5 free VLC alternate options that play all the things and value nothing
If I requested you to call a media participant, I’m positive VLC would be one of the first to come to mind. There’s little question VLC has earned its place on nearly each desktop, but it surely is not the one free media participant value putting in. Some alternate options offer you extra management over playback, others pack in options you won’t count on, and some may even flip your PC into a house theater.
If you are on the lookout for one thing past VLC, these 5 alternate options are value a attempt. All of them are free, open-source, cross-platform, and actively maintained. And even if you happen to attempt all of them and find yourself going again to VLC out of behavior, that is completely fantastic. You may simply uncover a participant that fits you higher.
mpv
A participant for individuals who need efficiency and customization
mpv is a light-weight, open-source media participant with a command-line interface. It helps a variety of video and audio codecs, hardware-accelerated decoding, and superior video output choices. It additionally helps scripting, permitting you to increase its conduct past what a typical media participant provides.
It’s additionally the engine behind a number of different gamers on this record, so you may profit from its capabilities even if you happen to by no means use it straight.
Supported platforms: Windows, macOS, and Linux
The largest distinction you will discover is mpv’s minimal interface. It does not encompass your video with plenty of menus and buttons. Most controls seem if you work together with the participant, whereas keyboard shortcuts, configuration recordsdata, and scripts allow you to fine-tune the expertise. This makes mpv interesting if you happen to get pleasure from tweaking software program to work precisely as you need.
That flexibility comes with a studying curve, although. You could have to consult the documentation or edit a configuration file to vary sure behaviors.
SMPlayer
An old-school fashion participant that really remembers your settings
If mpv feels too naked, try SMPlayer. It provides a extra conventional interface, with menus, playback controls, and settings which might be simpler to seek out. Its design has an old-school Windows really feel, but it surely does not take lengthy to get comfy with. It helps a variety of acquainted media codecs and codecs.
One of its most helpful options is the flexibility to recollect your preferences for every video. It saves your playback place, subtitle alternative, and audio monitor, which is useful for lengthy motion pictures or TV sequence you watch throughout a number of sittings. SMPlayer makes use of playback engines corresponding to MPlayer and mpv to deal with media playback.
Supported platforms: Windows, macOS, and Linux
You additionally get playback-speed controls, audio and video filters, and assist for YouTube movies. However, the online-video characteristic wasn’t dependable in my testing. When I attempted enjoying a video from a URL, SMPlayer reported that it could not discover the URL and requested me to replace its YouTube assist. I up to date the assist element, however the identical error stored showing. Your expertise could differ as these integrations change.
Despite that hiccup, I favored SMPlayer for enjoying native movies. If you principally watch downloaded movies and wish your playback preferences to stay, it is value a attempt.
MPC-QT
A contemporary tackle Media Player Classic
If you miss the traditional Media Player Classic structure, MPC-QT is the one to attempt. It reproduces most of MPC-HC’s interface and performance whereas utilizing libmpv, the playback library behind mpv, to deal with your movies. You get the traditional media participant expertise with out giving up the capabilities of a contemporary playback engine.
When I attempted it, the interface felt clear and easy, with nothing getting in the best way of the video. MPC-QT is not only a nostalgia journey, both. It helps a number of playlists, shows thumbnail previews if you hover over the search bar, and might play on-line movies by yt-dlp.
Supported platforms: Linux and Windows
If you desire a simple desktop participant with a traditional look and trendy playback options, MPC-QT is value exploring.
QMPlay2
More than a participant for native movies
QMPlay2 is likely one of the extra feature-packed alternate options on this record. It helps all audio and video codecs supported by FFmpeg, together with Audio CDs, uncooked recordsdata, and chip tunes. It additionally provides an equalizer, playlist assist, YouTube playback, a downloader, a subtitle browser, streaming engine, and video filters, together with an FPS doubler. Most gamers make you hunt for add-ons to do this stuff. QMPlay2 simply has them.
My favourite characteristic, although, is web radio. Having radio streams sit proper subsequent to your video participant is the form of factor you don’t know you need till you attempt it. It makes QMPlay2 really feel like one app for all the things you watch and take heed to. Though, having all these options means a busy interface. You can count on to spend a couple of minutes discovering your manner round at the start clicks.
Supported platforms: Windows, macOS, and Linux
If you are on the lookout for a media participant that packs loads of audio and video options into one software, give QMPlay2 a attempt. Or, if you happen to’re like me, simply use it at the least as soon as to take heed to totally different international locations’ radios for enjoyable.
Kodi
A media participant that grew as much as be a media heart
Kodi is not precisely a VLC substitute. It’s a free, open-source media heart, and that is what makes it value together with on this record. Rather than specializing in opening particular person recordsdata, it organizes your motion pictures, TV exhibits, music, and different media right into a browsable library. It helps each native media and content material saved on community places, so your whole assortment does not need to dwell on one system.
Once you have added your media sources, Kodi can show paintings, descriptions, episode data, and different metadata. This makes looking a big assortment a lot simpler than opening folders and checking filenames one after the other. Its interface can also be designed with TVs and distant controls in thoughts, making it a pure match for a living-room media heart.
Supported platforms: Linux, Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, tvOS, Raspberry Pi, and webOS
If you solely open a video file every now and then, Kodi might be greater than you want. But if in case you have a big media assortment or want to build a home theater setup, its library-focused strategy could make watching your content material a significantly better expertise.
VLC can keep, however there is no hurt in giving these a shot
None of those gamers is an ideal VLC substitute, and that’s the purpose. Each one is healthier at one thing particular. mpv offers you extra management, SMPlayer remembers your preferences, MPC-QT provides a clear and acquainted interface, QMPlay2 packs in helpful extras, and Kodi turns your assortment right into a media heart.
They’re all free, so you may set up a pair, maintain the one you want, and delete the remaining. VLC will nonetheless be there if you happen to miss it.
