Watch, listen and read5 picks
The best apps for watching and tracking movies and shows on Mac and iPhone
VLC is the video player most Mac and iPhone users should install, and Infuse is the one to get for a Plex or NAS library.
VLCPick it if you want 1 free player that opens any file on your Mac, iPhone and iPad.Free, open sourceVLC opens almost any video file and streams from your home server or cloud drive, free and open source on Mac, iPhone and iPad. Infuse is the better pick for a movie library on a NAS or Plex server, and IINA is the free player that feels most at home on a Mac. Callsheet and Sofa help you look up and keep track of what you watch.
How we chose
- 1Plays MKV and other odd formats
- 2Streams from a home server or NAS
- 3Tracks what you're watching
Compare at a glance
Tap a name to jump to its write-up.
| App | Price | How you pay | Mac | iPhone | iPad | App Store | Developer | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VLC | Free, open source | Free | 3.7 | |||||
 Infuse | Free to start | Free, with paid upgrades | 4.7 | |||||
 IINA | Free, open source | Free | Too few ratings | |||||
 Callsheet | From $1 | Subscription | 4.9 | |||||
 Sofa | Free to start | Free, with paid upgrades | 4.7 |
Swipe the table sideways to see more
The picks, in order
-
Pick it if you want 1 free player that opens any file on your Mac, iPhone and iPad.
If your movie collection is full of MKV files with several audio tracks, or sits on a home server, VLC plays it without converting anything, free and open source. On iPhone and iPad it streams from SMB, FTP, NFS, DLNA or Plex servers and pulls files from Dropbox, Google Drive and iCloud Drive. On the Mac, IINA is also free and feels more at home there.
-
Pick this if your movies live on a NAS or Plex server and you watch on Apple TV or iPad.
Apple TV and iPad won't play an MKV file on their own, and converting a whole movie folder takes hours. Infuse plays those files as they are and streams from your Mac, NAS, or a Plex, Emby or Jellyfin server, with artwork and subtitles pulled in for you. The free version does most of this; Pro adds AirPlay and Dolby Vision, and IINA is the better free pick if you only watch on a Mac.
-
Pick it if you watch on a Mac and want a free player that looks and behaves like a Mac app.
Open almost any video file and get a player that behaves like a Mac app, with trackpad gestures, Picture in Picture and Live Text on paused frames. Built on the mpv engine, IINA plays formats QuickTime Player can't, and version 1.5 added a plugin store with extras like new subtitle sources. It is free, open source and tracking-free, while Infuse is better for streaming from a home media server.
-
Pick this if you pause shows to look up actors and want answers without ads or spoilers.
A web search for an actor buries the answer under ads and autoplay videos, while Callsheet gives you the cast, their ages at release and where to stream, with no ads and no login. It can also hide character names and episode titles so a cast list doesn't spoil a show. After 20 free searches it costs $1 a month or $9 a year, which only makes sense if you look things up weekly.
-
Pick it if you lose track of which episode you're on across several shows.
If you start shows, books and games faster than you finish them, Sofa keeps every list in 1 place and remembers how far along you are. It also has a full podcast player with CarPlay, a trip planner and a Logbook of everything you finished, with no account and no ads. The free version tracks progress on only 2 items, so the episode tracking most people want sits in Super Sofa at $49.99 a year.
Head to head
Stuck between 2 of these? Each comparison lines up price, devices and who should pick which.
- VLC vs InfusePick this if your movies live on a NAS or Plex server and you watch on Apple TV or iPad.
- VLC vs IINAPick it if you watch on a Mac and want a free player that looks and behaves like a Mac app.
- Infuse vs IINAPick it if you watch on a Mac and want a free player that looks and behaves like a Mac app.
