Follow
AndroidiOSOSXWindows

What are the best cross-platform media players?

3
Options 
Considered
37
User 
Recs.
Last 
Updated
Related Questions
Activity
Have feedback or ideas?
Discord logoJoin our community
on Discord
Here’s the Deal
Slant is powered by a community that helps you make informed decisions. Tell us what you’re passionate about to get your personalized feed and help others.

The Best 1 of 3 OptionsWhy?

3 Options ConsideredPriceLast Updated
The Best
VLC
Mar 3, 2018
MPlayer
Apr 1, 2018
SMPlayer
Mar 26, 2018
See Full List
The Best

VLC

Add Video or Image
Andris Pelcbergs
mtata
Top Pro

Needs no additional codecs 

•••
Everything VLC needs to play media files is contained within which means no outside codecs are needed.
Andris Pelcbergs
Top Pro

Free, open source and cross-platform

•••
VLC is licensed under the CC-SA v3.0+ and available on Windows, OSX and Linux with source code available here.
Andris Pelcbergs
Top Pro

Plays anything: discs, streams, files

•••
VLC can play not just files, but disc-based media, or even streams. Tools like LiveStreamer can be used to directly play streams from sites like Twitch.tv or Dailymotion directly.
Andris Pelcbergs
Top Pro

Streaming support

•••
Andris Pelcbergs
Top Pro

Intuitive UI

•••
An incredibly robust application but very simple on the surface. It makes playing music simple and puts the user in control.
Andris Pelcbergs
Top Pro

Can convert media

•••
Andris Pelcbergs
Top Pro

Unobtrusive

•••
You'll never be bugged to register or pay, as is the case with many other software movie and DVD players.
Andris Pelcbergs
Top Pro

Active development

•••
In addition to VLC being actively developed by the core developers, due to its popularity, VLC also receives regular update from the community.
Andris Pelcbergs
Top Pro

Functionality can be extended with addons

•••
VLC can be extended through scripting; it uses the Lua scripting language. More information VLC scripting in Lua can be found on their official forums.
Tanveer Hossain
Top Pro

Global Hotkey

•••
it supports global hotkeys
David Teresi
Top Con

Ugly

•••
Andris Pelcbergs
Top Con

Lacks libraries and advanced music player features 

•••
VLC is a media player first and foremost. There is no library management, aside from playlists, usage of tags is very limited, no rating system and VLC is best at playing a file directly from a folder as opposed to helping you manage or find good songs in your music library.
See 7 more ProsSee 10 more Pros & Cons
We do not take money from sellers trying to improve rankings on Slant. Displaying ads allows us to stay financially independent and improve the site. Contribute your knowledge to get an ad free experience.

2 Other Options Considered

MPlayer

Add Video or Image
Andris Pelcbergs
Top Pro

Works via CLI and has multiple frontends to choose from 

•••
Some of the more popular frontends include Deepin Media Player, GNOME MPlayer, KPlayer, KMPlayer, Rosa Media Player, SMPlayer and Xt7-Player.
Andris Pelcbergs
Top Pro

Multiple forks 

•••
Some of the more popular forks include MPlayer2 and mpv.
Andris Pelcbergs
Top Pro

Needs no additional codecs 

•••
Everything MPlayer needs to play media files is contained within which means no outside codecs are needed.
Know any negative aspects of this option?
See 2 more ProsSee 2 more Pros

SMPlayer

Add Video or Image
Chris VA (MysteriousPrism)
Top Pro

Uses mplayer 2 and mpv as engines

•••
Tanveer Hossain
Top Pro

faster than vlc in some cases

•••
Tanveer Hossain
Top Con

does not support global hotkey

•••
See 1 more ProSee 1 more Pro
See flagged products

37 Community Recommendations

Jason Brubaker
Carlo Rodríguez
Bengt Frost
Luro Nyo
Francis Brunelle
Nayosx Ness
xyzz
cubethethird
Mahesh Bobby
Mikea15
Trimalchio Pertinax
+26
Community Icon
Request recommendations from the community
No highlighted recommendations.
I Recommend...
Help millions of people make better decisions.
Each month, over 1.7 million people use Slant to find the best products and share their knowledge. Pick the tags you’re passionate about to get a personalized feed and begin contributing your knowledge.
undefined