need third-party filters.
MPC-BE
A lightweight Windows media player descended from Media Player Classic, with its own independent development.
MPC-BE is a Windows-only player that starts instantly and plays most formats without codec packs, but needs a DirectX 9.0c card with Pixel Shader 3.0.
IINA
The mpv engine wrapped in a macOS app that actually looks and behaves like a macOS app.
IINA is a macOS-only mpv-based player with a native Mac interface, picture-in-picture and online subtitle search, requiring macOS 11 or newer.
Infuse
Apple-platform video player that connects to Plex, Jellyfin, Emby and network shares.
Infuse is a closed-source Apple-platform player that also connects to Plex, Jellyfin, Emby and network shares, with most features behind a Pro subscription.
KMPlayer
A free Windows and macOS video player with built-in codecs for most formats, including 4K and 3D.
KMPlayer is a free but closed-source player for Windows and macOS with built-in codecs, 4K and 3D playback, and no mobile or Linux builds.
GOM Player
A Windows video player with built-in codecs, subtitle search and support for 360-degree video.
GOM Player is a closed-source freemium Windows player with built-in codecs, subtitle search and 360-degree video, and paid upgrades are heavily promoted.
Also worth comparing
These listings name VLC media player as their own alternative, so the relationship runs both ways.
5KPlayer
A free Windows and Mac media player with AirPlay and DLNA streaming and an online video downloader.
VLC media player is open source under GPL-2.0, runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS, and plays a very wide codec list, but lacks an online video downloader.
Celluloid
A simple GTK front end for the mpv video player on Linux.
VLC media player uses its own engine instead of mpv, runs on desktop and mobile platforms, and plays a very wide codec list without mpv configuration files.
Clapper
A GNOME media player built on GStreamer and GTK4, designed for simplicity and ease of use.
VLC media player runs on Linux, Windows, macOS, Android and iOS and plays a wide codec list itself, without depending on installed GStreamer plugins.
Decibels
A minimal GNOME audio player that opens and plays individual audio files without a music library.
VLC media player opens almost any audio or video file on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS, though its interface is functional rather than modern.
DivX Software
Free video software to play, convert and cast DivX, AVI, MKV and HEVC files up to 4K.
VLC media player is open source under GPL-2.0, plays a very wide codec list on desktop and mobile platforms, but includes no dedicated video converter in its listing.
Dragon Player
A simple KDE video player that plays video files and streams with minimal controls.
VLC media player runs on Linux, Windows, macOS, Android and iOS with a very wide codec list, but its interface buries advanced options in preference dialogs.
Elmedia Player
A macOS video and audio player with native Apple Silicon support and AirPlay and Chromecast streaming.
VLC media player is free and open source across desktop and mobile platforms with a very wide codec list, and makes no mention of AirPlay or Chromecast streaming.
Haruna
An open-source KDE video player built on libmpv with automatic playlists and configurable shortcuts.
VLC media player uses its own engine instead of libmpv and runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS, with an interface that is functional rather than KDE-integrated.
Hypnotix
An IPTV streaming application from Linux Mint for live TV, movies and series.
VLC media player plays streams as well as local files on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS, but it has no dedicated IPTV sections for live TV, movies and series.
JRiver Media Center
Organize and play a local media collection with a configurable media-center application.
VLC media player is free and open source on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS and plays almost any file, but offers little library organization compared with JRiver.
Just Player
A lightweight open-source Android video player built on Media3, formerly ExoPlayer.
VLC media player plays a very wide list of codecs on Android and also runs on desktop and iOS, rather than depending on what Media3 and the device can decode.
MPC-QT
A reimplementation of Media Player Classic built with Qt and libmpv.
VLC media player uses its own engine with wide codec support on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS, replacing the MPC-style interface.
mpv-android
A video player for Android built on libmpv, with gesture controls and advanced subtitle support.
VLC media player on Android plays a very wide range of codecs with hardware decoding and software fallback, and the same project offers desktop and iOS builds.
mpv.net
A Windows media player built on mpv, adding a modern graphical interface and themes.
VLC media player uses its own engine with wide codec support and runs on Windows plus macOS, Linux, Android and iOS, without mpv configuration compatibility.
Parole
A lightweight GStreamer-based media player written to fit the Xfce desktop.
VLC media player uses its own engine with wide built-in codec support instead of GStreamer plugins, and runs on Windows, macOS, Android and iOS as well as Linux.
Screenbox
A LibVLC-based video and audio player for Windows built on the Universal Windows Platform.
VLC media player uses the full VLC engine with more advanced options and runs beyond Windows on macOS, Linux, Android and iOS, but its interface is less modern.
Showtime
GNOME's video player, with simple playback controls, subtitles, multiple audio tracks and screenshots.
VLC is an open-source player that opens almost any format without codec packs and runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS, with advanced options buried in preferences.
Zoom Player
A customizable Windows media player with a media library, streaming, skins and keyboard control.
VLC media player is free and open source under GPL-2.0, plays almost any format on every major platform, but offers no media library scraping or skins.
Similar software
Related functionality, not a direct replacement.
RetroArch
One front end for dozens of emulators, with unified settings, shaders and a controller setup you only do once.
Syncplay
Keep video playback synchronized across a group.
Jellyfin Media Player
A desktop client for Jellyfin built on libmpv, with hardware decoding and audio passthrough so fewer files need transcoding.
OSMC
A free, open-source media center operating system based on Debian Linux and Kodi.
NewPipe
Watch supported streaming services through an Android client.
FXRadio
Desktop internet radio player that browses the Radio Browser station directory.
