6 alternativesVLC: Free, open source
The best VLC alternatives
For most people the best alternative to VLC is IINA, and the best free one is Infuse.
IINAPick it if you watch on a Mac and want a free player that looks and behaves like a Mac app.Free, open sourceCompare at a glance
VLC is highlighted, so you can see what you give up and what you gain.
| App | Price | How you pay | Mac | iPhone | iPad | Watch | App Store | Developer | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 VLC | Free, open source | Free | 3.7 | ||||||
| IINA | Free, open source | Free | Too few ratings | ||||||
 Infuse | Free to start | Free, with paid upgrades | 4.7 | ||||||
 Callsheet | From $1 | Subscription | 4.9 | ||||||
 Sofa | Free to start | Free, with paid upgrades | 4.7 | ||||||
 Play | Free to start | Free, with paid upgrades | 4.7 | ||||||
 Binge | Free to start | Free, with paid upgrades | 4.2 |
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The alternatives, in order
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Pick it if you watch on a Mac and want a free player that looks and behaves like a Mac app.
A free, open-source video player that handles almost any file and still feels like a native Mac app.
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Pick this if your movies live on a NAS or Plex server and you watch on Apple TV or iPad.
Plays MKV and almost any other video file on Apple TV, iPad and iPhone, straight from your NAS or Plex server.
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Pick this if you pause shows to look up actors and want answers without ads or spoilers.
Look up any actor, their age at release and where a film streams, without ads, logins or spoilers.
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Pick it if you lose track of which episode you're on across several shows.
Your shows, books, games and podcasts in 1 place, with episode tracking and no account needed.
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Pick it if you save more YouTube videos than you watch and want them in one tidy queue on every device.
A personal watchlist for videos from any app, with an algorithm-free YouTube feed synced over iCloud.
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Pick it if you track everything you watch and want ratings from 3 sites without opening 3 tabs.
A movie and TV tracker with 3 review scores, post-credits alerts and jumpscare timelines, made by one developer.
VLC head to head
When VLC is still the right pick
You have videos in odd formats or on a home server and want 1 free player that opens them all.
VLC prices and verdictFree, open source