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VLC media player vs MPC-HC: catalog facts
VLC media player	MPC-HC
Free Free software from a non-profit; there is no paid tier and no advertising in the player.	Free Free and open source; no paid version exists.
Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS	Windows
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	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
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	Windows only The maintainer states he does not accept new feature requests
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Open source
License: GPL-2.0	License: GPL-3.0
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.