--- title: Best Media Player Software canonical: https://saasranked.com/best/media-player-software/ facts_checked: 2026-10-09 --- # Best Media Player Software Play the video and music files on your PC, with the subtitles, formats and streams you need, and without ads. 12 media players ranked by points out of 100 from 14 published rules. Method: https://saasranked.com/best/media-player-software/how-we-score/ | # | Product | Points | Systems | Video | Streams, audio and library | Ads and privacy | Price | Price of the player | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | 1 | [VLC media player](https://saasranked.com/software/vlc.md) | 86 | 12/12 | 29/31 | 13/25 | 20/20 | 12/12 | $0 | | 2 | [Kodi](https://saasranked.com/software/kodi.md) | 76 | 12/12 | 25/31 | 19/25 | 8/20 | 12/12 | $0 | | 3 | [mpv](https://saasranked.com/software/mpv.md) | 67 | 3/12 | 29/31 | 15/25 | 8/20 | 12/12 | $0 | | 4 | [PotPlayer](https://saasranked.com/software/potplayer.md) | 60 | 0/12 | 31/31 | 17/25 | 0/20 | 12/12 | $0 | | 5 | [5KPlayer](https://saasranked.com/software/5kplayer.md) | 56 | 3/12 | 27/31 | 6/25 | 8/20 | 12/12 | $0 | | 6 | [MPC-BE](https://saasranked.com/software/mpc-be.md) | 53 | 0/12 | 27/31 | 6/25 | 8/20 | 12/12 | $0 | | 7 | [SMPlayer](https://saasranked.com/software/smplayer.md) | 43 | 6/12 | 13/31 | 4/25 | 8/20 | 12/12 | $0 | | 8 | [KMPlayer](https://saasranked.com/software/kmplayer.md) | 42 | 6/12 | 22/31 | 2/25 | 0/20 | 12/12 | $0 | | 9 | [MPC-HC (Media Player Classic - Home Cinema)](https://saasranked.com/software/mpc-hc.md) | 41 | 0/12 | 21/31 | 0/25 | 8/20 | 12/12 | $0 | | 10 | [CyberLink PowerDVD](https://saasranked.com/software/powerdvd.md) | 34 | 0/12 | 23/31 | 10/25 | 0/20 | 1/12 | $54.99/yr | | 11 | [GOM Player](https://saasranked.com/software/gom-player.md) | 26 | 9/12 | 14/31 | 0/25 | 0/20 | 3/12 | $22/yr | | 12 | [Media Player (Windows)](https://saasranked.com/software/microsoft-media-player.md) | 20 | 0/12 | 0/31 | 8/25 | 0/20 | 12/12 | $0 | ## 1. VLC media player Best for: People who want one free player for any file, with no ads. VLC suits anyone who wants a single player that costs nothing, carries no ads and has downloads for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS. It opens discs, network streams (including HLS and RTSP) and HDR video, and accepts Lua add-ons. The catch is thin documentation: the vendor's pages do not name ReplayGain, gapless playback, a media library or subtitle search, so those earn nothing here. ## 2. Kodi Best for: People who want a free, open-source player with a library and add-ons. Kodi suits people who want a free, open-source player that builds a library, plays discs and takes add-ons. Subtitle search, DXVA2 decoding and tone-mapped HDR are all documented. The catch: it is built as a media centre rather than a simple player, it needs Windows 10 or later, and its forum was breached in 2023. ## 3. mpv Best for: People who want a free, scriptable player and are fine without a built-in library. mpv suits people who want a free player with hardware decoding, HDR handling, disc support and a scripting interface, and who do not mind configuring it. It is offered free of charge. The catch: its project page calls the Windows and macOS binaries third-party builds, and it has no media library. ## 4. PotPlayer Best for: Windows users who want many playback settings in a free player. PotPlayer suits Windows users who want a free, setting-rich player that covers hardware decoding, HDR, many subtitle types and streams. It is Windows only and the terms bar modifying or reverse engineering it, and its terms let Kakao collect system details, such as CPU and memory type, for product support. The vendor's pages do not name a media library. ## 5. 5KPlayer Best for: People who want a free player that also streams to and from Apple and DLNA devices. 5KPlayer suits people on Windows or Mac who want a free player with DVD playback, hardware decoding, HDR and DLNA. The catch: the download page promotes another product, and the privacy policy says the company collects software usage statistics. ## 6. MPC-BE Best for: Windows users who want a light, free player with built-in filters. MPC-BE suits Windows users who want a free, open-source player that decodes on the graphics card and needs no codec pack. It supports HDR and HLS, and it loads external subtitle files automatically. The catch: it runs on Windows only, and its pages do not name a media library or a way to add plugins. ## 7. SMPlayer Best for: People who want a free player for Windows, macOS and Linux with subtitle search. SMPlayer suits people who want a free, open-source player on Windows, macOS or Linux, with DVD playback and built-in subtitle search. The catch: the vendor's pages do not name HDR or hardware decoding on Windows, and its privacy policy covers only the website. ## 8. KMPlayer Best for: People who want a free player that opens discs and plays 4K and 8K video. KMPlayer suits people who want a free Windows player that lists disc playback, built-in codecs and hardware acceleration. The 64X edition is described as ad-free, but the terms allow ads on service screens and homepages. The catch: it is closed source, collects usage data, and a 2013 advisory reported a suspected compromise of its update mechanism. ## 9. MPC-HC (Media Player Classic - Home Cinema) Best for: Windows users who want a light, free, open-source player. MPC-HC suits Windows users who want a free, open-source player with HDR output, Blu-ray playback and built-in subtitle search. Its pages name Blu-ray playback but not DVD, a media library or add-ons. It has no apps for other systems. ## 10. CyberLink PowerDVD Best for: People who still watch DVDs or Blu-ray discs on a Windows PC. PowerDVD suits people who want one Windows player for discs, with licensed Dolby and DTS audio. The 365 subscription costs $54.99 a year and has the same features as Ultra, including Blu-ray, ISO files and HDR10. The catch: it is paid software, runs only on Windows, and the free version locks its premium features after 7 days. ## 11. GOM Player Best for: People who watch a lot of subtitled video and want apps on Mac and phones. GOM Player suits people who want wide subtitle support and apps on Windows, Mac, Android and iOS. Plus is the vendor's ad-free edition, a lifetime licence with a regular price of $22.00 for one PC, shown on sale at $11.00. The catch: the English pages name no hardware decoding, HDR or streaming protocols. ## 12. Media Player (Windows) Best for: Windows users who want a free, built-in player for local music and video. Media Player suits Windows users who want a free player that organises local music and video without extra setup. Its Store page names a library, an equalizer and playlists, but not streaming, subtitles, HDR or disc playback. The catch: some common video formats need a separate Store codec extension.