Windows Media Player Alternatives for Windows

There are many alternatives to Windows Media Player for Windows if you are looking for a replacement. The best Windows alternative is VLC Media Player, which is both free and Open Source. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 100 alternatives to Windows Media Player and loads of them are available for Windows so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting Windows alternatives to Windows Media Player are MPC-HC, MPV, foobar2000 and AIMP.

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Most Windows Media Player alternatives are Media Players, but you can also narrow the list to Audio Players or Internet Radio Services. Other popular filters are Windows, Linux, Android Tablet, iPhone and Kindle Fire. You can also filter for EU-based alternatives if you prefer software from the European Union.
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Alternatives
Windows Media Player alternatives page was last updated

Alternatives list

  1. VLC Media Player icon
     7957 likes

    Enjoy seamless media experiences with this cross-platform, ad-free player supporting multimedia files, DVDs, streaming, Chromecast, 4K, and no tracking. Customize with themes, play offline, and get privacy-focused service without registration. Fully extensible by plugins.

    213 VLC Media Player alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Since

    • Since 2009

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Mac
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • iPad
    • Android Tablet
    • Kindle Fire
    • Apple Watch
    Good alternative?
     
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    9
  2. MPC-HC icon
     1337 likes

    A lightweight open-source media player for Windows, giving support for all video/audio formats. It boasts no ads, dark themes, codec support, and seamless YouTube playback. Developed by longtime contributors, it's mature software with community improvements and crash fixes.

    170 MPC-HC alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Since

    • Since 2009

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • PortableApps.com
    Good alternative?
     
  3. MPV icon
     597 likes

    Versatile audio and video player featuring support for a wide range of formats, audio and video codecs, subtitle types, hardware acceleration via GPU, OpenGL output with high-quality scaling, on-screen controls, and embeddable C API for integration into applications.

    138 MPV alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Since

    • Since 2013

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Mac
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Xfce
    • Android
    • Haiku
    • F-Droid
    • Flathub
    • OpenAPK
    • US flagUnited States
    MPV screenshot 1
    Good alternative?
     
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    1
  4. foobar2000 icon
     1574 likes

    Audio player offering MP3, FLAC support, gapless playback, customizable interfaces, CD ripping, advanced tagging, ReplayGain, plugins, and is known for its freeware model, running on various Windows versions with high audio fidelity.

    242 foobar2000 alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free Personal
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Since

    • Since 2008

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Mac
    • Chrome OS
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • iPad
    • Android Tablet
    • Apple TV
    • Android TV
    Good alternative?
     
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    3
  5. AIMP icon
     907 likes

    Feature-rich audio player for Windows and Android supporting diverse codecs and interfaces. Includes conversion tools, skins, plugins, and custom equalizer for enhanced audio streaming and podcast playback.

    395 AIMP alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Since

    • Since 2009

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Android
    • PortableApps.com
    Good alternative?
     
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    1
  6. Clementine icon
     767 likes

    Free cross-platform audio player and library organizer featuring support for local files, internet radio, smart and dynamic playlists, playlist import/export, projectM visualizations, lyrics, artist info, album art, tag editing, transcoding, device sync, and remote control.

    282 Clementine alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Since

    • Since 2010

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Mac
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Haiku
    Good alternative?
     
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    1
  7. PotPlayer icon
     705 likes

    Extensive Windows media player with wide format compatibility, robust customization, ad-free interface, hardware acceleration, advanced and animated subtitle support, smooth seamless playback, 3D output modes, scene preview, bookmarks, OpenCodec, and device support.

    159 PotPlayer alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free Personal
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Since

    • Since 2010

    Platforms

    • Windows
    Good alternative?
     
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    3
  8. Winamp icon
     903 likes

    Media player for Windows offering ease of use, skinnable design, advanced audio visualizers, and support for plug-ins, playlists, music library, and various audio formats. Known for extensibility, music visualization, and online community support.

    301 Winamp alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Since

    • Since 2008

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    Good alternative?
     
  9. SMPlayer icon
     467 likes

    SMPlayer intends to be a complete front-end for MPlayer, from basic features like playing videos, DVDs, and VCDs to more advanced features like support for MPlayer filters and more. SMPlayer remembers the settings of all files you play.

    147 SMPlayer alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Since

    • Since 2009

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Mac
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • PortableApps.com
    • Haiku
    • mpv
    • MPlayer
    • Flathub
    • Snapcraft
    • Homebrew
    Good alternative?
     
  10. Audacious icon
     306 likes

    Lightweight open-source audio player for Unix-like platforms focused on high sound quality, extensive codec support, playlist handling, Internet radio, plugins, Winamp-style skins, cue sheets, metadata display, effects, equalizer, and efficient resource usage.

    160 Audacious alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Since

    • Since 2009

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Mac
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Xfce
    • OpenBSD
    • Haiku
    Good alternative?
     
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    1
  11. Strawberry icon
     254 likes

    Music player and collection organizer featuring support for diverse audio formats, bit-perfect playback, playlist management, tag editing, advanced output controls, streaming from Subsonic, Tidal, Qobuz, scrobbling, CD playback, and cover art retrieval.

    272 Strawberry alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Since

    • Since 2018

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Mac
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Haiku
    • Flathub
    Good alternative?
     
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    2
  12. MPC-BE icon
     189 likes

    Media Player Classic - Black Edition (MPC-BE) is a fork of MPC and MPC-HC. It moved away from MPC's aim to mimic the look and feel of Windows Media Player with updated player controls and provides additional features on top of MPC-HC such as a video preview tooltip when...

    140 MPC-BE alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Since

    • Since 2013

    Platforms

    • Windows
    Good alternative?
     
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    1
12 of 148 Windows Media Player alternatives