fzf
Focus: fuzzy finder, command line and shell. Shares open source with VLC media player. Adds Offline. Same 4.8 rating.
Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows
4.8Visit
Desktop App
VLC media player
The free, open-source media player that plays almost any file.
Rating
4.8 / 5
Pricing
Free
Difficulty
Beginner
Works on
Windows, macOS, Linux
Built with love by Shushant Lakhyani. Building bestproductivityresources.com
What is VLC media player?
VLC is a free and open-source multimedia player from VideoLAN, a non-profit. It plays files, discs, webcams, devices and streams, including DVDs, audio CDs and VCDs, and handles common formats such as MPEG-2, H.264, MKV, WebM and MP3 without separate codec packs. VideoLAN says it has no spyware, no ads and no user tracking. It runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, Unix, iOS and Android.
Pros: what VLC media player does well
- Plays almost any format with no codec packs
- No ads, spyware or tracking
- Available on desktop and mobile
Cons: where it falls short
- The interface looks plain
- Advanced settings can be hard to find
Who VLC media player is for
Anyone who needs one player that opens every video and audio file.
Who can skip it
People who only stream inside apps like Netflix or YouTube.
VLC media player alternatives
Not sold on VLC media player? These do a similar job, and each card says what it has in common.
ripgrep
Focus: search tool, command line and developer tool. Shares open source with VLC media player. Adds Offline. Same 4.8 rating.
Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows
4.8Visit
bat
Focus: file viewer, command line and developer tool. Shares open source with VLC media player. Adds Offline. Rated 4.7 (VLC media player: 4.8).
Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows
4.7Visit
fd
Focus: file search, command line and developer tool. Shares open source with VLC media player. Adds Offline. Rated 4.7 (VLC media player: 4.8).
Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows
4.7Visit
LocalSend
Focus: file transfer, airdrop alternative and dropbox alternative. Shares open source with VLC media player. Adds Web. Rated 4.7 (VLC media player: 4.8).
Desktop AppFreeWindows, macOS
4.7Visit
restic
Focus: backup, encryption and snapshots. Shares open source with VLC media player. Rated 4.7 (VLC media player: 4.8).
Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows
4.7Visit
Free alternatives to VLC media player
Want to spend nothing? These free picks cover similar ground.
scrcpy
Focus: android, screen mirroring and phone control. Shares open source with VLC media player. Rated 4.7 (VLC media player: 4.8).
Desktop AppFreeWindows, macOS
4.7Visit
zoxide
Focus: terminal, navigation and command line. Shares open source with VLC media player. Rated 4.7 (VLC media player: 4.8).
Desktop AppFreemacOS, Linux
4.7Visit
BorgBackup
Focus: backup, encryption and deduplication. Shares open source with VLC media player. Rated 4.6 (VLC media player: 4.8).
Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows
4.6Visit
dua-cli
Focus: disk usage, storage cleanup and terminal. Shares open source with VLC media player. Rated 4.6 (VLC media player: 4.8).
Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows
4.6Visit
Etcher
Focus: usb, sd card and disk image. Shares open source with VLC media player. Rated 4.6 (VLC media player: 4.8).
Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows
4.6Visit
eza
Focus: file listing, terminal and command line. Shares open source with VLC media player. Rated 4.6 (VLC media player: 4.8).
Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows
4.6Visit
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