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Best Mac MP3 players for 2021

Audio players for Mac are easy to find–the Music app comes pre-installed on Apple’s iOS. But there’s no shortage of free, downloadable MP3 players for Mac online as well. How do you know when you’ve found one that’s reputable, reliable, and loaded with the features you need?

To create, save, and use playlists, you need an MP3 player on Mac that goes beyond the basics. Keep reading for our list of great MP3 players and pick for the best.

Top choice
Elmedia Player Free
4.8 Rank based on 131+ users, Reviews(131)
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Elmedia - the best MP3 player for Mac

Elmedia Player is a powerful MP3 player for Mac

Elmedia Mac MP3 Player

Every Mac MP3 player will play basic music files. The best MP3 player offers a superior user experience, intuitive features, and unparalleled playback quality. Elmedia Player stands apart from the competition with its native interface and expansive capabilities.

For music lovers who build their playlists from many sources, the file format can quickly become an issue. Particularly if you’re using the native Mac MP3 player app, Music, or a free MP3 player download with few accepted formats. Elmedia Player’s powerful features include broad format support, a 10-band equalizer, and hardware pass-through for AC-3 or DTS decoders.

Elmedia Player supports almost any audio format with superior quality, including AVI, FLV, SWF, WMV, MKV, and M4V. It also plays M4A on Mac while offering advanced features absent from most Mac M4A players.

How to listen music on the best MP3 player for Mac

With less reputable free MP3 players for Mac, you can easily get caught in complicated download and playback instructions. Elmedia Player offers an intuitive Apple-inspired interface and simplicity from the start.

1. Download the app with the MP3 player installer or through the App Store.

Install Elmedia MP3 Player on Mac

2. Add your music files.

  • Drag and drop MP3 files onto either the open MP3 player window or its icon in the dock.
  • Right-click MP3 files in the Finder window. Choose "Open With" and select Elmedia Player.
  • When the Elmedia audio player is open, go to the main menu, choose "File," then "Open," and select the MP3 file you want to listen.
MP3 Mac Player

3. Enjoy your music!

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You can playback so much more than just an MP3 file with the versatile, powerful Elmedia Player. Use the above steps for any of these file formats: FLV, SWF, MP4, M4A, MKV, MOV, AVI, WMV.

Another free MP3 player for Mac: Vox

VOX MP3 player for Mac

If you’ve recently done an internet search for the best MP3 player for Mac, you likely saw the Vox player near the top of the list. This simple MP3 player for Mac prides itself on an attractive interface and high-resolution playback, earning it fans worldwide.

It also supports diverse file formats, including DSD, AIFF, ALAC, and WAV. Making and managing playlists is easy, and the interface highlights several playback features. However, downloading files through Vox can take longer than other MP3 players for Mac we tested.

The basic MP3 player from Vox is free to download but expect limitations to the features you’ll be able to access: just basic music playback for MP3 files and customizable playlists. The more powerful custom features like gapless and high-resolution playback, unlimited storage on the cloud, playlist sync across iPhone and iPad are all behind a $4.99 per month paywall.

A simple MP3 player for Mac: 5KPlayer

5KPlayer - MP3 player for Mac

When you’re looking to play MP3 files on Mac, the free 5KPlayer offers features you can’t find in other MP3 players. You can stream music online, including video playback from sites such as Facebook, Vimeo, SoundCloud, YouTube, and BlipTV.

One of the best features of this MP3 player for Mac is its converting ability for streaming video soundtracks into MP3 audio files. It also offers users the ability to listen to satellite radio channels, all for free.

Even the free MP3 player version of 5KPlayer, lets users choose music playback over their Mac or iPhone.

IINA, a unique experience Mac MP3 player

IINA MP3 player for Mac

While the MP3 playback features for IINA are pretty standard, this MP3 player for Mac offers users who prefer standout interfaces a unique user interface. It offers Touch Bar functionality and MP3 player control through trackpad gestures.

Mac users who activate dark mode on their workspace will appreciate how IINA offers a compatible interface and features to create a cohesive work experience. The design and user experience of IINA work seamlessly with Mac operating systems. Even though this is a free MP3 player download, it feels like one of the native apps pre-installed on Apple systems.

The only downside is that despite the high-level design, the MP3 player supports limited formats and provides average audio quality.

One of the most popular free MP3 players, VLC

VLC - popular MP3 player for Mac

For playing videos on Mac, most users go no further than VLC. Its primary function is as a basic video player, so many people don’t realize its full capabilities for MP3 audio playback. The playlist manager is the most under-appreciated feature, which lets users source music with various formats for nonstop playing.

VLC is a valuable app for Mac iOS because of its versatility in playing and streaming both audio and visual files. Music lovers who expect more from the best MP3 player for Mac may feel limited by the straightforward features and limited opportunities for playback customization.

Regardless if it’s your go-to MP3 player for your Mac, VLC is a handy application to have at the ready for both video and music playback.

Tips for choosing the best MP3 player for Mac

Finding the right Mac audio player is a personal decision. For some, the aesthetic, interface, and design are the most important. For others its intuitive, customizable features and advanced playback options. The best MP3 player for Mac combines these aspects to be a powerful audio player with an intuitive design and attractive interface. We believe the Elmedia Player fits all these categories.

The Elmedia Player is such a reliable audio player for Mac because of the wide variety of audio file formats it supports. You can play your music in the highest quality possible, regardless of the file: AVI, FLV, SWF, WMV, MKV, M4V, or M4A. The Elmedia Player also comes with additional features not commonly available on Mac audio players.

Users can enjoy broadcast capabilities and support for FLAC audio files. Finding a combined FLAC player for Mac that also supports MP3 and video playback, all with advanced features, is difficult; that’s why Elmedia Player stands out from the competition.

FAQs About MP3 Players for Mac

Playing MP3 files without iTunes or Music is easy when you use Elmedia Player. The Apple-influenced design makes the interface intuitive for Mac users. You can play audio files on the Elmedia MP3 player in several ways. Once loaded, it’s simple to turn files into customizable playlists. Start by:

  • Drag and drop your files from your Downloads folder or Desktop onto the open Elmedia window or the player icon in the dock.
  • Right-click on the file you wish to play and choose the "Open With" option followed by "Elmedia Player".
  • Double click the Elmedia MP3 player for Mac, go to the "File" menu and select "Open," then choose the files you wish to listen to.

As a powerful MP3 player, Elmedia supports all audio formats. Open and build playlists with FLV, SWF, MP4, M4A, MKV, MOV, AVI, WMV.

Of all the MP3 players for Mac we tested, our pick for the absolute best is the Elmedia Player. It offers the most versatility in supported formats, advanced features for playback, and an intuitive Mac-inspired interface for easy use.

For those with music across platforms, including Windows, Elmedia is an adaptive WMA player for Mac. Users can follow the same MP3 player steps to listen to their WMA files on the Elmedia MP3 player.

If you’re looking to replace VLC with another free MP3 player for Mac, you can try out any of the players listed in this article. They all play MP3 files and offer unique features and benefits. For the most customization and advanced playback options, our choice is Elmedia Player as being better than VLC for Mac.

Elmedia is an MP3 player for Mac that offers users advanced features like a 10-band equalizer, surround sound via AC3 or DTS, and support for all audio formats, including WMA.

Elmedia is the best MP3 player for Mac available for free download today.

Elmedia Player Free
Requirements: macOS 10.12+ , 103.67MB free space
Version 8.1(2848) (28 Jul, 2021) Release notes
Category: MultimediaApplication
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