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VLC media player vs Parole: catalog facts
VLC media player	Parole
Free Free software from a non-profit; there is no paid tier and no advertising in the player.	Free Free, part of the Xfce desktop project.
Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS	Linux
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	Plays local files, DVDs, CDs and live streams Lightweight and consistent with Xfce
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	Linux only Format support depends on installed GStreamer plugins
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Open source
License: GPL-2.0	License not stated
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 23, 2026

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