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QuickTime Player vs VLC media player: catalog facts
QuickTime Player	VLC media player
Free Included with macOS at no extra cost.	Free Free software from a non-profit; there is no paid tier and no advertising in the player.
macOS	Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS
Already installed on every Mac Records the screen, camera or microphone	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
Mac only Editing tools are very basic	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
Closed 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 October 1, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 20, 2026

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