Summary :

• Best Video Player For Mac
• Best Free Media Player Downloads
• Best Media Player For Mac
• Best Free Media Player For Mac 2019

Sometimes, you may need VLC alternatives because of the annoying 'Rebuilding Font Cache' thing or others. This post lists different VLC alternatives for Windows/Mac. Choose the best VLC alternative 2019 depends on your actual situation.

Best 15 free MP4 player software for Windows and Mac. If you don't want to pay money on your MP4 Player, you can look at this part. These 15 Free MP4 Players are free but very useful. Blu-ray Master Free Blu-ray Player (Windows/Mac) Blu-ray Master Free Blu-ray Player is a very professional and powerful MP4 Video Player. VLC Media Player has to be one of the most popular third-party media players available for Mac (as well as PC, Android, iOS and so on) due to its compatibility with a breathtaking number of audio.

Have you ever used VLC media player? This post is going to show you some excellent VLC alternatives for Windows/Linux/Mac. You can find a suitable VLC alternative 2019 to play video and audio files.

VLC is a free, open-source, portable, and cross-platform media player and streaming media server developed by the VideoLAN project. It is able to play incomplete, unfinished or damaged video, but it will drive you crazy sometimes.

For example, here is a true story.

I have been using VLC media player for a while and was pleased with it. Then I get a notice about an update, which I did. Now all I get is green lines over the movie. I have tried everything to solve the problem, installing the backup, uninstall and install, with no success. Everything worked great until this update. Does anybody have a solution to this? It is driving me crazy. Please help. Thank you.

In general, a VLC alternative can solve this problem easily. The below are some common problems you might encounter when using the VLC media player.

4 Reasons Why You Need a VLC Alternative

1. VLC is unable to play broken files.

Generally, VLC media player can play unfinished or damaged video. But, sometimes, it cannot play video file and tells you that the file is damaged. Actually, this file is just being downloaded.

2. VLC doesn’t support a few codes and file types.

VLC supports a lot of video and audio codes and formats, but it requires codec settings for a few formats. For many common people, it is a difficult job.

3. VLC crashes without warning.

Sometimes, VLC media player suddenly crashes when you watch some normal files, try to insert subtitle or make it full screen.

4. VLC media player will damage the speakers!

If you are using VLC media player and keep the volume loud for a long time, your speakers could be damaged. Sadly, some manufacturers like Dell say replacing the speakers will not be covered by the hardware warranty. Therefore, please keep the volume down while using VLC.

Now, it is time to look for VLC alternatives to play your video or audio files. No matter you have come across these problems or not, it is a good idea to prepare a suitable alternative to VLC.

You will find many people are searching for VLC alternatives on the Internet. Here, we list different alternatives to VLC media player for Windows/Mac/Linux. Read on and find out which one suits you best.

Part 1. VLC Alternatives 2019 for Windows

VLC is a free video editing software, you might need to look for a VLC alternative because of the unfriendly UI, “Rebuilding Font Cache” thing and other problems. Now, try the following alternatives to VLC media player for Windows.

No 1. Windows Movie Maker

There is no doubt that many people have probably heard of Windows Movie Maker, a video editing tool developed by Microsoft. It not only allows you to watch video, but also lets you edit this video simply, for instance, add text to video.

Related article: How to Add Text to Video in Windows Movie Maker (Step-by-Step Guide).

Now, some users might want to know where to get this tool since it was officially discontinued on January 10, 2017. Fortunately, you can get this Microsoft video editing tool by clicking the following button.

Cons

• It supports playing videos as well as pictures.
• It can edit your videos simply.
• It is able to share your videos on YouTube, Facebook, etc.

Related article: How to Use Movie Maker | Step-by-step Guide for Beginners.

Pros

• Microsoft does not support it now.
• It cannot play music alone.

No 2. 5KPlayer

5KPlayer is a mixture of free (MKV) HD video player and music player. This real media player is compatible with Windows as well as Mac OS X. If your VLC crashes suddenly, you can try this alternative.

Pros

• It supports a lot of video formats, including MKV, M2TS, MPEG1/2, WMV/ASF, AVI, MOV, RM, OGV, FLV, MP4, H.264, M4V, WEBM.
• It can play 4K UHD videos without any glitches.
• It is able to play 1080p or 1080i high-definition videos under 10% CPU cost.
• It can play MP3 AAC APE FLAC music perfectly to activate your senses.
• It can download online videos from YouTube, Facebook, Vimeo, etc.

Cons

This alternative to VLC media player for Windows might be confusing for beginners.

No 3. Windows Media Player

Windows media player is another VLC alternative. It allows you to play video and audio files. Besides, it allows previewing images on personal computers running the Microsoft Windows operating system, as well as on Pocket PC and Windows Mobile-based devices.

Pros

• It provides a less cluttered user interface.
• It offers a better music library.
• It supports network sharing.
• It can access to online music services.

Cons

• It cannot handle 4K, 3D and 360-degree video.
• It doesn’t support for VR headsets.

No 4. Photos App

If you are running Windows 10, you have another great VLC alternative 2019 – Photo app. This Windows 10 hidden media player not only can play video but also can play images. Besides, it can help to trim video.

Related Article: How to Cut Video Easily and Quickly (The Definitive Guide).

Pros

• It can play videos quickly.
• It has a simple, touch-friendly interface.
• It also supports browsing photo, and is able to create albums automatically.
• It has cool video editing effects.

Cons

• It cannot tag faces.
• It doesn’t support panorama stitching and selective focus.

No 5. KMPlayer

KM player can play video as well as audio in Windows. This alternative to VLC supports almost any format that Windows can play including AVI, ASF, WMV, AVS, FLV, MKV, and many more. With the VLC alternative, you can slow down or increase playback speed, select parts of a video as favorites.

Pros

• It supports many audio and video formats.
• It supports 3D and VR and setting related to that.
• It has extensive subtitle management.
• It can capture audio and video.

Cons

Advertisement (There are no hidden or misleading clauses while installing, but we will be asked whether we want to install Avast Antivirus after installing.)

After learning these different VLC alternatives for Windows, you can take a look of the below wonderful video tool.

No 6. MiniTool Movie Maker

MiniTool Movie Maker, free and simple video tool, lets you review videos, and pictures. Besides, it also lets you create videos and slideshow easily and quickly. For instance, I usually use this simple and free tool to create Facebook Slideshow.

Pros

• It supports a lot of video format including WMV, MP4, AVI, MOV, F4V, MKV, GIF, MP3, and so on.
• It offers wizard-like interfaces. This tool can help you create a movie without requiring professional knowledge and skill.
• It offers movie as well as trailer templates. You are able to easily create cool movies or Hollywood-style movie trailers.
• It allows you to make video with pictures easily and quickly.
• It offers some filters to help you change the color, style, or tone in minutes.
• It offers plenty of useful transition effects to make the presentation, slideshow or movie good looking and impressive.
• It not only can split large video into small parts but also can trim video to remove the unwanted frames from the start or end of a clip. More details can be found in How to Trim Video Easily (Step-by-Step Guide with Pictures).

Cons

It only supports Windows OSs, now.

Part 2. VLC Alternative Mac

Mac users can try the following alternatives when the VLC media player isn’t working.

No 1. QuickTime Player

QuickTime player, the best VLC alternative Mac, is the most familiar media players for Mac users. As the default movie player as Mac, QuickTime player is capable of supporting various formats of videos, music, images, and other media files.

• QuickTime player enables you to set playback from 1/2x to 3x the normal speed.
• This alternative to VLC is capable of watching videos from hard drive and internet.
• This VLC alternative Mac allows you to screen recording your Mac, edit movies and extract audio from a video. However, you need to purchase the QuickTime Pro license key to unlock the recording, editing and extracting features.

No 2. MPlayerX Media Player

MPlayerX, a free and open source media player, is another VLC alternative.

• It can handle any media format in the world without extra plug-ins or codec packages as it is armed by FFmpeg and MPlayer.
• It provides you the easiest way to control the playback as it will follow your gestures.
• It can automatically and seamlessly detect and convert the encoding method of the subtitle file.

No 3. Movist

Movist, a free, simple yet powerful player for Mac, supports QuickTime, FFmpeg as well as subtitles.

• It is easy to use.
• It owns a beautiful and convenient user interface.
• It is available to adjust aspect ratios and configure keyboard shortcuts.

Unfortunately, this VLC alternative Mac doesn't support Apple remote.

Part 3. VLC Alternative Linux

Let’s start with a true example from my best friend.

I've used VLC in Linux for years. But lately, it's been choking and dying for no discernible reasons and attempts to troubleshoot have failed. Are there any other comparable alternatives for media players out there at the moment?

Now, my friend can try the following VLC alternative Linux.

No 1. Bomi Player

The best VLC alternative Linux, Bomi player (known as CM Player), works well on Linux and provides GUI features.

• This easy-to-use VLC alternative Linux provides some powerful features which you will find in the context menu.
• It supports audio file and subtitle at all.
• It allows browsing your old playlist because it generally saves all your playback record.

No 2. SMPlayer

SMPlayer supports for all the default formats as like as other media players.

• This VLC alternative Linux allows you to play YouTube video directly from this player because of its built-in codec.
• This VLC alternative 2019 loads the subtitle of a movie from the internet. And, it saves your all settings when you play video.
• This alternative to VLC is fully resume supported video player.

Your Choice

The above video editing tools are good alternatives to VLC media player. You can choose a suitable one to play your videos.

Which VLC alternatives do you like to choose? Let us know by leaving comments.

Should you have any other good suggestions about VLC alternatives, please share them with us. Thanks in advance!

VLC Alternatives FAQ

1. PotPlayer
2. KMPlayer
3. Media Player Classic – Home Cinema
4. ACG Player
5. GOM Media Player
6. DivX Player
7. Kodi
8. Plex
9. 5KPlayer
10. MediaMonkey

1. VLC Player
2. PotPlayer
3. Media Player Classic – Home Cinema

All of us have dozens of offline videos on PC. Some of them come from cameras, phones or other devices, others are downloaded from YouTube or other streaming sites (e.g., with Freemake). Whatever their origin is, all these videos can’t be reproduced on a PC without a video player. The default Windows Media Player is often the only playback option available on Windows computers and most users are quite happy with it. However, sometimes the software requires additional codecs to play exotic formats. So it’s advisable to have some alternative to the standard Windows player with advanced video formats support.

SEE ALSO: Video Codec: What is it?

If you already have Freemake Video Converter installed on your PC, you may look no further. The software has a built-in video player which supports 300+ video formats and provides all playback options. You can watch videos with subtitles, rotate them if necessary, fastforward playback and even enjoy full-screen mode without black bars. However, Freemake is primarily a video converter, so it lacks such options as playlists creation, online media streaming, interface customization. So if you still need a good video player with all possible add-ons, have a look at the following tools:

SEE ALSO: Best Free Audio Players for Windows, Mac and Linux

SEE ALSO: 5 Free Video Players for iPad

Now let’s view the top video players in detail.

1. VLC Media Player

VLC Media Player is the most famous project by VideoLAN. It’s really cross-platform and totally free. VLC supports a lot of video formats including MP4, AVI, WMV, DVD and Blu-ray due to built-in codecs. With this software, you can play numerous video files, listen to audio tracks, watch streaming media and play movies with subtitles (if available). VLC also lets you speed up or slow down the playback, zoom the video and even make some correction for better watching. In addition, it provides video conversion and screen recording possibilities. Although the software is free, it gets updated on a regular basis and what is more important VLC doesn’t contain any ads. If you want to thank developers, you may send them a donation.

SEE ALSO: How to Convert AVI to MP4

Platforms: Windows, Mac OS, Linux, iOS, Android

Pros:

• totally free;
• smooth playback;
• variety of supported formats;
• plays corrupted and unfinished files;
• flexible and lightweight;
• hotkey support;
• extra features.

Cons:

• plain user interface.

Download VLC player for free here.

2. GOM Media Player

GOM is one more famous video player. The developers claim that the software is capable of downloading all the necessary codecs for playback in case it can’t reproduce your video. GOM supports all popular video and audio extensions and can also play broken or half-downloaded files without troubles. The software has a customizable interface that you may change up to your needs. The video player also offers screen capturing and playback speed control features. Unfortunately, GOM player is ad-supported. When you close it, you’ll get a small splash window with ads.

Platforms: Windows

Pros:

• free;
• supports a wide range of formats and codecs;
• searches for more codecs if necessary;
• full interface personalization;
• compact and easy-to-use.

Cons:

• ad-supported;
• Windows only.

Download GOM for free here.

SEE ALSO: How to Play MKV Files on Various Devices
SEE ALSO: Free DVD Burner Software: Burn Movies onto Discs

3. RealPlayer

Best Video Player For Mac

RealPlayer is no longer available as stand-alone software. Since May 2015, it’s distributed as a part of RealTimes which also includes RealPalyer Cloud and slideshow creation tool. The app automatically creates slideshows from your photos and videos and makes it easy to share them via cloud. Storage up to 2 GB is free, premium plans start from 4.99‎€/mo for storage up to 25 GB.

Using RealPlayer Cloud, you can easily reach and watch your videos on any device. RealPlayer works with Roku and Chromecast allowing you to stream videos from PC or mobile phone to a TV screen. The video player supports all almost known video formats. The features of RealPlayer also include a web browser, visualizations for audio playback, equalizer and video controls, audio recording, CD ripping, and a media converter for transferring videos to smartphones, game consoles and other devices.

Platforms: Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Windows Mobile.

Pros:

• stylish and easy-to-use;
• fast video sharing;
• dozens of extra features;
• skinnable interface;
• quick video access on any device.

Cons:

• subscription-based;
• long export time for heavy files;
• not available separately.

Download Real player for free here.

4. KMPlayer

KMPlayer is another great alternative to the standard Windows Media Player. Although it might seem a bit difficult to deal with, there are plenty of communities that’ll help you at the beginning. This player is highly customizable and offers a number of interface skins, screen capturing utility and video filters. Like GOM and VLC, KMPlayer can play corrupted, incomplete and even locked media files. The only drawback of KMPlayer is the toolbar that you may get during the installation. So, be attentive.

Platforms: Windows

Pros:

• highly customizable;
• supports a great deal of video and audio formats;
• plays incomplete and corrupted files;
• hotkey support;
• light on resources.

Cons:

• ad-supported;
• Windows only.

Download KMPlayer for free here.

Best Free Media Player Downloads

5. QuickTime

QuickTime is Apple’s multiplatform technology for handling video, sound, animation, graphics, etc. QuickTime Player primarily designed to reproduce the native QuickTime (QT, MOV, MOOV) movie format. The application is bundled with OS X and can be downloaded as a standalone installation for Windows OS. The software supports dozens of multimedia formats. All key playback features are available for free with the basic version. With the Pro version ($25.95), you’ll be able to convert your files to different formats and record and edit your work.

Platforms: Windows, Mac

SEE ALSO: How to Convert MOV to MP4

Pros:

• supports numerous multimedia formats;
• extremely slick to use;
• 11 plugins are available to can extend software capabilities;
• ability to merge videos.

Cons:

• launching is a little slow;
• some features are available only in paid version;
• codecs are needed to be installed to play a wider variety of movie formats;
• More suitable for Macs.

Download QuickTime Player for free here.

Check the comparison of the best video players and their features in the table below:

What is your favorite video player?

Best Media Player For Mac

Comments

Best Free Media Player For Mac 2019

comments