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Music · 10 alternatives

Instead of VLC Media Player, try one of these 10.

Every alternative is lined up against VLC Media Player on what people actually switch for: price, open source, self-hosting, offline use and platforms. VLC Media Player sits in the first row, so you can see what you give up.

Show onlySorted by likes · 10 of 10
Alternative
Price
Open source
Self-host
Offline
Platforms
VLC Media PlayerWhat you have now
Plays nearly any audio or video file on every platform.
PriceFree
Open sourceYes
Self-hostNo
OfflineYes
Platforms
Win · Mac · Linux · Android · iOS
MPC-HC#1
Featherweight Windows player that sips CPU and memory.
PriceFree
Open sourceYes
Self-hostNo
OfflineYes
Platforms
Win
Kodi#2
Open-source home theatre software for any device.
PriceFree
Open sourceYes
Self-hostNo
OfflineYes
Platforms
Web · Win · Mac · Linux · iOS · Android
PotPlayer#3
Feature-heavy Windows media player with strong video support.
PriceFree
Open sourceNo
Self-hostNo
OfflineYes
Platforms
Win
MPV#4
Minimal, scriptable player prized for rock-solid playback.
PriceFree
Open sourceYes
Self-hostNo
OfflineYes
Platforms
Win · Mac · Linux · Android
SMPlayer#5
MPlayer front-end that remembers settings per file.
PriceFree
Open sourceYes
Self-hostNo
OfflineYes
Platforms
Win · Mac · Linux
MPlayer#6
Venerable command-line player that still opens nearly everything.
PriceFree
Open sourceYes
Self-hostNo
OfflineYes
Platforms
Win · Mac · Linux
GOM Player#7
Bundles its own codecs to open stubborn or damaged media.
PriceFreemium
Open sourceNo
Self-hostNo
OfflineYes
Platforms
Win · Mac · Android · iOS
MX Player#8
Mobile-first player with gesture controls and subtitle smarts.
PriceFreemium
Open sourceNo
Self-hostNo
OfflineYes
Platforms
Android
IINA#9
Polished macOS player built on mpv with gesture controls.
PriceFree
Open sourceYes
Self-hostNo
OfflineYes
Platforms
Mac
5KPlayer#10
Plays HD video while streaming, mirroring and downloading media.
PriceFree
Open sourceNo
Self-hostNo
OfflineYes
Platforms
Win · Mac

How to read this. “Yes” means fully supported by the maker. “Partial” means it works with caveats. Likes reflect community popularity; vendors can’t pay for them or for placement. How we compare.

VLC Media Player alternatives at a glance

VLC Media Player is a free music app. We compared 10 alternatives: 6 are open source, 8 are completely free, 0 can be self-hosted and 10 work fully offline. The most popular is MPC-HC, with 1.3k likes.

Most liked overallMPC-HC

Featherweight Windows player that sips CPU and memory.

Free · Open source · Works offline
Best free optionKodi

Open-source home theatre software for any device.

Free · Open source · Works offline
Best open-source optionMPV

Minimal, scriptable player prized for rock-solid playback.

Free · Open source · Works offline
Best for offline usePotPlayer

Feature-heavy Windows media player with strong video support.

Free · Works offline

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