VLC is a sturdy, capable player that can run nearly any file, CD, disk, or DVD without issues. It can even play broken and fragmented files.

Portable VLC OS X is the VLC video stream and multimedia player packaged as portable application that you can carry around with you on any portable device, USB thumb drive, iPod, portable hard drive, memory card, other portable device (also on your internal hard disk) as long as it has 140 MB of free space and use on any Mac OS X computer, taking your preferences with you. Mac › Audio & Video › Players › VLC media player › Comments. Watch your favorite movies and listen to your music from one app. Review Comments (17.

Media on demand

The Good VLC Media Player is a video player with great onscreen controls, numerous ways to upload media and support for both Dropbox and Google Drive. The Bad Building a video library from scratch. Users' Reviews The first notable thing about VLC Media Player for Mac OS X is its simple, compact, and pleasant. The well-structured interface compliments its brilliant performance. VLC is not just a program that plays music and videos. One of the longest-running media players for Mac, VLC has been open-source for over a decade and free to download. It can play 360-degree video and media files as large as 8K resolution, as well as compressed video formats. With a wide variety of features like play modification and audio quality manipulation, you can pretty much do what you want.

Watch videos, listen to music, and stream your webcam with ease in this powerful multimedia program that’s just a download away.

VLC is one of the most popular players out there, and for good reason. It can run almost any media file available. There are a variety of video and sound file types in the world. Having one program to run all of them makes your life easier, and putting in your favorite album is a breeze. It’s easy to download and set it up. Once you get it going, you’re ready to run any media type you encounter.

VLC can also run DVDs and CDs, which is great. The only catch with a DVD is that you won’t be able to record any video footage from within the media player. But VLC still boasts high system compatibility as it will run on almost any computer, no matter how dated it is.

There are a couple of issues with VLC, one of which is the interface; it’s not particular attractive. In fact, it looks like something from the early 2000s. However, this doesn’t mean it’s complicated or painful to use. Aside from the visuals, you’ll notice that the software can become buggy or even crash at random times. This is usually caused by RAM-related issues, though a problem like this does imply a memory leak in the software.

With the many powerful and free programs out there, you need to be careful that you aren’t installing adware or spyware as an extra feature. Fortunately, VLC doesn’t come with any of those; it’s entirely ad-free and contains no malicious software.

Where can you run this program?

It’s available for the latest versions of Windows, Mac OS, Android, IOS and Linux.

Is there a better alternative?

No, VLC is a compelling media player. But if you find the user interface unpleasant, you can look at alternatives such as Eltima. Both software compete to be the best media players.

Our take

VLC is packed full of features and capability, but its instability presents some issues. In the face the expansion of QuickTime’s capabilities, users of newer versions of Mac OSX might find VLC to be a bit redundant. If you’re on an older version, however, VLC could be for you.

Should you download it?

Yes, if you’re looking for a new way to experience multimedia content, DVDs or CDs. It can read almost any video or sound file you’ll want to play.

3.0.7.1

VLC Media Player is a worldwide media player on multiplatform. You can get comprehensive format support and video streaming/converting/editing functions. There are many positive comments about VLC Media Player. However, some people think VLC Media Player is overpraised. VLC Media Player is not as good as other people describe. Is VLC Media Player the best? You can check the following VLC Media Player review to find your answer. Moreover, you can get some nice VLC Media Player alternatives to play multimedia files smoothly as well.

Part 1: VLC Media Player Review

Here are some unbiased reviews of VLC Media Player software. You can know what VLC Media Player is, what you can/cannot get from VLC Media Player and other questions in details.

VLC Media Player Overview

• Multiplatform

VLC Media Player is a free and open source media player that runs on almost all platforms. You can download VLC Media Player for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android and Linux from its website or official stores safely.

• Multimedia

Thanks to the powerful input media and formats support, you can use VLC Media Player to play most popular media files. In spite of the common video and audio formats, you can use VLC Media Player to play Blu-rays, DVDs, audio CDs, VCDs and other streaming protocols.

• Safe & free to use

VLC Media Player is completely free to use. There is no spyware, bundleware, ads or user tracking before/during/after playing with VLC Media Player.

VLC Media Player Pros

1. VLC Player is capable to play media files, discs, webcams, devices and streams for free on multiplatform.
2. Play all formats including MPEG-1/2, DivX 1/2/3/4/5/6, MPEG-4, ASP, MPEG Layer 1/2/3, Vorbis, DTS, etc.
3. Convert video/audio, sync subtitles, filter video/audio and apply other effects.
4. Hardware decoding. The media loading speed is fast.
5. Support screen recording with VLC Media Player.

VLC Media Player Cons

1. The VLC video player interface is not straightforward.
2. VLC cannot play damaged or unfinished videos.
3. Still need to download codecs for some video and audio formats.
4. VLC Player crashes during playing or subtitle inserting occasionally.
5. Playing videos with loud volume using VLC will damage the speakers.

Part 2: Top 5 VLC Media Player Alternatives for Windows and Mac

The user-friendlessness UI and unstable media playing problems makes VLC Media Player not so good. If you want to get smooth audiovisual experience, you can try the following media players as well. These are highly-recommended VLC Media Player for Windows, Mac, iOS and Android alternatives.

Top 1: Vidmore Player – Play Videos and Discs What VLC Cannot Play

VLC cannot play DRM-protected Blu-ray and DVD discs. If you want to get seamless Blu-ray and DVD playback, Vidmore Player can be your best VLC alternative. All kinds of discs, folders and ISO files are supported. You can enjoy DVD and Blu-ray movies with HD image quality and lossless sound effect. The intuitive interface and easy-to-use options are friendly to all users.

1. Play the latest Blu-ray or DVD disc, folders and ISO files losslessly.
2. Open all types of videos, including 4K UHD and 1080p/720p HD videos.
3. Offer navigational menu support and customizable controls to personalize video playback experience.
4. Get the surround sound effect with the advanced audio encoding technologies.
5. Adjust image effects, take snapshots, change subtitles, switch audio tracks and enjoy smooth playback.

Top 2: Windows Media Player – Burn CD and DVD with VLC Alternative

Windows Media Player is pre-installed on Windows computers and Windows mobile-based devices. You can use Windows Media Player 12 to play video and audio on Windows 7 for free. Moreover, you can burn CDs and DVDs by using Windows Media Player on your Windows computer. This is a new feature that you cannot get from VLC player for Mac or Windows. In addition, you can use Windows Movie Maker as your free VLC video editor alternative for Windows.

Pros:

1. Create playlists and mix up songs from different albums.
2. Rip a CD for free without installing anything else.
3. Play Blu-rays with Windows Media Player.

Cons:

1. MP3 and Windows Media Audio are all your choices for output audio formats.
2. There are limited sound quality options in Windows Media Player.

Vlc Media Player Download

Top 3: Photos – VLC Player Free Alternative for Windows 10

The Photos app is a free VLC Media Player for Windows 10 alternative you can consider. You can open not only images, but also videos on Windows 10 within Photos. There is a built-in Video Editor app within Windows 10 Photos app. You can create a videos using your photos in a short time easily. Compared with VLC player, Photos has a better interface.

Pros:

1. Play, edit and share videos on Windows 10 for free.
2. Trim videos to delete unwanted clips on Windows.

Cons:

1. No face tagging feature.
2. Lack the panorama stitching or selective focus support.

Top 4: QuickTime Player – A Good Competitor of VLC Media Player for Mac

QuickTime Player can be your free VLC alternative for Mac as well. You can play most videos and music files on Mac directly. Furthermore, the built-in QuickTime screen recording features work better than VLC screen recorder. You can record Mac, iPhone and iPad screen video and audio for free within QuickTime Player.

Pros:

1. Play media files with high quality and 1/2/3x faster playback speed.
2. Watch the local and online streaming videos on Mac.

Cons:

1. Need to upgrade to QuickTime Pro to unlock its video editing and recording features.
2. Cannot work with common subtitle files.

Top 5: MPlayerX – Free and Open Source VLC Alternative

Vlc Video Player For Mac

Being a free and open source media player, MPlayerX is often compared with VLC. You can watch videos without extra plugins or codecs on multiplatform. The auto subtitle detecting and converting feature can sync your subtitle seamlessly.

Pros:

Vlc Media Player For Macbook

1. A lightweight and free media player alternative to VLC on Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS and Android.
2. Be compatible with Apple Remote. You can control the video playback remotely.

Cons:

1. The MPlayerX in Mac App Store is outdated. You need to update MPlayerX to the latest version manually.
2. MPlayerX download package contains bundled software. You need to be careful and deselect unwanted programs manually.

Part 3: FAQs of VLC Media Player

What VLC Media Player portable alternatives to choose?

If you are looking for VLC for mobile alternatives, you can take a look at GOM Player, MX Player, BS Player, GPlayer, Dice Player, Winamp, KMPlayer and more. These video and audio players are alternative to the VLC Media Player app.

How to fix VLC blinking or flickering?

The VLC video flickering problem is quite common on NVIDIA graphic adapters with HDMI connected projectors. To stop VLC screen flashing issues, you can go to Preferences. Choose Video and then change from direct3d11 to direct3d9. Or you can choose Preferences followed by Input/Codecs to disable hw decoding.

Why is VLC not opening and how to fix?

The VLC registering and setup process may not be completed. Delete the VLC installer folder first. Later, you can uninstall and reinstall VLC Media Player. Restart your computer to see if the VLC won’t open problem still exist or not.

VLC is a free media player and editor that is worth to try. Moreover, there are also many other powerful media players in the market. If you are not satisfied with the VLC disadvantages, you can get a better choice from the above VLC Media Player alternatives.