VLC Media Player, developed by VideoLAN, is a free and open-source cross-platform multimedia player and framework that supports to play most multimedia files and streaming videos, and you can free download VLC player for Windows/Mac easily.
Although there is no denial that VLC player is one of the leading media players, it comes with some troublesome issues people can't bear with, such as the annoying 'Rebuilding Font Cache', play HD videos with shutter, unfriendly user interface, bugs to VLC player update, etc.
- As the default media player of Mac computer, QuickTime is without doubt a wonderful alternative to VLC media player for Mac users to play movies. You don't need to install 3rd-party media players. However, if you want to play movies in different formats like WMV and MKV, you'd better install a QuickTime player plugin like Perian.
- DivX is another good alternative to VLC. It can play most popular video formats. Besides that, you can use it to watch streaming videos in DivX, AVI and MKV formats through the web player. It also provides the DivX Converter for Mac, with which you can create and backup content or convert them into DivX or MKV.
You should know that VLC player is not the only good media player. There are also many media player software available that's better than VLC Media Player. In this article, we have listed 10 best Alternatives to VLC player for Windows/Mac, hope they can help you.
QuickTime Player can be your free VLC alternative for Mac as well. You can play most videos and music files on Mac directly. Furthermore, the built-in QuickTime screen recording features work better than VLC screen recorder. You can record Mac, iPhone and iPad screen video and audio for free within QuickTime Player.
- Part 1. VLC alternative for Windows 10/8/7
- Part 2. Mac player like VLC for Mac
Part 1. VLC alternative for Windows 10/8/7
1. Best Windows VLC alternative - Blu-ray Player
Aiseesoft Blu-ray Player is the best alternative to VLC Player for Windows. This media player support any frequently-used video/audio formats, like MP4, H.264/MP4 AVC, H.265/HEVC, MPG, M4V, TS, MTS, M2TS, MXF, RM, RMVB, WMV, ASF, MKV, AVI, 3GP, F4V, FLV, MP3, FLAC, AIFF, OGG, etc. You can also use it as a 4K/HD video player for H.264/MPEG-4 AVC, H.265/HEVC, TS, MKV, AVI, MOV, etc. As the name indicates, this Windows VLC Player alternative features playing Blu-ray disc, Blu-ray folder and ISO file. So if you are looking for a way to play SD/HD file smoothly, this would be your option.
Aiseesoft Blu-ray Player- A powerful Video player that could play MP4, H.264/MP4 AVC, H.265/HEVC, MPG, M4V, TS, MTS, M2TS, MXF, RM, RMVB, and more files smoothly.
- Support to play any video formats including HD and 4K.
- Play Blu-ray disc/folder/ISO file on your computer.
- Lossless sound effect as well as HD image quality.
2. Daum PotPlayer
https://potplayer.daum.net/
Daum PotPlayer is a pretty awesome free alternative to VLC player for Windows. It can play nearly all media files without requiring additional codecs yet supports OpenCodecs. PotPlayer makes it easy to select options like file associations, visualizations, subtitle formats including ASS/SSA. It also supports DVXA, CUDA, QuickSync, trying to get the best out of what you have.
Key Features:
- ➤ Advanced VLC player for Windows alternatives with multiple functions.
- ➤ Enhanced H/W-acceleration, easy to manage variety of codecs.
- ➤ Perfect multimedia player for Windows 8.1/8/7/Vista/XP, 32 bit and 64 bit all included.
3. KMPlayer
http://www.kmplayer.com/
KMPlayer (KMP) is a lightweight media player for Windows 7/Vista/XP/2000. The support of a wide variety of music and video codecs makes it a real alternative of VLC player. KMPlayer provides many customizable settings, you can slow down or increase playback speed, select parts of a video as favorites, do A-B repeats, choose your favorite skins and color schemes, etc.
Key Features:
- ➤ Support to play tons of videos files, including AVI, WMV, FLV, MKV, etc.
- ➤ Support for high quality movies including 3D, 4K and UHD.
- ➤ Play incomplete or locked files while downloading or sharing.
4. GOM Player
http://player.gomlab.com/
GOM player is a completely free video player you can use instead of VLC Player for Windows. Like VLC Media Player, the built-in codecs enables GOM Player to play all popular video formats. Compatible with Windows 8.1/8/7/Vista, GOM player gives you the perfect DVD playback function that sucks on VLC player or Windows Media Player.
Key Features:
- ➤ Comprehensive file support including AVI, MP4, MKV, FLV, WMV, MOV and more.
- ➤ Advanced features and customization makes it more likable than VLC.
- ➤ Available in Android and iOS versions. Perfect as VLC player for iOS/Android alternative.
5. SMPlayer
http://smplayer.sourceforge.net/
SMPlayer is another free media player for Windows and Linux that can compete with VLC player for Windows. With powerful built-in codecs, you can free download this VLC player alternative and play virtually all video and audio formats. One more interesting features is that SMPlayer can remember the settings of all files you play, so that you can resume at the same point you left it.
Key Features:
- ➤ SMPlayer supports the most know formats and codecs: AVI, MP4, MKV, MPEG, MOV, DIVX, H.264, etc.
- ➤ Support for YouTube and subtitles download.
- ➤ Use the award-winning MPlayer as playback engine, guarantee you the perfect video playing experience.
These are all five VLC Players for Windows alternatives we showed you. Apart from these great media players, you can also try to free download other Windows VLC Players alternative including Final Media Player, Wondershare Player, Zoom Player, Windows Media Player, MediaMonkey and more.
Part 2. Mac player like VLC for Mac
1. Best free Mac VLC replacement - Free Mac Media Player
Free Mac Media Player is the perfect option when it comes to VLC Player for Mac. As the best free all-in-one media player for Mac users, you can free download this VLC Mac alternative and watch any movie/video/audio files on Mac smoothly with lossless video/audio effect.
Aiseesoft Free Mac Media Player- Aiseesoft Free Mac Media Player is the total freeware to play any video files on your Mac.
- Play popular video/audio formats including MP3, AAC, OGG, MP4, AVI, MKV, MOV, etc.
- Keep original 1080p HD/4K video quality.
- Support 3D video playback.
2. MPlayerX Media Player
http://mplayerx.org/
Similar to VLC Player for Mac - MPlayerX is an open source project which aims to be the most powerful, beautiful and easy-to-use multimedia player on Mac OS X. It can decode almost any file format on Mac. MPlayerX is inspired by QuickTime Player X. With a black interface and in-frame controls, MPlayerX makes you focus more on the video.
Key Features:
Vlc Media Player For Macbook
- ➤ Play almost any file format and stream video.
- ➤ Intelligently detecting the encoding of subtitle. No need for encoding conversion.
- ➤ Apple Remote support, play video and enjoy home theater.
3. Movist
Based on QuickTime and FFmpeg, Movist is called to be 'the real alternative to VLC for Mac'. this VLC player alternative for Mac features a simple and minimal UI with the control panel and playlist windows appearing as HUD panels. What's more, Movist distinguishes itself with its high quality capture features.
Key Features:
- ➤ Many video & audio codecs supported
- ➤ Simple and straight forward options available for all kinds of adjustment in the interface.
- ➤ H.264 video decode acceleration.
4. QuickTime Player
https://support.apple.com/quicktime
As the default media player for Mac running OS X, QuickTime is the most trustable VLC media player for Mac alternative. QuickTime player has multimedia functions including record Mac screen, play video of all popular formats, stream and view videos from Internet, etc.
Key Features:
- ➤ Wonderful compatibility while playing videos from hard disk drive and Internet both.
- ➤ Powerful video editing and conversion functions.
5. DivX Player
http://www.divx.com/en/software/player/features
For those who left VLC player for Mac just because it cannot handle the high-quality video files well, DivX Player should be their first choice as it supports 4K Ultra HD. Besides, DivX Player is quite different from other media players which are only good for watching AVI, DIVX, MKV, MP4 and more video files, this VLC Player Mac alternative allows you to stream video to devices that are DLNA compatible.
Key Features:
- ➤ Perfect VLC Player for Mac alternative to play 4K ultra HD videos.
- ➤ FF/RW features allow you to jump to your favorite chapter directly.
- ➤ DivX Media Server: Stream to TV, Chromecast, tablets and more.
Apart from VLC player for Windows or Mac alternatives, you could still find Android or iOS player like VLC, BSPlayer, MX Player, Video Player Perfect, Style Jukebox, OP Player, etc. which enables you to play video file on mobile phone easily.
This page focuses on introduction of VLC Player alternatives for Windows and Mac. Hope you cna find the best one by yourself.
Extended reading: If you want to play DVD or Blau-ray files, then you could jump to CyberLink PowerDVD and Its Replacements.
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May 29, 2018 10:00 / Updated by Jenny Ryan to Player
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- Top 10 Alternatives to Windows Media Player
We lists 10 great Windows Media Player alternatives to help you play media files.
VLC Media Player is a worldwide media player on multiplatform. You can get comprehensive format support and video streaming/converting/editing functions. There are many positive comments about VLC Media Player. However, some people think VLC Media Player is overpraised. VLC Media Player is not as good as other people describe. Is VLC Media Player the best? You can check the following VLC Media Player review to find your answer. Moreover, you can get some nice VLC Media Player alternatives to play multimedia files smoothly as well.
Part 1: VLC Media Player Review
Here are some unbiased reviews of VLC Media Player software. You can know what VLC Media Player is, what you can/cannot get from VLC Media Player and other questions in details.
VLC Media Player Overview
• Multiplatform
VLC Media Player is a free and open source media player that runs on almost all platforms. You can download VLC Media Player for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android and Linux from its website or official stores safely.
• Multimedia
Thanks to the powerful input media and formats support, you can use VLC Media Player to play most popular media files. In spite of the common video and audio formats, you can use VLC Media Player to play Blu-rays, DVDs, audio CDs, VCDs and other streaming protocols.
• Safe & free to use
VLC Media Player is completely free to use. There is no spyware, bundleware, ads or user tracking before/during/after playing with VLC Media Player.
VLC Media Player Pros
- VLC Player is capable to play media files, discs, webcams, devices and streams for free on multiplatform.
- Play all formats including MPEG-1/2, DivX 1/2/3/4/5/6, MPEG-4, ASP, MPEG Layer 1/2/3, Vorbis, DTS, etc.
- Convert video/audio, sync subtitles, filter video/audio and apply other effects.
- Hardware decoding. The media loading speed is fast.
- Support screen recording with VLC Media Player.
VLC Media Player Cons
- The VLC video player interface is not straightforward.
- VLC cannot play damaged or unfinished videos.
- Still need to download codecs for some video and audio formats.
- VLC Player crashes during playing or subtitle inserting occasionally.
- Playing videos with loud volume using VLC will damage the speakers.
Part 2: Top 5 VLC Media Player Alternatives for Windows and Mac
The user-friendlessness UI and unstable media playing problems makes VLC Media Player not so good. If you want to get smooth audiovisual experience, you can try the following media players as well. These are highly-recommended VLC Media Player for Windows, Mac, iOS and Android alternatives.
Top 1: Vidmore Player – Play Videos and Discs What VLC Cannot Play
VLC cannot play DRM-protected Blu-ray and DVD discs. If you want to get seamless Blu-ray and DVD playback, Vidmore Player can be your best VLC alternative. All kinds of discs, folders and ISO files are supported. You can enjoy DVD and Blu-ray movies with HD image quality and lossless sound effect. The intuitive interface and easy-to-use options are friendly to all users.
- Play the latest Blu-ray or DVD disc, folders and ISO files losslessly.
- Open all types of videos, including 4K UHD and 1080p/720p HD videos.
- Offer navigational menu support and customizable controls to personalize video playback experience.
- Get the surround sound effect with the advanced audio encoding technologies.
- Adjust image effects, take snapshots, change subtitles, switch audio tracks and enjoy smooth playback.
Top 2: Windows Media Player – Burn CD and DVD with VLC Alternative
Windows Media Player is pre-installed on Windows computers and Windows mobile-based devices. You can use Windows Media Player 12 to play video and audio on Windows 7 for free. Moreover, you can burn CDs and DVDs by using Windows Media Player on your Windows computer. This is a new feature that you cannot get from VLC player for Mac or Windows. In addition, you can use Windows Movie Maker as your free VLC video editor alternative for Windows.
Pros:
- Create playlists and mix up songs from different albums.
- Rip a CD for free without installing anything else.
- Play Blu-rays with Windows Media Player.
Cons:
- MP3 and Windows Media Audio are all your choices for output audio formats.
- There are limited sound quality options in Windows Media Player.
Top 3: Photos – VLC Player Free Alternative for Windows 10
The Photos app is a free VLC Media Player for Windows 10 alternative you can consider. You can open not only images, but also videos on Windows 10 within Photos. There is a built-in Video Editor app within Windows 10 Photos app. You can create a videos using your photos in a short time easily. Compared with VLC player, Photos has a better interface.
Pros:
- Play, edit and share videos on Windows 10 for free.
- Trim videos to delete unwanted clips on Windows.
Cons:
- No face tagging feature.
- Lack the panorama stitching or selective focus support.
Top 4: QuickTime Player – A Good Competitor of VLC Media Player for Mac
QuickTime Player can be your free VLC alternative for Mac as well. You can play most videos and music files on Mac directly. Furthermore, the built-in QuickTime screen recording features work better than VLC screen recorder. You can record Mac, iPhone and iPad screen video and audio for free within QuickTime Player.
Pros:
- Play media files with high quality and 1/2/3x faster playback speed.
- Watch the local and online streaming videos on Mac.
Cons:
- Need to upgrade to QuickTime Pro to unlock its video editing and recording features.
- Cannot work with common subtitle files.
Top 5: MPlayerX – Free and Open Source VLC Alternative
Being a free and open source media player, MPlayerX is often compared with VLC. You can watch videos without extra plugins or codecs on multiplatform. The auto subtitle detecting and converting feature can sync your subtitle seamlessly.
Pros:
- A lightweight and free media player alternative to VLC on Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS and Android.
- Be compatible with Apple Remote. You can control the video playback remotely.
Cons:
- The MPlayerX in Mac App Store is outdated. You need to update MPlayerX to the latest version manually.
- MPlayerX download package contains bundled software. You need to be careful and deselect unwanted programs manually.
Part 3: FAQs of VLC Media Player
What VLC Media Player portable alternatives to choose?
If you are looking for VLC for mobile alternatives, you can take a look at GOM Player, MX Player, BS Player, GPlayer, Dice Player, Winamp, KMPlayer and more. These video and audio players are alternative to the VLC Media Player app.
How to fix VLC blinking or flickering?
The VLC video flickering problem is quite common on NVIDIA graphic adapters with HDMI connected projectors. To stop VLC screen flashing issues, you can go to Preferences. Choose Video and then change from direct3d11 to direct3d9. Or you can choose Preferences followed by Input/Codecs to disable hw decoding.
Why is VLC not opening and how to fix?
Vlc Player For Mac
The VLC registering and setup process may not be completed. Delete the VLC installer folder first. Later, you can uninstall and reinstall VLC Media Player. Restart your computer to see if the VLC won’t open problem still exist or not.
Vlc Player Alternative Mac
VLC is a free media player and editor that is worth to try. Moreover, there are also many other powerful media players in the market. If you are not satisfied with the VLC disadvantages, you can get a better choice from the above VLC Media Player alternatives.