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MPC-HC vs VLC media player: catalog facts
MPC-HC	VLC media player
Free Free and open source; no paid version exists.	Free Free software from a non-profit; there is no paid tier and no advertising in the player.
Windows	Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS
Simple, familiar interface that the maintainer describes as the reason the player is loved DirectShow architecture allows third party filters and renderers to extend playback	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
Windows only The maintainer states he does not accept new feature requests	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: GPL-3.0	License: GPL-2.0
No account needed	No account needed
Works offline	Works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 20, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 20, 2026

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