VLC media is a free, open-source, sophisticated cross-platform multimedia player that is welcomed by video or movie lovers. On top of being free, some features like various formats support, ad-free interface, online video streaming, etc. make it an advanced multimedia player. However, sometimes you may feel annoying about its complicated design, the sudden crushes, the problems on playing big size files, etc., and therefore want to find a VLC alternative player that works better or can fulfill your needs in some certain ways.

If you search on the internet, you can find a ton of media players that can act as the alternative of VLC. But what are the best alternatives of VLC? Here we have taken several factors like supported media formats, the simplicity of user interface, etc. into consideration, and made a list of top 6 best alternatives to VLC media player download for Windows and Mac. Now read on for more details.

 

1. DVDFab Player 5

DVDFab Player 5, the upgrade of DVDFab Media Player, is the best alternative of VLC media player for its support to a host of media formats including DVD, Blu-ray, 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray, etc., clean and beautiful interface design, high quality output and many other advanced features. With a completely new playback engine, it can play any video sources, including large 4K files smoothly. The following are the main features of it.

1. Clean, intuitive, modern and beautiful interface design.

2. Play back various videos like MP4, AVI, MKV, FLV, etc. with different video codecs, including H. 265 codec.

3. Play back DVD/Blu-ray/4K Ultra HD Blu-ray discs/folders/ISO files with menu support.

4. Play back 4K videos and all forms of 3D contents (discs and videos).

5. PC mode for PC users, and TV mode for large screens or monitors.

6. Compatible with the remote controls for Windows Media Center under TV mode.

7. Support HDR 10 playback.

8. Support Hi-Res audio output, up to Dolby Atmos & DTS:X.

9. Adjustable thumbnails for fast and precise review.

10. Allow you to create your own playlists.

11. Other small features for you to take snapshots, flip/rotate video, add external subtitles, etc.

12. Easy to use for even novice users.

13. Multilingual.

14. Available for both Win and Mac.

Free Download DVDFab Player 5 for Windows

Free Download DVDFab Player 5 for Mac

 

2. KMPlayer

KMPlayer is another alternative of VLC player. It is a lightweight and versatile video player that can cover various kinds of container format and can be used on multiple platforms.

1. The simple, skinable and beautiful interface.

2. Available in over 36 languages.

3. Support a wide range of videos and audios like MP4, AVI, FLV, MKV, MP3, AAC and more.

4. Play back 3D, 4K and UHD movies.

5. Advanced options for you to control over DVD selection, movie menus, playback speed, brightness/contrast and more.

6. Available on Windows, Mac, iOS and Android.

When you install KMPlayer on your device, please remember to deselect the additional software.

 

3. GOM Player

GOM Player is a capable and full-fledged VLC alternative that comes from GOM Lab and comes with features for basic movie watching and advanced tools for advanced users.

1. Handle a lot of video formats like AVI, MKV, FLV, MOV, etc. and even support 360-degree VR video.

2. Remote controls with an app on your Android and iOS portable devices.

3. Include a codec search tool which helps you track down the necessary codec for the video that 4. GOM Player cannot play by default.

5. Other advanced options for user to extract MP3 audio from video, add video effects, control playback speed and more.

6. Available for Windows OS.

Same with KMPlayer, GOM Player is free but carries some bundled software. So be careful to uncheck the programs you don’t want when install it on your devices.

 

4. PotPlayer

Potplayer is a minimalist free media player and one of the most popular VLC alternatives that is developed by a South Korean company named Kakao.

1. Clear and minimalist user interface.

2. Play back tons of file formats like MKV, MP4, AVI, FLV, MPEG, DVD, VCD, SVCD, Blu-ray, etc.

3. Support various 3D output formats including Side by Side, Top and Bottom, Page Flipping, etc.

4. Use DXVA, CUDA, QuickSync but with the minimum resource.

5. Support various subtitle formats, including text subtitles, DVD and Blu-ray subtitles, ASS/SSA animation and SMI Ruby tags, etc.

6. Support OpenCodec, so you can easily add any codecs you want.

7. Other features that allow you to preview the video scene with snapshots, bookmark the scene or chapter you want, etc.

8. Available on Windows 8.1/8/7/Vista/XP.

 

5. SMPlayer

SMPlayer is a completely free and flexible VLC media player alternative that can play all common media formats such as MOV, AVI, MP4, DIVX, MPEG and more with no codecs installed.

1. Play all video/audio formats like AVI, MKV, OGM, DVD, VCD, MP3 and more without installing codec packs.

2. Search YouTube videos and play YouTube videos.

3. Search and download subtitles from opensubtitles.org.

4. Include advanced features such as video/audio filters, adjustment of audio and subtitles delay, change playback speed, and more.

5. Support over 30 languages.

6. Can be used on Windows and Linux systems.

Please watch out the additional software when you install SMplayer on your computer.

 

6. RealPlayer

First released in 1995, RealPlayer now has been a classic media player. It is also a versatile VLC media player alternative that contains some extra features that other players don’t have.

1. Support a great many of video formats, including RealAudio and RealVideo formats, MP3, MPEG, WMV, FLV and more.

2. Download web videos, including videos from YouTube, on your computer.

3. Convert videos to the most common video formats or MP3 audio files.

4. Burn CDs and DVDs.

5. Stream videos and pictures to TVs with large screens.

6. Clip and trim videos.

7. Come with a library for you to manage your files and allow you to store files in the cloud.

8. Available for Windows system.

To sum up, VLC media player is a universal player to play almost all media formats. But if you encounter some problems when using VLC or want to play videos in a way that VLC doesn’t support, you can try the VLC media player alternatives we recommended above. They are similar in some ways, but also different with each other in many ways. Just choose according to your needs.

Looking for a free video converter to convert a video to a format you want? Click Top 6 Free Video Converters to learn more.