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Try the VLC Alternative for Mac - Elmedia Player

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Top 4 VLC Alternative Mac Players in 2023

Olga Weis Olga Weis Feb 15, 2023

It seems like forever, VLC Player has been a top choice among the users. However, compared to the version for Windows, this media player for Mac analog always seemed a little behind in terms of functions and performance. Below we have gathered several solutions that can be a great alternative to VLC Mac app that perfectly integrates into the macOS system.

Elmedia Player logo
Before we start
We recommend Elmedia Player as the best alternative to the VLС video player. The app perfectly integrates into the macOS system, has a modern and straightforward interface, supports a wide list of formats with no need for additional codecs, and guarantees smooth video and audio playback.
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Main Reasons Why You Need a VLC Alternative?

Having a long history, VLC Media Player is considered a well-known cross-platform solution. This at-first-sight unassuming video player has so many features (the purpose of which for many still remains a mystery) that the description of all the features would hardly fit into a standard printed edition.

Among its arsenal, you can find an ad-free interface, the ability to handle the most popular file formats, converting feature, screen recording, the ability to view photos, control all functions of the player from mobile devices and via a standard web browser; use VLC plugins for Firefox, etc.

Transfer the file to the player and it will immediately play.

icon pros Pros:

  • Сross-platform solution
  • Ability to play Blu-ray discs
  • Support for bookmarks and playlists
  • Support for subtitles synchronization
  • Open-source project
  • Hardware decoding
  • Support for both video and audio conversion

icon cons Cons:

  • Not so well blended into macOS environment interface
  • Lack of support for AirPlay
  • Lots of confusing settings
  • Inconvenient UI
  • Instability of the app
  • Rare updates of the player

However, despite all the advantages, some users describe VLC for Mac as shallow and are not satisfied with its work. So why do users search for an alternative to VLC Mac app? Based on the users' comments we can sum up the following list. It includes both personal dislikes and technical aspects of the app:

  • Requires codec settings for some formats
  • Lots of settings that are hard to understand
  • Can have a negative impact on speakers
  • Crashes at launching
  • Outdated interface
  • Issues while playing some MP4 files
  • Can cause the system to hang or freeze
  • Not all versions and updates have support for hotkeys
  • On weak computers the player may not function normally at all
  • Issues with playing broken files

Despite there are updates of the app aimed at making it better and more perfect, not always they contain necessary fixes. So in case, the necessary fix was not made you can take a look at our list of VLC media player Mac alternatives below.

Downsides you might experience when using VLC Media Player

Potential Speaker Damage

One of the crucial reasons why users search for VLC alternative Mac solution is that using VLC player at the volume above 100 percent can lead to speaker’s damaging. This fact can have a negative impact, especially when such damages can void the laptop’s warranty. Even though you can move the slider to make the volume up, taking the above fact into consideration, it is not advisable, if you want to have a working laptop’s speaker.

Crashes and Freezes

Being an open-source solution VLC has serious issues with stability like many other similar projects. Definitely, you won’t face it every time you use the app but still be ready for occasional glitches, bugs, crashes, and freezes. There is no common reason for this issue, as it may happen all of a sudden. Sometimes you can’t open one format and the other day you experience the same issue with another format. However, be ready for the worst with every major update of the system.

Elmedia Player

Elmedia: universal video player
4.5 Rank based on 11950 + users Reviews(11950)
Requirements: macOS 10.12+
Version: v8.15(3307), Released 22 Mar, 2023 Release notes
Category: Video
Direct Download

The decent VLC alternative Mac solution that perfectly fits into macOS system is Elmedia Player. Unlike VLC, this media player features a modern and intuitive interface that will be a cup of tea for lots of users. The app can work with different video and audio file formats with no need for additional codecs or plug-ins.

Compared to VLC which uses AirPlay mirroring feature and can play videos from DLNA servers, Elmedia Player supports several streaming technologies, namely, AirPlay, DLNA, and Chromecast allowing you to enjoy your media content on a big screen with no need for any cables, adapters, etc.

Also, it is worth mentioning support for the built-in automatic search missing in VLC. Even though both players can work with .srt, .ass, and .smil files as well as support basic functionality for external and embedded subtitle tracks.

Summing up, Elmedia Player is a top-notch VLC player Mac alternative, that has gathered all the necessary features for enhanced video playback, offers lots of features that are easy to configure, and has a straightforward interface.


Best Universal Mac Media Player.

icon pros Pros:

  • Manage and create playlists
  • Support for bookmarks export and import
  • Work with different file formats
  • Ability to convert audio to stereo when streaming
  • Support for streaming over AirPlay/DLNA/Chromecast
  • Support for playing UHD video
  • Support for HEVC

icon cons Cons:

  • No support for encrypted Blu-ray disks
  • Limited support for DVD video disks
  • No support for other OSes except for macOS

Supported OS: macOS

Price: free, PRO version costs $19.99

Other recommendations for replacing VLC on your Mac

Finding a reliable VLC alternative Mac solution can be a rather tricky task. We have gathered the best apps that can satisfy the needs of both beginners and savvy users and help you in understanding the pros and cons of each alternative. Whether it is Elmedia Player vs VLC or any other alternative, we hope our reviews will be useful.

Movist

Movist is an easy-to-use and powerful VLC Media Player alternative that supports many useful functions for watching movies. Besides that, the app can boast about an interesting "set as desktop" playback method.

The player works quickly and with minimal loss of quality

icon pros Pros:

  • Ability to play files right from network servers
  • Modern and minimalistic interface
  • Doesn’t strain CPU
  • Support for Safari extension
  • Multiple subtitles at once

icon cons Cons:

  • Latest update was in July 2022
  • Some issues with AV1 decoding performance
  • Available for macOS only

Supported OS: macOS

Price: free trial, regular version costs $4.99, Pro version costs $7.99

DivX

DivX is another alternative to VLC player that is designed to play as well as convert videos in various formats. The player is capable of displaying subtitles, allows you to select audio tracks, and allows you to burn video to disc.

An application with a user-friendly interface and many features.

icon pros Pros:

  • Ability to access files from Google Drive and Dropbox
  • Support for high-quality videos
  • Support for FF/RW feature
  • Ability to manage playlists

icon cons Cons:

  • Free trial doesn’t offer you access to all features
  • Different trial period for different features
  • Presence of ads in a free version

Supported OS: macOS, Windows

Price: free trial, Pro version costs $19.99

5KPlayer

Last but not least on our list of VLC alternative Mac solutions is 5KPlayer. Like VLC, it is a free media player, however with more features offered. The app offers you seamless management over your entire video collection and not only simple video playback. One of the advantages worth mentioning in this VLС media player Mac alternative is the ability to add your media content to the player and search for the files right from it with no need to restore to the hard drive.

The player is available on all devices on Mac OS

icon pros Pros:

  • AirPlay and DLNA support
  • Ability to play video online
  • CPU friendly
  • Audio channel switching
  • Screen recording
  • Smart playlists

icon cons Cons:

  • Launches at startup
  • Sometimes the app freezes with no reason

Supported OS: macOS, Windows

Price: free

Comparison Table of VLC alternative Mac apps

Elmedia Player vs VLC, 5KPlayer vs VLC, DivX vs VLC, etc. Lots of information that spins your head around. For your convenience, we have gathered all the important technical info in this comparison chart. The information gathered here is aimed to help you make up your mind and find the perfect VLC media player Mac alternative.

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Top features
VideoDuke
VLC
Elmedia Player
Movist
DivX
5KPlayer
Supports popular video formats
Supports popular video formats
MKV, MP4, VOB, WMV, MPG, AVI etc.  
AVI, FLV, SWF, MP4, WMV, MOV, DAT, M4V, MPG, DivX, MKV etc.  
WMV, AVI, MOV, MP4, M4V, FLV, MKV, MPEG, RMVB etc.  
DivX, AVI, MKV, HEVC etc.  
MKV, M2TS, MP4, AVI, WMV, FLV etc.  
Supports popular audio formats
Supports popular audio formats
AAC, AC-3, FLAC, MP3, ALAC etc.  
MP3, WMA, AC2, MKA, OGG, FLAC, AAC etc.  
AAC, MP3, FLAC, WMA, ALAC etc.  
AC3, DTS  
MP3, AAC, AC3, WMA, FLAC, ALAC etc.  
Pop-up, ads
Pop-up, ads
no  
no  
no  
yes (free version)  
yes (free version)  
OS
OS
macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android  
macOS  
macOS  
macOS, Windows  
macOS, Windows  
Supports subtitle feature
Supports subtitle feature
yes  
yes  
yes  
yes  
yes  
Allows searching for subtitles online
Allows searching for subtitles online
add-on  
yes  
yes  
no  
no  
Free option
Free option
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes

Conclusion

As you see, there are lots of third-party solutions that can compete in naming themselves as the best alternative to VLC Mac app. We have reviewed a few of the best ones with both advantages and disadvantages of each. However, as many men have many minds, it is hard to choose the one and only. Our top choice is Elmedia Player as it has proven itself as a reliable and versatile media player at a reasonable price. And what is your favorite alternative to VLC Mac solution? Share your thoughts in the comment below.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Definitely, one of the best choices that can replace VLC on Mac is Elmedia Player. The app has a very modern and neat interface that is missing in VLC, allows smooth video playback, and offers lots of features for having the best picture.
Finding the best video player for Mac is not a simple task, especially when you see dozens of apps. Above we have gathered the top solutions to choose from. As each user has different requirements, we advise you to read and try each of the apps and decide yourself which one is better for you.
Well, in some cases VLC can be better than QuickTime on Mac. However, as the latest comes as a default video player, lots of Mac users prefer the creation of Apple. Still, VLC can be considered a decent alternative to QuickTime Player.
Elmedia: universal video player
Requirements: macOS 10.12+ , 89.23MB of free space
Version 8.15(3307) (22 Mar, 2023) Release notes
Category: Video
Direct Download