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

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