VLC Media Player Alternatives for Mac

There are many alternatives to VLC Media Player for Mac if you are looking for a replacement. The best Mac alternative is MPV, which is both free and Open Source. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 100 alternatives to VLC Media Player and loads of them are available for Mac so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting Mac alternatives to VLC Media Player are SMPlayer, IINA, MPlayer and GOM Player.

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VLC Media Player alternatives are mainly Media Players, but if you're looking for Audio Players or Video Streaming Apps you can filter on that. Other popular filters include Android, Linux, Open Source, Windows, iPhone, Mac and Android + Open Source. These are just examples - use the filter bar below to find more specific alternatives to VLC Media Player.
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Alternatives list

  1. MPV icon

    MPV

     551 likes

    MPV is an MPlayer-based video player that is available on all major desktop operating systems. Linux users in particular cite MPV as one of the best alternatives to VLC. Its interface is extremely minimal, though with that comes extraordinary stability.

    114 MPV alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • BSD
    • F-Droid
    • Haiku
    • Xfce
    • Chocolatey
    • Flathub
    • Snapcraft
    MPV screenshot 1
     
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    26
    320
    Comments about MPV as an Alternative to VLC Media Player
    Top Positive Comment
    John Fastman
    12

    There was a time when VLC was justifiably considered the best open-source cross-platform movie player. MPV has closed the gap substantially and is likely to work out-of-the-box in a minority of cases where VLC gets stuck. Excellent software. Open souce (trustworthy) and free, of course.

    Top Negative Comment
    Marek-Piekielnik
    0

    MPV on Windows is half baked (at best). No setup, no file associations, no hi-dpi interface.

    Guest
    Positive
    0

    In Linux, VLC sometime struggles playing MP4 videos & navigating within those MP4 videos. Celluloid (MPV frontend) works better in these regards.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    3 of 26 comments
    MPV icon
    MPV icon

    • Almost everyone thinks MPV is a great VLC Media Player alternative.

    • MPV is Free and Open SourceVLC Media Player is also Free and Open Source
    • MPV is Lightweight and MinimalisticVLC Media Player is not according to our users
  2. SMPlayer icon

    SMPlayer

     457 likes

    Like MPV, SMPlayer is based off of MPlayer, but unlike MPV, it's more focused on accessibility with its user interface. Out of the box, users cite SMPlayer as having the versatility and stability of MPV with the ease of use of players like VLC. It also supports add-ons such as a YouTube search.

    131 SMPlayer alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • mpv
    • Snapcraft
    • PortableApps.com
    • Haiku
    • MPlayer
    • Flathub
    • Homebrew
    Playing video - Default Skin
     
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    18
    189
    Comments about SMPlayer as an Alternative to VLC Media Player
    Top Positive Comment
    Armin
    3

    It has beautiful skins and is suitable for weak systems.

    Mayank-Arora
    Positive
    1

    I have stopped using VLC, since I came across SMPlayer. It works seamlessly on all my devices. I once made keyboard shortcuts, and saved it on cloud. Now, it is very easy to copy that file and have same settings and same shortcuts across all devices. For me, this is better than VLC media player and it is so easy to set aspect ratio, increase and decrease volume, manage video speeds and sync audio/subtitles.

    Guest
    Positive
    3

    It is the best mpv frontend in my opinion. having such powerful media player engine such as mpv + a user friendly ui. built-in subtitle search engine makes you like a lot easier too.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    3 of 18 comments
    SMPlayer icon
    SMPlayer icon

    • Almost everyone thinks SMPlayer is a great VLC Media Player alternative.

    • SMPlayer is Free and Open SourceVLC Media Player is also Free and Open Source
    • SMPlayer is LightweightVLC Media Player is not according to our users
  4. IINA icon

    IINA

     135 likes

    Though it's exclusive to macOS, IINA's users swear by it for being lightweight, efficient, and performative. Minor annoyances such as performance-based audio-video-subtitle desyncs that can be found on VLC are not a problem when using IINA. Additionally, its interface is neat clean, with clearly labelled settings. This ease of use combined with its excellent performance makes it an easy recommendation for macOS users looking for a media player.

    46 IINA alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • mpv
    IINA screenshot 1
     
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    8
    72
    Comments about IINA as an Alternative to VLC Media Player
    Top Positive Comment
    Paul
    5

    Great alternative to VLC if you're on macOS. It's lightweight, the UI is very clean, and has even more functionalities than VLC.

    Top Negative Comment
    Lai Curaga
    0

    still no RTSP support (for local webcam/small cctv)

    nicolaspatate
    Positive
    2

    IINA is the best modern player out there

    3 of 8 comments
    IINA icon
    IINA icon

    • Almost everyone thinks IINA is a great VLC Media Player alternative.

    • IINA is Free and Open SourceVLC Media Player is also Free and Open Source
    • IINA is LightweightVLC Media Player is not according to our users
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  6. MPlayer icon

    MPlayer

     341 likes

    MPlayer is a movie player which runs on many systems (see the documentation). It plays most MPEG/VOB, AVI, Ogg/OGM, VIVO, ASF/WMA/WMV, QT/MOV/MP4, RealMedia, Matroska, NUT, NuppelVideo, FLI, YUV4MPEG, FILM, RoQ, PVA files, supported by many native, XAnim, and Win32 DLL codecs.

    135 MPlayer alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • AmigaOS
    • Xfce
    • MorphOS
    • Haiku
    MPlayer on Ubuntu (Linux)
     
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    2
    56
    Comments about MPlayer as an Alternative to VLC Media Player
    Sam Lander
    Positive
    0

    Very lightweight, glitchless. MPlayer is probably the best media player currently on the market.

    Guest
    Positive
    1

    It read and play most media without any constraints.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    MPlayer icon
    MPlayer icon

    • Most users think MPlayer is a great VLC Media Player alternative.

    • MPlayer is Free and Open SourceVLC Media Player is also Free and Open Source
    • MPlayer is LightweightVLC Media Player is not according to our users
  7. GOM Player icon

    GOM Player

     239 likes

    GOM Player is a freeware media player. Key strengths are the ability to play the majority of media files without the need to obtain a codec, and the ability to play some broken media files, both advantages over traditional players, like Windows Media Player.

    135 GOM Player alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Alerts

    • Bundleware

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    Main window
     
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    3
    39
    Comments about GOM Player as an Alternative to VLC Media Player
    clydelyman
    Positive
    2

    Its effects are easier to use and it has an extensive Preferences selection; BE AWARE, they have a separate music player. I have both. the Reverb is solid. you can avoid the crapware by doing the first download from Ninite and just updating or do a custom install. To my knowledge GOM does not recored.

    Guest
    Positive
    -2

    VLC Player looks like it belongs on a Windows 95 computer. GOM Player has a much more professional interface with lots of options.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Guest
    Positive
    -1

    Support almost all types of video formats.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    GOM Player icon
    GOM Player icon

    • Most users think GOM Player is a great VLC Media Player alternative.

    • GOM Player is Freemium and ProprietaryVLC Media Player is Free and Open Source
    • GOM Player is LightweightVLC Media Player is not according to our users
  8. Infuse icon

    Infuse

     50 likes

    Ignite your video content with Infuse – the beautiful way to watch almost any video format on your iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV. No need to convert files! Infuse is optimized for iOS 12, with powerful streaming options, trakt sync, and unmatched AirPlay & subtitle support.

    110 Infuse alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • iPhone
    • iPad
    • Apple TV
    • visionOS
    Infuse screenshot 1
     
  10. MPlayerX icon

    MPlayerX

     71 likes

    MPlayerX is an open source project which aims to be the most powerful, beautiful, easy to use multimedia player on Mac OS X.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Alerts

    • Warning
    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • MPlayer
    MPlayerX with player controller showing
     
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    1
    20
    Comments about MPlayerX as an Alternative to VLC Media Player
    Guest
    Positive
    0

    It's the best media player for Mac, it behaves like a native mac app, the same beautiful design of QuickTime but reads a lot of video formats, I highly recommend MPlayerX!

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    MPlayerX icon
    MPlayerX icon

    • Most users think MPlayerX is a great VLC Media Player alternative.

    • MPlayerX is Free and Open SourceVLC Media Player is also Free and Open Source
  11. Submarine Player icon

    Submarine Player

     8 likes

    Struggling to find subtitles for your videos? Submarine Player automatically generates and shows subtitles as you watch, so you can easily enjoy videos in any language.

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    Submarine Player screenshot 1
     
  12. SPlayer icon

    SPlayer

     102 likes

    SPlayer is a player that supports all popular formats, including DVDRip, HDTV, RMVB, QuickTime, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, AC3/DTS, VP3/6/7, Indeo, XVD, OGG / OGM, APE, FLAC, TTA, AAC, MPC, 3GP/AMR, and subtitles.

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    SPlayer screenshot 1
     
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    7
  13. QMPlay2 icon

    QMPlay2

     13 likes

    QMPlay2 is a video and audio player. It can play all formats supported by FFmpeg, libmodplug (including J2B and SFX). It also supports Audio CD, raw files, Rayman 2 music and chiptunes. It contains YouTube and Prostopleer browser.

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Haiku
    QMPlay2 screenshot 1
     
  14. QuickTime Player icon

    QuickTime Player

     135 likes

    Watch Internet video, HD movie trailers, and personal media clips. Whether it’s on the web or on your desktop, QuickTime Player brings your digital media brilliantly to life.

    174 QuickTime Player alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    QuickTime X
     
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    13
  15. Movist icon

    Movist

     57 likes

    Movist is a movie player for Mac OS based on QuickTime & FFmpeg.

    A Simple and clean interface and high codec compatibility make this a real challenger to VLC.

    92 Movist alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    The Movist main window
     
12 of 56 VLC Media Player alternatives