Apps for watching and tracking movies and shows on Mac and iPhoneHead to head

VLC vs IINA

VLC ranks #1 and IINA ranks #3 in our guide to the best apps for watching and tracking movies and shows on Mac and iPhone. VLC is our pick for most people.

The Useful TechResearched and written with AI under our rulesUpdated 14 Oct 2026

Our pickVLC app iconVLCPick VLC if you want 1 free player that opens any file on your Mac, iPhone and iPad.Free, open source#3 in the guideIINA app iconIINAPick IINA if you watch on a Mac and want a free player that looks and behaves like a Mac app.Free, open source

What decides it

  • Both are free.
  • Both run on Mac. Only VLC runs on iPhone and iPad.

Side by side

Prices are checked every day.

At a glanceVLC app iconVLCIINA app iconIINA
PriceFree and open sourceFree and open source
How you payFreeFree
3 years of useFreeFree
Free trialFree to startFree to start
Runs onMac, iPhone, iPadMac
Where to buyApp Store, DeveloperDeveloper
Rating3.7 6K ratingsToo few ratings
FeaturesOpen source, No accountOpen source
Made byVideoLANNot listed
Last updated24 Apr 2026Not tracked

Who should get which

Get VLC if

You have videos in odd formats or on a home server and want 1 free player that opens them all.

Get IINA if

You watch movies and shows saved on your Mac and want a player that feels native to macOS.

Skip VLC if

You only stream Netflix or YouTube, which never needs a separate player.

Skip IINA if

You open the occasional MP4, which QuickTime Player plays fine without installing anything.

Our verdicts

VLC app iconVLC

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.

IINA app iconIINA

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.

What each one helps you do

VLC app iconVLC

  • Play MKV and other odd video formats
  • Stream movies from a home server
  • Copy videos to your iPhone over Wi-Fi
  • Load subtitle files for any video

IINA app iconIINA

  • Watch a video in Picture in Picture
  • Copy text from a paused frame
  • Scrub and change volume with trackpad gestures
  • Add new subtitle sources with plugins

Where to get them

VLC

Free and open source

  • App Store, iPhone and iPad
    FreeApp Store
  • From the developerMac version for Intel and Apple Silicon
    FreeGet it

IINA

Free and open source

  • From the developer
    FreeGet it

Neither one quite right?

The other picks in our guide to the best apps for watching and tracking movies and shows on Mac and iPhone.

Read the full guideAll VLC alternativesAll IINA alternatives

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