Top 10 Best iPad/iPhone Video Players for Smooth Playback

"Are you frustrated with the default video player on your iPad?
Do you often struggle to play certain video formats smoothly?
Are you looking for a feature-rich alternative to enhance your viewing experience?"

Watching videos on an iPad or iPhone should be effortless and enjoyable. However, the built-in video player often lacks support for various formats, advanced playback options, and essential features like subtitles or 4K resolution.

To fully enjoy your movies and videos without limitations, you need a powerful third-party video player for iPad. In this article, we’ve selected the 10 best options to help you find the perfect player for a seamless, high-quality viewing experience. Let’s get started!

Part 1: Top 10 Best iPad/iPhone Video Players

Here are the best iPad video players that provide versatile playback features, improved format support, and smoother performance.

VLC Media Player

VLC Media Player is one of the most widely used media players across platforms , including iOS, Windows, macOS, and Android . It’s an open-source, completely free player that supports nearly all video and audio formats without requiring additional codecs.

Features:

✔ Supports all major formats (MP4, AVI, MKV, FLV, etc.)
✔ Subtitles & multiple audio tracks support
✔ Wireless file transfer between devices
✔ No ads or in-app purchases – completely free

If you're looking for a best iPad video player that is free, lightweight, and supports various formats , VLC is an excellent choice.

AirPlayer

AirPlayer is such a video player app for iPhone/iPad which lets you stream your videos wirelessly.  It is always updated with the latest interface. Though its interface may not seem friendly to beginners pro iOS users love it. With AirPlayer playlists can be created and content can be shared easily.

Features:

✔ Subtitle Support: Supports external subtitle files (SRT, ASS, SSA) for better viewing experiences.
✔ Intuitive Library Management: Automatically detects available media files over a home network and organizes them into a clear, easy-to-browse interface.
✔ Playlist Creation & Management: Allows users to create and manage playlists for uninterrupted streaming.
✔ Multi-Device Compatibility: Connects with multiple DLNA devices , including smart TVs, media boxes, gaming consoles,

YxPlayer

YxPlayer plays all the video formats easily plus it lets you share your media files with other YxPlayer users. iPhone/iPad users will find this iPad video player intuitive and friendly and it also doesn’t take much space on one’s iDevice. It also gives you options to stream videos wirelessly. Hence, you can watch movies on iPad/iPhone with this iPad/iPhone video player.

Features:

✔ Comprehensive format support (MKV, AVI, MP4, etc.)
✔ Wi-Fi media sharing
✔ Overlay subtitle customization

If you don’t want to worry about file compatibility , YxPlayer is a great option.

KMPlayer

KMPlayer is another powerful media player for iPhone/iPad that can play all major video formats without conversion . It also supports Google Drive and Dropbox , allowing cloud-based playback.

Features:

✔ 4K, UHD, and 3D support
✔ Cloud & local network streaming
✔ Picture-in-Picture (PiP) mode for multitasking

If you want an efficient, all-format media player , KMPlayer is a good choice.

MC Player

If you are looking for high-definition entertainment on your iPad or iPhone then check out MC player which also supports online streaming. Its UI resembles a file browser so picking up the video for playing won’t be difficult. MC Player supports all the major and minor video formats. Thus, there is actually no need to convert a video before playing on your iPhone or iPad. It also supports Chromecast and various subtitles formats.

Features:

✔ Supports DLNA, AirPlay, and Chromecast casting
✔ File browser UI for quick access
✔ No need for video conversion before playback

If you frequently stream to a larger screen , MC Player is an excellent choice .

Infuse-By Firecore

Infuse is a premium iPhone/iPad video player designed to stream and organize video files beautifully. It lets you watch 4K HDR content smoothly , and the user-friendly UI makes browsing through videos intuitive.

Features:

✔ 4K HDR & Dolby Vision playback
✔ AirPlay & Google Cast support
✔ Automatic metadata fetching for media organization
✔ Seamless streaming from cloud services

If you need a premium streaming experience with beautiful media management , Infuse is the best video player for iPhone/iPad in this category.

PlayerXtreme Media Player

PlayerXtreme Media Player is currently the best video player for iPhone/iPad and iPads as reported by its users. It supports all video formats so you shouldn’t worry about transcoding your videos before playing. This video player also supports network playing and supports a wide range of devices like NAS, Wi-Fi streaming, DLNA, UpnP, etc. It can also be used to cast content to other devices using the AirPlay feature of iOS. A special feature of this player is that it can download subtitles for various movies. The PlayerXtreme media player comes in free and pro version. You can purchase the pro version for additional features.

Features:

✔ Plays HD & 4K video smoothly
✔ Supports file sharing via SMB, FTP, and UPnP/DLNA
✔ Hardware acceleration for better performance
✔ Advanced gesture control & playback speed control

If you frequently stream movies from network devices , PlayerXtreme is one of the best iPad video players for your needs.

OPlayer Lite

Oplayer Lite, the highly recommended iPad video player. Its user interface may seem unfriendly to most but you get all the features on the main screen. You don’t have to stop the video to change the settings or access a particular feature of it. Oplayer lite supports a wide range of streaming protocols like FTP, http, stsp etc. Unlike other iPhone/iPad video players the Oplayer lite supports background video play. It supports a wide range of video formats and supports AirPlay, HDMI Wire, screen mirroring etc. The free version is just limited to a good set of features only but if you want more features then consider buying the premium version.

Features:

✔ Supports background & floating window playback
✔ Screen mirroring with AirPlay & HDMI
✔ Fast forward, slow motion, and speed control

For those who enjoy background play & audio extraction , OPlayer Lite is one of the best choices.

8Player

8Player is an all-in-one multimedia app for iPhone and iPad. Though it can be used as an iPhone and  iPad video player but is limited to common video formats only. It should be used if you’re looking for a network based player which can work as a media server and player. It lets you control Chromecast and DLNA devices. 8Player comes with a nice user interface and ease of access so you won’t be having any troubles using it but you will find it difficult to deal with uncommon video format.

Features:

✔ Supports DLNA & Chromecast connectivity
✔ Organizes media into structured libraries
✔ Great for managing large collections

If you want a network-heavy solution, 8Player delivers strong performance .

MX Video Player

MX Video Player is a very well-known iPhone and iPad video player. It provides a clean user interface and is optimized for retina display. Retina display is known to show more bright and rich colors as compared to normal smartphone displays. So the MX player is the player which avails this hardware feature to deliver the best entertainment experience on iPhone and iPads. It also lets you trim videos so that you can watch only the trimmed part instead of watching the entire movie. It is a free and open source iPhone/iPad video player which will show you ads or popups.

Features:

✔ High-definition video rendering for vivid colors
✔ Gesture-based playback controls
✔ Lightweight and fast performance

Part 2: The Best Video Player for Windows & Mac – PlayerFab

Up to now, you have known the top 10 best video player apps for iPhone/iPad. When you are tired of playing movies/videos on iPad, you might as well watch them on a PC, both Windows and MacOS, for a larger-screen playback experience. At this moment, a professional yet full-featured media player will come in handy. For a seamless and high-quality viewing experience , PlayerFab is the ideal video player for Windows & Mac .

Key Features of PlayerFab:

• Available on: Windows & macOS
• PC and TV modes optimized for small and larger screens
• Import DVD and Blu-ray (including BDAV)discs to the local library as ISO files
• Organize and manage local media library via poster wall
• Support navigation menu on DVDs, Blu-rays, 4K Ultra HD Blu-rays
• Play 4K UHD, HEVC (H.265), and all regular videos
• Support 3D play for all formats of 3D contents
• Adjustable thumbnails to facilitate fast and precise review
• Support HDR 10 and Hi-Res audio (Dolby Atmos &DTS:X ) output
• Stylish outlook to meet different UI skin needs 

As to how to play videos on PlayerFab, please refer to the following simple guide.

How to Play videos with PlayerFab?

Step 1: Free Download, launch PlayerFab, and choose playback mode

 i  Free Download    i  Free Download  

Step 2: Load media files to the 4K media player

This best alternative iOS video player for iPad/iPhone enables you to manage and play all your media files. 

Step 3: Start to watch movies with immersive viewing experience

Conclusion

Now you have known the top 10 best video players for iPhone/iPad. If you are a mobile buff keen on watching videos on iPad/iPhone, just choose your desired one from the listed options. Otherwise, you can resort to PlayerFab, a full-featured 4K video player able to play movies, videos, and music. You can play videos or movies on computers, both Windows and MacOS, or TV with large screen.