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Decibels vs VLC media player: catalog facts
Decibels	VLC media player
Free Free, developed as part of GNOME with donations going to the GNOME Foundation.	Free Free software from a non-profit; there is no paid tier and no advertising in the player.
Linux	Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS
Opens a file and plays it with no library setup Waveform view with easy seeking	Plays an unusually wide list of codecs and containers out of the box, including MPEG-1/2, H.264, H.265, VP8/VP9… No spyware, no advertising and no user tracking, stated on the project feature page
No library, playlists or tag management Linux only	The stable desktop line is still 3.0.23; the 4.0 interface rewrite has not shipped The interface is functional rather than modern, and advanced options are buried in preference dialogs
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Open source
License not stated	License: GPL-2.0
No account needed	No account needed
Works offline	Works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 24, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 20, 2026

Catalog facts only. Anything “not stated” is unconfirmed. Check full listings for details.