Best VLC Alternatives for Mac to Play Media Files on Mac

VLC Media Player is one of Mac's most popular and widely used media players. It's known for supporting a wide range of audio and video formats without additional codecs. However, some users may seek alternatives due to occasional issues. For example, VLC updates can sometimes cause performance problems, such as slow playback or crashes. It may also struggle with certain media formats, or users might find the interface too basic or not user-friendly enough for their needs. Suppose you want a media player with better performance, more features, or a more polished interface. In that case, several VLC alternative Mac can suit different preferences and needs.

Best 12 Players Alternative for VLC Media Player

1. QuickTime Player: A Built-in Media Player for Mac

The best Mac alternative to VLC player is the built-in media player of Mac, QuickTime. This media player is perfect for users who don’t want to install another player on their Mac computer. Additionally, QuickTime supports media formats such as MOV, MP4, and M4A. Furthermore, it has Picture-in-Picture Mode, which allows you to watch videos on a small floating window while working. Also, this player can access both local and cloud storage, so you can view your files stored on iCloud or Dropbox.

Key Features:

• It provides basic editing tools like merging, trimming, splitting, and rotating videos.
• Aside from being a media player, it allows you to record your screen.
• QuickTime can also easily convert videos.

2. Elmedia Player: A Feature-Rich VLC Alternative Mac Users Love

Elmedia Player is another video player that is compatible with Mac devices. Like VLC, it also supports various media formats, including AVI, MKV, MOV, FLV, WMV, MP3, MP4, and many more. Furthermore, it lets you stream video files onto a big screen through Chromecast, DLNA streaming, and AirPlay devices. So, you can play MKV on Mac or other video files on your preferred device. Moreover, it provides playback controls such as play, pause, adjust volume, and stop buttons.

Key Features:

• Elmedia Player supports embedded and external subtitles in various formats like SRT and ASS.
• It also has advanced editing tools to adjust the real-time brightness, contrast, hue, saturation, etc.
• This best VLC alternative for Mac also has PIP mode, so you can watch videos while working on other tasks.

3. IINA: A Modern and Stylish Video Player for Mac

If you are looking for a media player that can play local and cloud files as well as stream YouTube playlists and other websites. In that case, the IINA player is the best for you. One of these is its user-friendly interface that can be customized. Besides, it can also play videos in different formats such as MP4, AVI, MOV, MKV, MP3, and more. Apart from that, IINA supports Mac's trackpad gestures for fast-forward, rewinding, and adjusting volume.

Key Features:

• It has a built-in Audio Equalizer, which includes a 10-band equalizer to enhance the sound quality.
• IINA also supports additional plugins to enhance the media player with additional functionality.
• You can also use the player's PIP Mode to enjoy watching movies without distraction.

4. 5KPlayer: A Powerful VLC Alternative Mac Media Player

Another alternative to VLC Mac that can play MP4 on Mac and other media formats seamlessly is the 5KPlayer. Like VLC Media Player, this player can also play hi-res videos, including 4K, 1080P, 360-degree videos, and DVDs. Aside from that, you can stream music using this tool in various formats, such as AAC, MP3, FLAC, and APE. Likewise, 5KPlayer helps you organize and manage media files by creating playlists and sorting videos and music in an easy-to-access way.

Key Features:

• It can stream media wirelessly between Apple devices (AirPlay) and other devices that support DLNA, like smart TVs or Android phones.
• This player lets users download videos from online platforms like YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook, Dailymotion, and over 300 websites.
• Aside from MP4, you can also play MKV, MOV, AVI, WMV, and more.

5. Movist: A Smooth and Intuitive Video Player for Mac

Movist is a powerful media player for macOS that focuses on a sleek user experience and robust playback options. You can customize this player according to your preference, whether in light mode or dark mode. Also, it has chapter navigation, where you can easily track where you stopped watching last time. Besides, Movist comes with advanced playback controls, including speed adjustment, looping, and frame-by-frame playback. Furthermore, it lets you play different media files like audio and videos.

Key Features:

• This VLC alternative supports H.265/HEVC codec hardware acceleration, so you can enjoy 4K UHD images comfortably.
• You can stream videos through links using this player.
• It supports a variety of video and audio formats, including MKV, MP4, AVI, and more.

6. MPlayerX: A Lightweight Yet Effective VLC Alternative Mac Tool

Despite being a free and open-source media player, MPlayerX has many features. It provides an intuitive interface for easy navigation and control over media playback. This player also includes adjusting playback speed, aspect ratio, and video zoom so you can control your viewing experience. Moreover, MPlayerX supports trackpad gestures for volume control, playback, and scrubbing, enhancing usability on Mac devices. Furthermore, it lets you watch videos in a floating window while using other applications.

Key Features:

• Like VLC, this tool plays AVI on Mac and other formats, such as MP4, MOV, MP3, MKV, and more.
• This VLC player Mac alternative can automatically download and convert subtitles from an online database.
• MPlayerX also supports multiple audio tracks and subtitles within a single file, allowing you to easily switch between different languages and audio formats.

7. JustPlay: A Minimalist Media Player with Great Performance

If you want a lightweight Mac media player, go for JustPlay. It supports both audio and video formats such as MP3, MOV, AVI, MP4, AAC, Blu-ray, and other common formats. In fact, it is newly updated to introduce M1 support, so you can download this tool on Apple silicon and Intel Macs. Furthermore, the JustPlay media player can seamlessly play 4K and 8K videos with the help of its hardware-accelerated decoding feature.

Key Features:

• JustPlay has advanced controls to adjust playback speed and fix audio sync or subtitles issues.
• It can remember where you stop watching as well as the selected subtitles and soundtrack so you can resume watching.
• This player integrates with the Opensubtitles service, so you can find and use subtitles easily.

8. DivX Player: A Versatile VLC Alternative Mac Solution

Another VLC player alternative Mac is DivX, a multimedia player known for its ability to play DivX video files and various other formats. It can also play videos encoded with the HEVC standard, which provides better compression and quality. Furthermore, you can stream videos from your computer to compatible devices, such as smart TVs, through DLNA and Chromecast support. Moreover, it lets you download or upload videos through the cloud, such as Google Drive and Dropbox.

Key Features:

• Aside from the media player, you can also use this player to convert video or audio files into various formats such as DivX, AVI, MKV, MP4, and more.
• It also has a built-in media library, where you can manage and organize your files for easy access.
• DivX supports external subtitles with customization options, such as font size, color, and positioning.

9. Cisdem Video Player: A High-Quality Video Player for Mac

Another free video player for Mac is the Cisdem Video Player. This player provides full playback control, including play, pause, mute, rotate, incognito mode, and more. Additionally, it can smoothly play videos with high resolutions such as 1080p, 4K, and up to 8K. In fact, you can play the videos without lagging or blurriness because it uses hardware acceleration technology to achieve smooth playback. Moreover, Cisdem automatically creates playlists once you upload videos, where you can play videos in order or in a loop.

Key Features:

• The player supports both external and embedded subtitles with various formats like SRT, ASS, TXT, etc.
• It allows you to separate the playback window into playback controls and playlists.
• You can also take a screenshot of your favorite scene on the video.

10. GOM Player: A Flexible VLC Alternative Mac Application

The last VLC alternative on the list is the GOM Player. It supports more than 100 media formats, including AVI, FLAC, MKV, MOV, MP4, and more. Likewise, you can also use external codecs to play videos that have an issue in the codec. Besides, it can also include a built-in codec finder that helps you locate and download missing codecs automatically. Furthermore, you can use GOM Player to play VR or 360-degree videos. Aside from that, you can customize the player’s interface with skins and layout options to suit their preferences.

Key Features:

• It allows you to replay specific scenes repeatedly by setting the number of times and repetitive plays.
• GOM Player supports Korean vocalization, which you can use when you play a song.
• It has a mobile application that allows you to control GOM Player on your PC via a smartphone.

11. RealPlayer: A Classic Media Player for Mac Users

RealPlayer is a powerful media player and a solid alternative to VLC for Mac users. Known for its user-friendly interface, it offers high-quality playback for a variety of media formats, making it a versatile choice for anyone looking for an alternative to VLC. Moreover, RealPlayer's smooth performance and features like streaming and video downloading make it useful for casual users and more advanced media enthusiasts. It also supports playback of various formats, including MP4, AVI, and FLV, providing an all-in-one solution for media management.

Key Features:

• It also allows you to play high-quality video and audio playback.
• It has a built-in media library for organizing content.
• This VLC alternative has an easy-media sharing option.

12. OmniPlayer: An All-in-One Media Player for Seamless Playback

OmniPlayer is a versatile media player designed for macOS, capable of handling various video and audio formats. This includes MP3, AVI, MKV, MP4, OGG, and AAC, as well as high-definition videos like 4K, 1080P, and 720P. What makes this tool stand out is that it lets you watch online videos from platforms like YouTube and Vimeo directly within OmniPlayer by simply entering the video URL. Moreover, the player automatically records media files to playlists and clears them upon exit. Also, you can play, search, delete, and set repeat modes for items in your playlist.

Key Features:

• OmniPlayer offers intuitive controls to adjust playback speed, audio levels, and other settings, enhancing your viewing experience.
• It also has a Screenshot feature, which allows you to capture screenshots of your videos directly within the player, making it easy to save specific frames.
• The player features a sleek and user-friendly interface, making navigating and controlling your media playback easy.

Conclusion

In conclusion, many great alternatives to VLC Media Player for Mac offer unique benefits. QuickTime is ideal for those who want a built-in player with basic features, while Elmedia, OmniPlayer, and IINA provide advanced playback options and format support. If you need high-resolution video support, 5KPlayer, JustPlay, and DivX are strong choices. Additionally, Movist and MPlayerX offer customization and smooth playback. At the same time, Cisdem and GOM Player are great for handling a wide range of formats with extra features like subtitle management and streaming. Ultimately, the best player depends on your needs. So, we encourage you to try different options to find the one that fits your specific media playback preferences on Mac.