Top 8 Best FLV Players for Mac, Windows 10/8/7, and Android

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Updated on: November 2, 2023
Time to read: 11 minutes
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Playing FLV video files on the Internet was once very common. Playing them on your computer has always been a problem, though, since most players don’t support them.

After extensive testing, we’ve curated a list of the best 8 players you can use on Mac and other platforms for seamless playback of FLV files.

Table of Contents

FLV File Definition

Developed by Adobe Systems, Flash Video or FLV is a video file format that’s used on the Internet and played with Adobe Flash Player. These files rose to popularity in the mid-2000s due to their ability to contain metadata packets and maintain good quality while being smaller in size than other formats.

The extension was used by streaming platforms like YouTube, Netflix, and Hulu for years before Adobe discontinued support for it. The rise of other, more advanced formats like HTML5 and MP4 also contributed to its decline.

Despite that, FLV videos are still used on the Internet, and many sites, including YouTube, allow users to upload them.

List of the Best 8 FLV Players – Free and Paid

To play FLV videos, you have two options. You can either convert them to some other format like MP4, or you can download a third-party application that fully supports them.

Let’s take a look at 8 of the best programs you can use to play them:

1. Elmedia Player

Elmedia Player takes the crown for being the best FLV player. With this player, there’s no need to convert FLV to MP4 or AVI, or WMV. It supports a wide variety of video formats, including AVI, MOV, MKV, and MP4.

Once you install Elmedia Player, the only thing you have to do is drag and drop your video onto it. No need to scour the Internet for missing codecs or subtitles. Elmedia Player already has everything you need, and you can easily download subtitles using its built-in subtitles search feature.

Elmedia’s interface

Elmedia was specially designed for macOS, so it’s better optimized than other apps, and it’ll run on Apple silicon Macs without any hassle. On the App Store, it has a perfect 5-star rating.

Features:

  • Capable of playing over 70 formats.
  • Lets you stream videos to TVs via AirPlay in 4K.
  • Includes built-in subtitle search and download feature.

 

Download: Mac

Supported formats: FLV, MP4, AVI, MOV, SWF, WMV, M4V, MPG, MKV, and more

Supported OS: macOS 10.12 or above

Developer: Electronic Team, Inc.

Price: Free | Pro version starting from $19.95 (one-time payment)

How to Open and Play FLV Files on Mac Using Elmedia Player

Elmedia Player is all about simplicity and convenience. Its minimalistic UI should make it easy for you to open and play videos on your Mac.

In case you’re having trouble, here’s a step-by-step guide on how to do it:

1. Download Elmedia from the App Store and install it by dragging it to the Applications folder.

Elmedia player installation

2. Once installed, open the app. Find the video you want to play and use one of the following methods to add it to the player:

  • Drag and drop the video onto the software, and it’ll automatically start playing.
  • Go to File > Open. Highlight the video you want to play and click on Open.
  • Right-click (or secondary click on Mac) the video and click on Open With. Choose Elmedia Player in the dropdown list.
Elmedia Player

3. That’s it! It’s that simple to play Flash videos using Elmedia Player.

If you’re still confused about opening an FLV file, feel free to watch this video that explains how to open any video format using Elmedia Player on your Mac:

Choosing the best Mac player for FLV files

2. VLC Media Player

VLC Media Player or VideoLan Client is one of the most widely recognized open-source video players. Just like Elmedia Player, it supports various file formats like MP4, MPEG, WMV, and more.

The software provides you with tons of playback options, video and audio recording, subtitle synchronization, and more. It even lets you install custom skins and themes.

It has applications for multiple platforms, including Mac, Windows, iPhone, and even Linux.

Videolan VLC Player for Mac

With that being said, many users may find VLC’s interface outdated and less intuitive than that of other players. It also often struggles with playing high-resolution videos, and while it does offer many advanced features, it can take some time to find them in the settings.

Other than that, it’s a solid player for FLV files.

Features:

  • Hardware decoding on Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS.
  • Lets you do some basic video editing and recording.
  • Subtitle synchronization.

 

Download: Mac | Windows | Android | iOS/iPadOS

Supported formats: FLV, MPEG, ASF, WMV, WMA, MP4, MOV, 3GP, and more

Supported OS: Windows 10/8/7/Vista/XP, Mac with macOS 10.7.5 or above, Android 4.2 or above, iOS 9.0 or above

Developer: VideoLAN

Price: Free

3. Tonec Free FLV Player

Tonec is a lightweight player that’s capable of playing and converting videos. It’s a simple FLV media player created specifically to play these types of videos.

The installation file takes up only 9 MB of space. The app is equipped with multiple features, such as playback speed controls, the ability to play video frame-by-frame, built-in video conversion tools, and more. It also lets you zoom into your videos when you’re watching them in full screen.

Tonec Free FLV Player 2.0 window

Our main gripe about using this player is that its UI is extremely basic, and it can’t play any other type of video, so you’ll have to constantly switch between multiple players if you frequently watch videos in other formats.

Features:

  • Can convert FLV files to other formats.
  • Lets you play videos frame-by-frame.

 

Download: Windows

Supported formats: FLV

Supported OS: Windows 2000/XP/2003/Vista/7/8/10

Developer: Tonec

Price: Free

4. RealPlayer

RealPlayer is another great FLV file reader that brought the format’s support into the mainstream. Not only does it let you play videos and music, but it also lets you view images. It has a similar UI as that of iTunes, which made it a popular choice as a video/music player in the 2000s.

RealPlayer

Unlike iTunes, though, RealPlayer is capable of playing a large variety of file formats, including 3GP, MPEG-4, EVRC, MVB, WAV, and more. It doubles as device management software, letting you import, sync, and copy files to your smartphone.

RealPlayer also comes with a built-in video downloader, so you can easily search for your favorite videos and download them directly to the player.

You can use it on Windows, iOS, and Android.

It’s a bit more resource-intensive than other media players, though, and will often struggle with playing high-resolution videos.

Features:

  • Downloads and streams videos from sites like YouTube and Facebook.
  • Syncs your video library across all your devices.
  • Converts videos from FLV to another format.

 

Download: Windows | iOS | Android

Supported formats: FLV, 3GP, MPEG-4, EVRC, MVB, WAV, and more

Supported OS: Windows 7/8/8 Pro/10/11, iOS/iPadOS 13.0 or above, Android 4.4 or above

Developer: RealNetworks

Price: Free | Paid plan starting from $24.99 (one-time payment)

5. GOM Player

GOM Player is a free video player for Windows and Mac. One of its unique features is that it supports 360-degree VR videos, which means you’ll hear its name more often in the future.

It’s capable of playing damaged files with missing codecs, as it automatically finds and downloads them. This feature is absent in the macOS version, though, which is disappointing.

GOM Media Player

The Windows version also has a vast subtitle library that automatically downloads and adds subtitles to your videos.

Most of its features are limited to its PC version, though it seems the company is actively working to improve the macOS app.

Features:

  • Has a built-in codec search and download feature.
  • Supports 360 VR videos on Windows.

 

Download: Windows and Mac

Supported formats: FLV, OGM, MKV, MP4, M4V, AVI, MOV, MPG, M2V, and more

Supported OS: Windows 10/8/7/Vista/XP, Mac with macOS 10.13 or above

Developer: GOMLab

Price: Free | Paid plan available for $9.99 (one-time payment)

6. Any FLV Player

Any FLV Player is another video player that’s solely focused on playing .flv videos. It lets you play videos online as well as on your computer without converting them to another format.

Any FLV Player interface

The player allows you to edit the settings of your videos (things like video size, color, and play mode) and then directly publish them to any site on the Internet.

You can easily play video formats like MOV, WMV, MPG, AVI, VOB, and M2V. The player also has a built-in converter which you can use to convert any of the aforementioned formats.

Features:

  • The player’s control panel can be customized when it’s embedded in a site.
  • Automatically adds FLV metadata to your FLV files.

 

Download: Windows

Supported formats: FLV, MOV, WMV, MPG, AVI, VOB, M2V, and more

Supported OS: Windows 7 or above

Developer: Any FLV Player

Price: Trial version | Paid plan available for $49.95 (one-time payment)

7. Windows Media Player

Windows Media Player supports many different formats, including MPG, WAV, MP4, 3GP, MOV, and more. To play an FLV clip, you’ll first have to install a codec.

Windows Media Player

You might be wondering, “Can Windows Media Player play WebM files?” Unfortunately, it doesn’t play them by default, and you’ll have to download codecs. Just make sure you download them from a trusted site so you don’t end up getting a virus on your computer!

It’s a free media player that’s incredibly easy to use. It comes with different playback options, a customizable equalizer, playback speed control, and some basic video tools. The only downside to using Windows Media Player is that you’ll have to download additional codecs for many file formats.

Features:

  • Lets you stream videos to consoles and other DLNA-compatible devices.
  • Includes a built-in format converter.
  • Creates playlists automatically.

 

Download: Windows

Supported formats: FLV, MPG, WAV, MP4, 3GP, MOV, and more

Supported OS: Included in all Windows versions

Developer: Microsoft

Price: Free

8. FLV Player – Free Flash Video Player

FLV Player isn’t a standalone FLV player, as it comes with two other applications. It’s completely free but only available for PCs. You can easily play all your favorite Flash videos without downloading any codecs or converting them.

Some other video formats that it supports include MP4, F4V, and more. The UI may seem archaic, but the important thing is that it gets the job done!

It doesn’t have any fancy features. The most you can do is resize the window and use some basic playback controls.

FLV Player

Features:

  • Includes an FLV downloader and a converter
  • Stream FLV videos from the web

 

Download: Windows

Supported formats: FLV, MP4, F4V, and more

Supported OS: Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, and 10

Developer: FLV.com

Price: Free

Attention All Users Looking for a Reliable FLV File Player

While testing and researching the best FLV video player, we came across many sites that recommended players like Axara, Sothink, Moyea, and AnvSoft. The reason why we didn’t include them in our list is that they’re not the most trustworthy or reliable apps.

Most of those sites were bloated with ads, which raised concerns about their legitimacy. To make sure your data and privacy remain safe, we chose not to review any of those players, and we don’t recommend using them.

FAQ

Elmedia Player is capable of playing FLV files without you having to convert them into other files or download any codec. It comes pre-installed with all the essential files needed to play FLV videos. All you have to do is drag your video onto the player’s window.

Elmedia Player is the best app to play FLV videos because it doesn’t require you to download any missing codec, and you don’t have to convert them into other file formats. It’s packed with tons of useful features which you can use to enhance your FLV video viewing experience.