Apps for watching and tracking movies and shows on Mac and iPhoneHead to head
VLC vs Infuse
VLC ranks #1 and Infuse ranks #2 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.
VLCPick VLC if you want 1 free player that opens any file on your Mac, iPhone and iPad.Free, open source#2 in the guide
InfusePick Infuse if your movies live on a NAS or Plex server and you watch on Apple TV or iPad.Free to startWhat decides it
- VLC costs less over 3 years: Free, against $50.97 for Infuse.
- Both run on Mac, iPhone and iPad.
- Infuse has the higher App Store rating: 4.7 from 29K ratings, against 3.7 for VLC.
Side by side
Prices are checked every day.
| At a glance | VLC | Infuse |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free and open source | Free. Pro is $1.99 a month, $16.99 a year or $99.99 once |
| How you pay | Free | Free, with paid upgrades |
| 3 years of use | Free Cheaper | $50.97 Yearly plan |
| Free trial | Free to start | Free to start |
| Runs on | Mac, iPhone, iPad | Mac, iPhone, iPad |
| Where to buy | App Store, Developer | App Store |
| Rating | 3.7 6K ratings | 4.7 29K ratings Higher |
| Features | Open source, No account | Family Sharing, Free trial |
| Made by | VideoLAN | Firecore, LLC |
| Last updated | 24 Apr 2026 | 26 Oct 2026 |
The differences you'll notice every day
Both play MKV and most other video files without converting them, and both run on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV and Vision Pro. The choice comes down to 2 things: whether you want a browsable movie library with posters and server sync, and whether your TV and receiver can use Dolby Vision and Atmos.
| Day to day | VLC | Infuse |
|---|---|---|
| Library and artwork | Lists your files and folders with thumbnails it generates from the video. The listing names no movie database for posters or cast info. | Pulls posters, episode artwork, cast, ratings and trailers from TMDB, so a folder of files looks like a streaming app. This is in the free version. |
| Network shares and servers | Streams from SMB, FTP, SFTP, NFS and UPnP/DLNA, and has a Plex login. Jellyfin and Emby are not named. | Streams over SMB, NFS, FTP, WebDAV and UPnP/DLNA, and connects to Plex, Jellyfin and Emby with watched history and ratings kept in sync. |
| Dolby Vision, HDR and audio | No Dolby Vision. Its developer said in 2024 that HDR10 and frame rate matching wait for VLC 4, and that Atmos passthrough has been blocked on Apple TV since tvOS 11. | Plays HDR10, HDR10+ and HLG. Dolby Vision (Profile 5 and 8), lossless 24-bit audio and Dolby Atmos (E-AC3) passthrough to a receiver need Pro. |
| Apple TV | The same free app runs on Apple TV, from tvOS 11. | Runs on Apple TV from tvOS 18.5, with the same library and server connections as on iPhone and iPad. |
| Subtitles | Loads subtitle files with full SSA styling and searches OpenSubtitles from inside the app. | Reads SRT, ASS/SSA, PGS, VobSub and VTT, and downloads subtitles free from OpenSubtitles in 1 tap. |
| Sync | Syncs files with iCloud Drive, Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive and Box. The listing mentions no watch history sync. | Free syncs settings and server connections over iCloud and scrobbles to Trakt. Pro syncs your whole library, watched status and progress. |
| Price | Free and open source, with no in-app purchases. The Mac version is a free download from videolan.org. | Free to download. Pro is $1.99 a month, $16.99 a year or $99.99 for lifetime, with a 7-day free trial. |
Checked against both App Store listings and the developers' own pages on 31 Oct 2026.
Questions people ask
Is Infuse better than VLC?
For watching a movie collection on Apple TV, yes. Infuse gives you a poster library, Plex, Jellyfin and Emby sync, and Dolby Vision with Pro. VLC is the better pick if you just want to open any file for free.
Is Infuse free?
Yes. The free version plays most formats, streams from your NAS or media server and fetches artwork. Pro, at $1.99 a month, $16.99 a year or $99.99 once, adds Dolby Vision, Atmos passthrough, AirPlay and full library sync.
Does VLC work on Apple TV?
Yes. The free VLC app runs on Apple TV and streams from SMB, UPnP and other network shares. It does not support Dolby Vision or Atmos passthrough there.
Does VLC support Dolby Vision?
No. VLC's developer said in 2023 that Dolby Vision is probably not coming, and HDR10 support is planned for VLC 4, which has not reached iPhone or Apple TV yet.
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 Infuse if
You keep movies on a NAS or Plex server and want to watch them on your Apple TV or iPad.
Skip VLC if
You only stream Netflix or YouTube, which never needs a separate player.
Skip Infuse if
You only watch Netflix and other streaming apps; Infuse is for video files you already own.
Our verdicts
VLC
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.
Infuse
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.
What each one helps you do
VLC
- 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
Infuse
- Watch MKV files without converting them
- Stream movies from your NAS or Plex server
- Download subtitles for the movie you're watching
- Sync your watched history with Trakt
Where to get them
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.
IINAPick it if you watch on a Mac and want a free player that looks and behaves like a Mac app.Free, open source
CallsheetPick this if you pause shows to look up actors and want answers without ads or spoilers.From $1
SofaPick it if you lose track of which episode you're on across several shows.Free to start
Read the full guideAll VLC alternativesAll Infuse alternatives