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, Kodi and MPlayer.

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VLC Media Player alternatives are mainly Media Players but may also be Audio Players or Internet Radio Services.  Filter by these or use the filter bar below if you want a narrower list of alternatives or looking for a specific functionality of VLC Media Player.
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Cross-platform, free media player supports multimedia files, DVDs, streaming, offers hardware acceleration, 4K, lossless audio, and more.

More about VLC Media Player
VLC Media Player alternatives page was last updated Feb 13, 2025
  1. MPV icon
     503 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.

    104 MPV alternatives
    MPV screenshot 1

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • BSD
    • Xfce

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight
    2.  Minimalistic
    3.  Configurable

    Features

    1.  Integrated Codecs
    2.  Low resource footprint
    3.  Command line interface
    4.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    5.  Video playback
    6.  Drag and Drop
    7.  Lua scripting
    8.  HDR source support
    9.  GNU/linux-libre
    10.  Ad-free
    11.  Portable
    12.  Hardware Accelerated
    MPV iconVLC Media Player Icon

    MPV VS VLC Media Player

    Is MPV a good alternative to VLC Media Player?
     
    Comments about MPV as an Alternative to VLC Media Player
     
       
    Comment summary: MPV is frequently praised as a lightweight, customizable, and reliable alternative to VLC Media Player. Users note that it handles AV1 encoded videos and other formats more smoothly, overcomes playback stuttering issues, and offers better battery usage. Its minimalistic design with practical shortcuts is favored, though some users miss a conventional UI. Despite VLC's established reputation, MPV is recognized for its strong performance on multiple platforms.
    kfua

    I tried to play a movie encoded to 1080p av1 but vlc was struggling on my device. I used this website to find an alternative MPV plays av1 encoded movies smoothly.

    Top positive commentJul 8, 2024
    1
    Guest

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

    Positive commentDec 8, 2024
    0
    0x6A7232

    VLC was having stuttering problems for whatever reason. Installed MPV and bam! Also love the UI, really well integrated for playing movies which is great.

    Positive commentFeb 21, 2024
    0
    Show more comments
    3 of 25 comments
    VLC Media Player Icon
    MPV icon
    • Almost everyone thinks MPV is a great VLC Media Player alternative.

    • MPV is the most popular Android, Mac & Linux alternative to VLC Media Player.

    • 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
     448 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.

    124 SMPlayer alternatives
    Playing video - Default Skin

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • mpv
    • PortableApps.com
    • Haiku
    • MPlayer

    Properties

    1.  Customizable
    2.  Lightweight
    3.  Support for Themes

    Features

    1.  Support for subtitles
    2.  Ad-free
    3.  Multiplatform
    4.  Skin customization
    5.  Youtube support
    6.  Integrated Codecs
    7.  Built-in subtitle search
    8.  Support for Keyboard Shortcuts
    9.  Works Offline
    10.  Portable
    11.  No registration required
    12.  Chromecast Support
    SMPlayer iconVLC Media Player Icon

    SMPlayer VS VLC Media Player

    Is SMPlayer a good alternative to VLC Media Player?
     
    Comments about SMPlayer as an Alternative to VLC Media Player
     
       
    Comment summary: Comments highlight SMPlayer's advantages over VLC Media Player, emphasizing ease of use, customization, and versatility. Users appreciate its ability to sync settings across devices, intuitive GUI, and handling of subtitles and incomplete files better than VLC. While generally viewed as superior, a concern over stability on Windows is noted. SMPlayer is praised for being resource-efficient, supporting diverse video files, and providing enhanced playback quality.
    Armin

    It has beautiful skins and is suitable for weak systems.

    Top positive commentJul 17, 2021
    2
    Mayank-Arora

    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.

    Positive commentMar 6, 2023
    0
    Guest

    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.

    Positive commentApr 18, 2022
    3
    Show more comments
    3 of 18 comments
    VLC Media Player 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 Customizable and LightweightVLC Media Player is not according to our users
  3. IINA icon
     121 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 set...

    37 IINA alternatives
    IINA screenshot 1

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • mpv

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight
    2.  Clean design

    Features

    1.  Picture in Picture
    2.  Automatic subtitles download
    3.  Support for subtitles
    4.  No registration required
    5.  Ad-free
    6.  Dark Mode
    7.  Works Offline
    8.  Lossless Audio
    9.  Support for 4K
    10.  Play web video
    11.  Built-in themes
    12.  Touchbar integration
    IINA iconVLC Media Player Icon

    IINA VS VLC Media Player

    Is IINA a good alternative to VLC Media Player?
     
    Comments about IINA as an Alternative to VLC Media Player
     
       
    Paul

    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 positive commentOct 31, 2017
    5
    Lai Curaga

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

    Top negative commentAug 4, 2024
    0
    nicolaspatate

    IINA is the best modern player out there

    Positive commentJun 7, 2020
    2
    Show more comments
    3 of 8 comments
    VLC Media Player 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
  4. Kodi icon
     1496 likes

    Though Kodi can function as an alternative to VLC, its strengths lie in its robust cataloging of media and robust sorting and organization options for TV shows, movies, and music. Its media server capabilities are front and center, its playback functionality is nothing to sneeze at, and it can be used for th...

    72 Kodi alternatives
    Kodi screenshot 1

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • BSD
    • iPad
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak
    • Raspberry Pi
    • Fire TV

    Top Kodi Features

    1.  Media Streaming
    2.  TV Shows meta data support
    3.  Video library
    4.  Media Center
    5.  Media library
    6.  Support for IPTV
    7.  Media Server
    8.  Automatic subtitles download
    9.  Built-in Media Downloader
    10.  Ad-free
    11.  Portable
    12.  AirPlay Support
    Kodi iconVLC Media Player Icon

    Kodi VS VLC Media Player

    Is Kodi a good alternative to VLC Media Player?
     
    Comments about Kodi as an Alternative to VLC Media Player
     
       
    Guest

    Kody is more oriented to being a fullscreen video/music cataloguing application, but it has an internal video/audio/iptv playing system with very good decoding capabilities like VLC and can be windowed as well

    Top positive commentSep 8, 2015
    6
    Lester Covax

    Kodi is a media server first and foremost. It's like comparing Google Docs to Microsoft Office.

    Top negative commentFeb 8, 2021
    5
    Guest

    Too Bloated. Not really meant for playing local video files

    Negative commentJan 10, 2025
    0
    Show more comments
    3 of 6 comments
    VLC Media Player Icon
    Kodi icon
    • Most users think Kodi is a great VLC Media Player alternative.

    • Kodi is the most popular iPhone & iPad alternative to VLC Media Player.

    • Kodi is Free and Open SourceVLC Media Player is also Free and Open Source
  5. MPlayer icon
     340 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.

    131 MPlayer alternatives
    MPlayer on Ubuntu (Linux)

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • AmigaOS
    • Xfce
    • MorphOS

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Portable
    2.  Hardware Accelerated
    3.  Command line interface
    4.  Integrated Codecs
    MPlayer iconVLC Media Player Icon

    MPlayer VS VLC Media Player

    Is MPlayer a good alternative to VLC Media Player?
     
    Comments about MPlayer as an Alternative to VLC Media Player
     
    Sam Lander

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

    Positive commentJun 8, 2024
    0
    Guest

    It read and play most media without any constraints.

    Positive commentMar 27, 2017
    1
    VLC Media Player 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
  6. GOM Player icon
     241 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.

    136 GOM Player alternatives
    Main window

    License model

    • FreemiumProprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Skinnable
    2.  Support for subtitles
    3.  Playback speed control
    4.  Customizable triggers
    5.  Integrated Codecs
    Bundleware

    The installer contains additional bloatware that can hijack your browser's settings. Be careful during the installation: https://alternativeto.net/discussions/applications/11718/be-careful-in-the-installation/

    GOM Player iconVLC Media Player Icon

    GOM Player VS VLC Media Player

    Is GOM Player a good alternative to VLC Media Player?
     
    Comments about GOM Player as an Alternative to VLC Media Player
     
    clydelyman

    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.

    Positive commentMar 7, 2017
    2
    Guest

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

    Positive commentJul 26, 2015
    -2
    Guest

    Support almost all types of video formats.

    Positive commentDec 21, 2017
    -1
    VLC Media 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
  7. DeaDBeeF icon
     194 likes

    DeaDBeeF is a lightweight graphical music player created for easy playback of music and management of playlists. It supports major audio codecs and tags, global hotkeys, gapless playback, streaming audio, command line control, and has an 18-band equalizer.

    171 DeaDBeeF alternatives
    DeaDBeeF screenshot 1

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • KDE
    • Cinnamon
    • GNOME
    • MATE
    • Xfce

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    2.  Fully customizable interface
    3.  Playlists management
    4.  Support for Hotkeys
    5.  Replay Gain
    6.  Works Offline
    7.  Ad-free
    8.  Lossless Audio
    9.  Command line interface
    10.  Portable
    11. Last.fm icon  Integrated Last.fm scrobbler
    12.  Mods
    DeaDBeeF iconVLC Media Player Icon

    DeaDBeeF VS VLC Media Player

    Is DeaDBeeF a good alternative to VLC Media Player?
     
    Comments about DeaDBeeF as an Alternative to VLC Media Player
     
    Richard Elmsworth

    The only music player that can loop an audio file perfectly. Not for video though.

    Positive commentMar 9, 2022
    0
    Guest

    Only plays music, not video.

    Negative commentSep 13, 2019
    0
    VLC Media Player Icon
    DeaDBeeF icon
    • Most users think DeaDBeeF is a great VLC Media Player alternative.

    • DeaDBeeF is Free and Open SourceVLC Media Player is also Free and Open Source
    • DeaDBeeF is LightweightVLC Media Player is not according to our users
7 of 76 VLC Media Player alternatives