QuickTime Player Alternative Apps for Mac

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Updated on: January 28, 2025
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Since support for QuickTime has been discontinued and the new version QuickTime X is limited in a number of supported formats and codecs Mac users search for QuickTime alternative solutions. In this article, we have overviewed a list of players that are in no way inferior, and in some ways even better than QuickTime to fully enjoy your media content.

Table of Contents

User scenario:

I used to have a quicktime player that I'd use that allowed me to quickly tweak the EQ and pitch and see info about codec and other things. This new quicktime doesn't have those things. Anyway, what's the next best lightweight free thing, to use mostly for mp3s? Not itunes
— from Reddit

Why You Might Need a QuickTime Alternative

QuickTime Player comes preinstalled on all Mac computers and is the default option for many users. It’s free, easy-to-use and allows you to play videos in different resolutions, up to 4K. Its functionality includes screen recording, editing options like trimming and rearranging. You can also extract audio from videos.

Although QuickTime Player is good at playing multimedia content, it offers limited format and codec support. This causes problems for many users and makes them look for an alternative to QuickTime.

Best QuickTime Alternative — Elmedia Player

Which QuickTime alternative Mac solution combines plentiful features, universal support, and a convenient interface? None other than Elmedia. You can be confident that it will open nearly any audio or video file in your library, starting with simple MP4s and AVIs, down to the obscure SWF. This media player for Mac provides you full control over playback, allowing you to adjust every aspect. Thus, you can set speed, customize your subtitles, sync audio and video, and more.

The PRO version, which costs $19.99, reveals the true potential of Elmedia Player – it’s so much more than a replacement for QuickTime. Chromecast, Airplay and DLNA streaming, and other advanced functionality await you in this valuable package.

"Elmedia Player is a powerful yet easy-to-use application. It is a multi-format player with lots of customizable features and a sleek modern interface. However, it is also highlighted that the user may be confused as the software can be found on four separate websites and product pages. To make it easier for users to find the right version of Elmedia Player, it is recommended to clean up websites and consolidate product options in the App Store."
— Nicholas Calderone, MacSources

Pros

  • Broad format support
  • Convenient streaming
  • Settings for any purpose
  • Detailed playlist creation.

Cons

  • Incomplete without the PRO version
  • No version is available for Windows.

Rating in the Mac App Store: 4.5

Supported OS: macOS (including Sequoia)

Price: free to use, PRO upgrade priced at $19.99

Other QuickTime Alternatives for Mac

JustPlay

Rather a minimalistic app yet with an impressive feature set, JustPlay can proudly be called one of the top QuickTime alternative Mac solutions. The app has a laconic user interface that perfectly blends into the Mac system providing you with the best user experience. In its arsenal you will find support for different video and audio formats, including MP4, FLV, MKV, SWF, etc. in 4K and 8K without additional installations.

Among the other features worth attention are support for picture-in-picture mode, an audio equalizer with presets, support for deinterlacing option, enhanced work with subtitles, and way more.

Lightweight video player for macOS.
"Older or specialized media formats might not work in your app, because the format requires software designed to support it. If that happens, your app won't open the file or won't play back its audio or video."
— User experience, read more on the Mac App Store

Pros

  • Touch Bar support
  • Hotkeys support
  • Can handle various types of formats
  • Effortless 4K and 8K playback.

Cons

  • No free trial or free version
  • No streaming options
  • Doesn’t provide a video downloading feature.

Rating in the Mac App Store: 4.3

Supported OS: macOS (including Sequoia)

Price: $4.99

IINA

It’s easy to see why we’d suggest this program as a QuickTime alternative for Mac. If you take a look at the interface, you’ll notice that it blends right in with the overall macOS theme. However, it is far from the only reason why IINA is being so popular and widely used. Apart from the usual features seen in similar players, it offers excellent integration with Mac technology in general – Touch Bar, Gestures, and Picture-in-Picture are integrated so well, you’d think that the app was designed by Apple themselves.

The modern media player for macOS.
"Years back I was in love with the abandoned NicePlayer, and I had a hard time finding a replacement player that did everything that very simple player did. IINA does, and it's just a great app besides. I tried at least a dozen player apps, and this one was the clear winner."
— User experience, read more on MacUpdate

Pros

  • Stylish and modern interface
  • Thorough subtitle support
  • Perfectly integrates into the Mac system.

Cons

  • CPU intensive, comparatively
  • Issues with Full HD H.265 clips.

Rating in MacUpdate: 4.5

Supported OS: macOS

Price: free

OmniPlayer

OmniPlayer unites many generic features that you have otherwise seen in other players. 4K HD playback, playlist customization, advanced subtitle functionality – it makes a point of being as inclusive as possible. And the same applies to its codec library. If you can’t decide between other media players, this one can help you try out all of their merits – to a much lower degree. Whatever the case, it’s the top QuickTime alternative Mac solution.

Great app with a very friendly interface.
"Pretty good App. Downloaded Once And paid for the premium Version immediately. I only Rate it 4/5 stars because I have noticed a couple bugs the several months I've been using it."
— User experience, read more on the Mac App Store

Pros

  • Has any feature you can think of
  • Does the job
  • Opens anything.

Cons

  • Freemium business model
  • Features aren’t exceptional.

Rating in the Mac App Store: 4.7

Supported OS: macOS (including Sequoia)

Price: free with in-app purchase, the PRO version costs $8.99

VLC Media Player

VLC Media Player is another QuickTime player alternative for Mac that most users would consider. The app has a long history and won the hearts of many users so far. Despite its not-so-stylish and modern interface, this video player has gathered the most necessary features and even more. One of the attractive features of VLC is that it is an open-source solution and is distributed absolutely free of charge.

As for the features, well, it could be sometimes challenging to find the necessary ones but once you figure it out you will explore the world of perfect video playback. The player is equipped with lots of playback options. Here you can find an equalizer, synchronization, color correction, and more, as well as a wide range of video and audio effects not to mention the impressive list of supported file formats.

VLC is a free and open-source cross-platform multimedia player.
"VLC media player is genial and I think well recognized in the informatic community. Sometimes I am wondering how they can earn money as long as they are not a profit based enterprise. Anyway, I hope that this user-friendly and advanced technological software could be an example for future enterprise in the informatic field."
— User experience, read more on Trustpilot

Pros

  • Support for Apple Silicon
  • Support for Chromecast streaming
  • Advanced video settings
  • Work with subtitles.

Cons

  • Confusing settings
  • Plug-in is no longer maintained

Rating in Trustpilot: 3.3

Supported OS: macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android

Price: free, donation-based service

GOM Player

Continuing the list of QuickTime alternative apps we couldn’t have noticed GOM Player. Even though the app is still in the Beta version it is an excellent media player with a wide set of features offered. It gives you a great opportunity to watch and enjoy movies in a wide variety of formats. Here you can find support for MP4, MPG, MKV, FLV, AVI, and way more. Additionally, it is worth noting the ability to handle 360-degree videos.

Thanks to the support for different themes the user can change the appearance of the video player. It offers many features, such as support for playlists and subtitles, mouse and keyboard shortcuts, favorites management, and more. Overall, it’s a great video player with a lot of features to solve all codec problems.

Plays almost all video formats.
"The best thing about GOM Player is that if we can easily run high-quality videos. Usually, some other apps lag while playing 1080p or 4k videos, but I had never seen GOM Player lagging while playing high-definition videos. Another good thing about GOM Player is that it supports each and every video file formats. Also, if we close the app without completing a video, after opening that file later, the video resumes from the exact same point where we left. This is the main reason due to which I use GOM Player. Another good thing is that the subtitles can be adjusted along with the video if there is a mismatch in the subtitle."
— User experience, read more on Capterra

Pros

  • Ability to scale the image
  • Offers wide support for file formats
  • Supports hotkeys
  • Supports work with subtitles.

Cons

  • Not easy-to-navigate site
  • Presence of ads.

Rating in Capterra: 4.7

Supported OS: macOS, Windows, iOS

Price: free, Paid subscription costs $23.99

Leawo Free Blu-ray Player for Mac

Leawo is a really stylish, convenient, all-around alternative to QuickTime player for Mac. The app has an easy-to-use and navigate interface and is a top choice for lots of users. Among its advantages is an impressive list of supported file formats, including AVI, MP4, MPEG, MKV, and MOV. These are just some of them, the rest can be found on the official website.

Of course, the app has all the necessary features for enhanced video playback. Here you can find the choice of sound, subtitles, rewind, and so on. Additionally, it’s worth noting the picture quality and speed of playing offered by Leawo Free Blu-ray Player for Mac that makes the work with the player even more enjoyable.

The player can play Blu-ray video.
"It’s free and it plays blu-rays. I couldn’t be happier. The UI isn’t mind-blowing but it works, maybe a little tough for some users to get the hang of but if all you’re looking for is to play blu-rays, you have everything you need."
— User experience, read more on the Mac App Store

Pros

  • Can handle lots of formats including unusual
  • Neat and straightforward interface.

Cons

  • Limited set of features
  • Unable to stream to the big screen
  • Rather pricy app.

Rating in the Mac App Store: 2.6

Supported OS: Windows, macOS (including Sequoia)

Price: free, the Premium license will cost $44.95/year or $99.95/lifetime (single user)

The Comparison Table to Choose the Best Alternative to QuickTime

Top features Elmedia Player JustPlay IINA OmniPlayer VLC Media Player GOM Player Leawo
Consistent, plugin-free format support yes (AVI, FLV, SWF, MP4, WMV, MKV, DAT, DivX, MKV, MP3, WMA, AC2, MKA, OGG, FLAC, AAC, etc.) yes (MP4, AVI, MOV, SWF, DAT, MKV, MP3, FLAC, M4V, FLV, Blu-ray, etc.) yes (AVI, MP4, FLV, SWF, WMV, MKV, M4V, AAC, FLAC, MP3, WAV, WMA, etc.)yes (AVI, MP4, FLV, SWF, WMV, MKV, M4V, AAC, FLAC, MP3, WAV, WMA, etc.) yes (AVI, MP4, FLV, SWF, WMV, MKV, M4V, AAC, FLAC, MP3, WAV, WMA etc.) yes (MP3, AAC, Vorbis, AC3, WMA, FLAC, ALAC, etc.) yes (AVI, DivX, WMX, WMV, ASX, ASF, WVX, WM, MP4, M4V,MPG, DAT, IFO, VOB, M1V, M2V, TP, ect.) yes (MP4, MKV, AVI, FLV, etc.)
Conversion between video formats
Subtitle features
Hardware acceleration
Playlist creation and management

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Conclusion

Despite QuickTime no longer being supported by Apple, there is no need to panic thinking that you won’t be able to enjoy video content anymore. There are many QuickTime player alternative Mac solutions that are in no way inferior and in some ways superior to the default macOS player. Above are presented the top players that are worth your consideration.

Fortunately, most of the players are free or offered a free trial, so you can try them all before choosing your perfect QuickTime alternative. As for our choice, we ended up with Elmedia Player. And what are your thoughts about this topic? Leave your comments below.

FAQ

QuickTime is a built-in media player on Mac. It is used by dozens of people worldwide. Unfortunately, its support has been discontinued, however, there are lots of apps that can help you with video playback on Mac, for instance, VLC or some of VLC alternative Mac apps like Elmedia, GOM, etc.

It is hard to say which player can be called the best one. Above we have gathered top solutions that can be a cap of tea for most of the users. As for our recommendation, well Elmedia Player is a go-to choice. The app is not only a good QuickTime alternative but also a decent PotPlayer Mac replacement. Check it out!

No, Apple stopped selling registration keys for the Pro version as of mid-2016.

If the video is not compatible with QuickTime Player, you have several options:

  1. Convert the video to the format that QuickTime supports.
  2. Update QuickTime and macOS.
  3. Use an alternative player: VLC or Elmedia Player support a wider range of formats.
  4. Make sure the video file is not corrupted by trying to play it on another device or player.