The Best Windows Media Player AlternativesTop Audio & Media Players like Windows Media Player

Windows Media Player is described as 'Video and audio player developed by Microsoft for Windows 11 and Windows 10. It the successor to Groove Music (previously Xbox Music), Microsoft Movies & TV and the original Windows Media' and is a very popular Audio Player in the cd/dvd tools category. There are more than 100 alternatives to Windows Media Player for a variety of platforms, including Windows, Linux, Mac, Android and iPhone apps. The best Windows Media Player alternative is VLC Media Player, which is both free and Open Source. Other great apps like Windows Media Player are MPC-HC, MPV, foobar2000 and AIMP.

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Alternatives list

  1. VLC Media Player icon

    VLC Media Player

     7838 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.

    190 VLC Media Player alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Windows Mobile
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • BSD
    • HUAWEI AppGallery
    • iPad
    • AppImageHub
    • Apple Watch
    • Snapcraft
    • Google Chrome
    • Apple TV
    • Flathub
    • PortableApps.com
    • F-Droid
    • Kindle Fire
    • Haiku
    • Android TV
    • Homebrew
    • Chocolatey
    • Xbox
    VLC Media Player screenshot 1
     
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    9
    VLC Media Player vs Windows Media Player Comments
    Top Positive Comment
    Rasheed AZ
    6

    Can actually play most media files and actually fulfil its purpose unlike wmp

    Top Negative Comment
    Guest
    21

    VLC, while an awesome media player, lacks WMP's library features. Thus, it is not an all-in-one system like WMP is.

    tpc1095
    Positive
    1

    Not an alternative to Windows Media Player at all because the main function of WMP is to organize song tracks into albums by artist. Just playing a file isn't a big deal.

    3 of 9 comments
    • VLC Media Player is Free and Open SourceWindows Media Player is Free and Proprietary
    • VLC Media Player is a Media Player Windows Media Player is an Audio Player
    • VLC Media Player is Customizable, Decentralized and Privacy focusedWindows Media Player is not according to our users
  2. MPC-HC icon

    MPC-HC

     1328 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.

    154 MPC-HC alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • PortableApps.com
    MPC-HC screenshot 1
     
  4. MPV icon

    MPV

     587 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.

    125 MPV alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • BSD
    • Snapcraft
    • Flathub
    • F-Droid
    • Haiku
    • Xfce
    • Chocolatey
    MPV screenshot 1
     
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    1
    MPV vs Windows Media Player Comments
    Guest
    Positive
    5

    MPV is an open source and professional project

    • MPV is Free and Open SourceWindows Media Player is Free and Proprietary
    • MPV is a Media Player Windows Media Player is an Audio Player
    • MPV is Minimalistic and Privacy focusedWindows Media Player is not according to our users
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  6. foobar2000 icon

    foobar2000

     1564 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.

    226 foobar2000 alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free Personal
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    Foobar custom.
     
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    3
    foobar2000 vs Windows Media Player Comments
    tvgoing1
    Negative
    1

    foobar is not windows media player, it does not play videos

    GGhz
    Positive
    0

    Light weight MUSIC player, has everything you need. about 4MB installer and 15MB on ram ,light on CPU

    Guest
    Negative
    0

    Difficult to use, I couldn't work out how to rip CDs with it.

    • foobar2000 is Free Personal and ProprietaryWindows Media Player is Free and Proprietary
    • foobar2000 is Customizable, Privacy focused and MinimalisticWindows Media Player is not according to our users
  8. AIMP icon

    AIMP

     897 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.

    375 AIMP alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Android
    • PortableApps.com
    AIMP screenshot 1
     
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    1
    AIMP vs Windows Media Player Comments
    Gustavo D
    Negative
    0

    AIMP is awesome, no question about it, but it's not a all media player. It explicitly doesn't play video. With plug-ins it can pull video content from say, YouTube, but it won't show the video, the reason is stated as something about focusing on being a audio player. I'm paraphrasing. If you are replacing WMP as audio player though, maybe first try iTunes. AIMP may be a little much for you.

    • AIMP is Free and ProprietaryWindows Media Player is also Free and Proprietary
    • AIMP is Customizable and Privacy focusedWindows Media Player is not according to our users
  9. Clementine icon

    Clementine

     763 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.

    266 Clementine alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Haiku
    Clementine with lyrics pane
     
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    1
    Clementine vs Windows Media Player Comments
    154pinkchairs
    Positive
    0

    one of the greatest FOSS players, but tbh I prefer quodLibet since it's more lightweight

    • Clementine is Free and Open SourceWindows Media Player is Free and Proprietary
    • Clementine is Privacy focusedWindows Media Player is not according to our users
  10. PotPlayer icon

    PotPlayer

     701 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.

    145 PotPlayer alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free Personal
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
    PotPlayer screenshot 1
     
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    3
    PotPlayer vs Windows Media Player Comments
    Guest
    Positive
    0

    Video, audio and image capture from any devices in various format.

    Guest
    Positive
    0

    Built in image, video and audio capture any sources.

    Guest
    Positive
    0

    very customisable, allows the user to search and download subtitles through the program itself, without having to go to the browser to search. It also allows the user to synchronize the subtitles/audio via shortcuts and change the filters over the video.

    • PotPlayer is Free Personal and ProprietaryWindows Media Player is Free and Proprietary
    • PotPlayer is a Media Player Windows Media Player is an Audio Player
    • PotPlayer is Customizable and MinimalisticWindows Media Player is not according to our users
  11. Winamp icon

    Winamp

     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.

    284 Winamp alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    Media Library
     
  12. SMPlayer icon

    SMPlayer

     465 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.

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • mpv
    • Snapcraft
    • PortableApps.com
    • Haiku
    • MPlayer
    • Flathub
    • Homebrew
    Playing video - Default Skin
     
  13. Audacious icon

    Audacious

     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.

    149 Audacious alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Haiku
    • Xfce
    Audacious screenshot 1
     
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    1
    Audacious vs Windows Media Player Comments
    Guest
    Negative
    -3

    Windows Media Player is not Light Weight and audacious is light weight and only an Audio player. Win Media Player is Multimedia Player/RIpper with library functions.

    • Audacious is Free and Open SourceWindows Media Player is Free and Proprietary
  14. Strawberry icon

    Strawberry

     250 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.

    253 Strawberry alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Haiku
    • Mac
    Strawberry screenshot 1
     
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    2
    Strawberry vs Windows Media Player Comments
    zokris
    Positive
    1

    Unlike VLC, Strawberry is not a "file player" but a complete management software for your music collection. Very convenient UI, can rip CDs, gives you the choice of encoders/decoders, ...

    Guest
    Positive
    0

    Strawberry is very good option to play CDs extract them, organize and many more

    • Strawberry is Freemium and Open SourceWindows Media Player is Free and Proprietary
    • Strawberry is Customizable and Privacy focusedWindows Media Player is not according to our users
  15. MPC-BE icon

    MPC-BE

     186 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...

    131 MPC-BE alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
    MPC-BE screenshot 1
     
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    1
    MPC-BE vs Windows Media Player Comments
    banija
    Positive
    0

    we can hold mouse and drag to move video player window to anywhere not like VLC

    • MPC-BE is Free and Open SourceWindows Media Player is Free and Proprietary
    • MPC-BE is a Media Player Windows Media Player is an Audio Player
    • MPC-BE is CustomizableWindows Media Player is not according to our users
12 of 232 Windows Media Player alternatives