As a Mac video player, QuickTime is great, but it lacks options, features and format compatibility. You can get a lot more out of a third-party app. Which is why we’ve compiled this list - it’s full of feature-rich players, complete with pros and cons for you to choose. You can choose the application you need in no time.
Coming in as our top pick for the best Mac video player is Elmedia Player. It can play a wide range of media formats including .mp4, .mov, .mkv, .avi, .flv, . swf, .wmv, .mp3, .dat, .flac, .mpg, and more, making it a true powerhouse.
One of the best features is its ability to play videos from YouTube, Dailymotion, or Vimeo directly in the video player without ads.
Elmedia Player is optimized to run natively on Apple's M1 chip, so you can expect incredible performance on your Apple Silicon Mac device.
Plus, the great thing about this video player for macOS devices is that it is free with an option to upgrade at a one-off cost of $19.95 to unlock even more features! The PRO features include streaming audio and video to Apple TV, Smart TV and Chromecast devices, audio EQ presets, interface color customization, Picture-in-Picture so you can watch while multitasking, and the ability to save subtitles from opensubtitles.org.
Pros
Cons
JustPlay is a compact, but powerful video player for Mac. It supports countless formats, from MP4 to SWF, along with files not native to macOS, like WMV. Its feature list includes HD 4K and Ultra HD 8K compatibility, the option to choose an audio output device, opening external audio and subtitle tracks, deinterlacing and Touch Bar support.
Pros
Cons
Another option if you're looking for the best video player Mac has to offer, and don't mind sacrificing on design, is VLC Media Player.
This 25-year-old software is one of the stalwarts of Mac video player applications. It is often cited as one of the best video players for Mac, offering excellent video format compatibility and functionality.
With VLC Player, you can play various video formats, including those QuickTime Player cannot (.mkv, .avi, .wmv, and more). Plus, it is available for free on macOS and iOS, allowing you to watch videos on any Apple device.
Pros
Cons
5KPlayer is another contender in our list of the best video players for Mac. The video player has some great features, including Airplay support and online video downloads to help you download videos & music from sites like YouTube, Dailymotion, Facebook, Vimeo, and more.
5KPlayer offers GPU acceleration to help your Mac provide a smooth video playback experience, getting rid of stuttering, inaccurate color, and dropped frames. It also provides some basic video editing functionality, allowing you to cut videos so you can share them.
Unfortunately, 5KPlayer is not available on the Mac App Store, adding an extra layer of complexity when updating or removing the application.
Pros
Cons
If you’re looking for an all-in-one Mac video player, check out IINA. Created with macOS users in mind, it achieves authenticity with the gesture controls, Touch Bar support and Dark Mode. This app wouldn’t feel out of place in the standard Apple lineup. In addition, IINA runs equally smoothly on older and newer versions of macOS.
Pros
Cons
OmniPlayer is an MKV video player found on the Mac App Store, but it offers a lot of compatibility with other media files. It allows direct streaming of YouTube videos, and playing remote files over FTP. There is more - ordinary playback, subtitle and audio options, playlists, and screenshot taking.
Pros
Cons
Cisdem Video Player is another of the best video players Mac users have at their disposal. This free video player for Mac is an excellent option if you're looking to play any of the leading video file formats, including .mp4, .mkv, .avi, .mov, and even more.
The application boasts the ability to smoothly play videos from 1080p up to 4K, 5K, and even 8K making it one impressive piece of software.
Like the previous application, 5KPlayer, this competitor in the race to be the best video player for Mac is not available for download on the Mac App Store, which may be a deterrent if you want an application that's easy to update or uninstall.
Pros
Cons
The best video players for Mac are gathered in one easily-readable chart. Find the right one for you over here!
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Top features
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VideoDuke
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Elmedia
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JustPlay
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VLC
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5KPlayer
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IINA Player
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Omni Player
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Cisdem
|
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Complete support for several video formats
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Complete support for several video formats
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yes (AVI, FLV, SWF, MP4, WMV, MOV, DAT, M4V, MPG, DivX, MKV.)
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yes (MP4, AVI, MOV, SWF, DAT, MKV, etc.)
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yes (MKV, MP4, VOB, WMV, MPG AVI, etc.)
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yes (MKV, M2TS, MP4, AVI, WMV, FLV, etc.)
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yes ( AVI, MP4, FLV, SWF, WMV, MKV, M4V etc.)
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yes ( AVI, MP4, FLV, SWF, WMV, MKV, M4V, etc. )
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yes (MKV, AVI, FLV, AVCHD, WMV, etc.)
|
|
Plays many different audio formats
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Plays many different audio formats
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yes (MP3, WMA, AC2, MKA, OGG, FLAC, AAC)
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yes (FlAC, AAC, MP3, WMA, etc.)
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yes (AAC, AC-3, FLAC, MP3, ALAC)
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yes (MP3, AAC, AC3, WMA, FLAC, ALAC)
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yes (AAC,FLAC, MP3, WAV, WMA, etc.)
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yes (AAC,FLAC, MP3, WAV, WMA, etc.)
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yes (MP3, OGG, ACC, WMA, AIFF)
|
|
Supports local file streaming of several different formats to TVs and other streaming-enabled devices
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Supports local file streaming of several different formats to TVs and other streaming-enabled devices
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yes (PRO)
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no
|
yes
|
yes
|
no
|
yes (PRO)
|
no
|
|
Create and edit playlists
|
Create and edit playlists
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yes
|
yes
|
yes
|
yes
|
yes
|
yes
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no
|
|
Features a video tuner
|
Features a video tuner
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yes (PRO)
|
yes
|
yes
|
yes
|
no
|
yes (PRO)
|
no
|
|
Built-in audio equalizer
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Built-in audio equalizer
|
yes
|
yes
|
yes
|
no
|
yes
|
yes
|
no
|
|
Includes support for Subtitles
|
Includes support for Subtitles
|
yes
|
yes
|
yes
|
yes
|
yes
|
yes
|
yes
|
|
Supports Picture-in-Picture
|
Supports Picture-in-Picture
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yes
|
yes
|
yes
|
yes
|
yes
|
yes
|
no
|
|
Enables screen recording
|
Enables screen recording
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no
|
no
|
yes
|
no
|
no
|
yes (PRO)
|
no
|
|
No-cost version
|
Free option
|
yes
|
no
|
yes
|
yes
|
yes
|
yes
|
yes
|
One of the best things about owning a MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, or iMac is the high quality and usefulness of Apple's baked-in software. That said, sometimes these apps don't provide all the functionality you might need to get a task done, like watching standard video formats such as .mkv with QuickTime Player.
If you are looking to switch things up and download one of the other video players Mac users have at their disposal, there are a lot of great applications that can make watching movies a lot more enjoyable.
You no longer need to sacrifice time or computer power converting videos using online or desktop converter apps. Not when there are well-designed, feature-rich video players like Elmedia Player that work with an extensive range of video formats right out of the box. With a plethora of features and advanced AirPlay functionality, including an AirPlay to Elmedia Player option, it makes an excellent companion application for any macOS device.
Frequently Asked Questions
Watching videos on your Mac has never been easier – as you can see, there are countless options from which to choose. Elmedia Player is one of the most reliable, easy-to-use, multifunctional video players out there right now.
Here’s how to get Elmedia:
VLC Media Player is available for Mac OS X as a free download. If you’re interested in getting VLC installed on your Mac, please follow the instructions below:
VLC is considered one of the most popular video players for Mac because it can play nearly all file formats. It is an open-source, cross-platform media player first developed around 1996, so it was one of the first media players available to the casual user. VLC can play almost any media file in existence, including webcam files, game records, streams, local files, DVDs, VCDs, and other discs. The range of formats also includes MPEG-4, MPEG-2, WMV, MP3, WebM, MKV.
VLC is not the be-all-end-all Mac media player, though. Elmedia is dead set on giving VLC a run for its money, and it offers many features that VLC cannot match.
VLC went through a period when it was considered a serious security hazard. Later, it turned out to be a mistake. Here is what happened: CERT-Bund, a cybersecurity company, decided to test the player. They used an outdated version that was installed on an outdated Linux distribution. To no one's surprise, this retro installation wasn't secured from modern Trojans. Needless to say, after this fact was established, the accusations were quickly rolled back. These days, VLC is not considered to be a safety risk.
Here's a complete list of Macs that can play 4K video:
If you have any of these devices, then you've got nothing to worry about! You're golden. But it's still highly recommended to have a high-quality, reliable video player like Elmedia that can play all of your favorite HD movies and more.
Most video players generally share a similar feature-set and experience that is only differentiated by a few key factors. These include the user interface (UI), the libraries used internally, and any other stand-out feature unique to that specific video player. Based on these three points, we've narrowed it down to the following video players:
There are many great video players for Windows you can use. To help our Windows friends narrow down their options, we've compiled the top three that we think all movie and video enthusiasts will be sure to love:
Do you have a MacBook Pro/Air? This lightweight player will run on it smoothly. When considering what video player is the best for your MacBook Pro/Air, the key factor is the CPU load and playback stability. We recommend using Elmedia over any of the aforementioned apps or QuickTime Player. You can also look at all the other factors and criteria for choosing the best app above in the article.
Many online video sites run ads, which get in the way of watching your favorite videos. These interruptions can happen at any moment, and anyone that uses YouTube regularly is familiar with how annoying these ads get.
With Elmedia, the online video player from URL you’ll have the ability to watch videos from YouTube, Vimeo or Dailymotion without annoying ads. This app allows you to simply copy and paste a URL from any video source online and play it in the Elmedia interface.
