media player · VideoLAN

VLC media player

Free, open-source video and music player with downloads for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS.

86/100

#1 of 12 media players
Facts checked 9 Oct 2026

In short

VLC costs nothing; VideoLAN says it has no spyware, no ads and no user tracking¹.
Downloads are listed for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS^1,6,7.
VideoLAN says VLC plays most codecs with no codec packs needed¹.
Windows playback includes HDR10 output in Direct3D11 and HEVC hardware decoding through DxVA2 and D3D11⁴.
The Windows download page offers 32-bit, 64-bit and ARM64 installers (version 3.0.24)³.

VLC suits anyone who wants a single player that costs nothing, carries no ads and has downloads for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS^1,6,7. It opens discs, network streams (including HLS and RTSP) and HDR video, and accepts Lua add-ons^2,4,10,11,12. 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^2,8,9.

Best for: People who want one free player for any file, with no ads.

Where the points come from

Systems12 of 12

Video29 of 31

Streams, audio and library13 of 25

Ads and privacy20 of 20

Price12 of 12

Systems 12 of 12 points

Rule	What is published	Points
Other systems	macOS, Linux, Android, iOSVideoLAN's site offers macOS, Linux, Android (Play Store, APK) and iOS (App Store, IPA) downloads^1,6,7.	12 / 12

Video 29 of 31 points

Rule	What is published	Points
Disc playback	YesThe Open Disc dialog offers DVD, Blu-ray, Audio CD and SVCD/VCD¹¹.	5 / 5
No codec pack needed	YesVideoLAN says VLC plays most codecs with no codec packs needed¹.	6 / 6
Hardware video decoding	YesThe 3.0 release notes describe HEVC hardware decoding on Windows through DxVA2 and D3D11, on by default^4,5.	7 / 7
HDR playback	YesThe 3.0 release notes list HDR10 support in Direct3D11 and HDR tone-mapping⁴.	5 / 5
Subtitle features	External subtitle files, Embedded subtitle tracks, Styled ASS/SSA subtitlesThe manual covers subtitle files and embedded subtitles; the features page lists SSA1-5. No subtitle search is named^2,8.	6 / 8

Streams, audio and library 13 of 25 points

Rule	What is published	Points
Network streams	HTTP or HTTPS URLs, HLS, RTSP or RTMPFeatures page lists HTTP/FTP input; 3.0 notes add HLS v4 to v7; the streaming guide shows receiving with vlc rtsp://…^2,4,12.	6 / 8
Audio features	Equaliser, Exclusive audio output (WASAPI or ASIO)The manual describes a 10-band equalizer; the 3.0 notes list WASAPI pass-through. Gapless and ReplayGain are not named^9,4.	4 / 8
Media library	Not publishedNot published on the vendor's features page or user manual^2,8.	0 / 6
Plugins or add-ons	YesThe user manual has an Add-ons section for Lua extensions copied into VLC's program folder¹⁰.	3 / 3

Ads and privacy 20 of 20 points

Rule	What is published	Points
Open-source apps	YesVideoLAN describes VLC as free and open-source software under open-source licences¹.	8 / 8
No ads or bundled offers	YesVideoLAN states VLC has no spyware and no ads; the Windows download page shows no bundled offers^1,3.	8 / 8
States no tracking	YesVideoLAN's home page says VLC has no user tracking¹.	4 / 4

Price 12 of 12 points

Rule	What is published	Points
Price of the player	$0Free to download and use; a donation link is optional^1,3.	12 / 12

The rule behind each line: how we score media players.

Plans and prices

As the vendor lists them, before tax. Prices are in US dollars unless the plan shows euros; the points use US dollars, with euros converted at the ECB rate.

Plan	Price as listed	Per month	Notes
VLC media player1 person	Free^1,3	$0	Free and open source; donations are optional

Strengths

Free, with no ads and no user tracking, according to VideoLAN¹.
Official downloads for five systems, including an APK from VideoLAN's mirrors and an IPA from its servers^6,7.
Plays DVD, Blu-ray and VCD discs through the Open Disc dialog¹¹.
Supports HLS versions 4 to 7 and HDR10 in Direct3D11⁴.
Includes a 10-band graphical equalizer⁹.

Limits

The vendor's pages do not name a media library^2,8.
Subtitle search or download inside the player is not described in the user manual⁸.
ReplayGain and gapless playback are not named on the vendor's pages^2,9.
The main Windows download button points to the 32-bit installer³.

What VideoLAN says

Vendor claims. We show them, but they earn no points.

VideoLAN says VLC offers the most complete feature set for video, subtitle synchronisation and filters².
VideoLAN says VLC plays most codecs with no codec packs needed¹.

Other media players

2
KodiPeople who want a free, open-source player with a library and add-ons
76/100
$0price of the player
3
mpvPeople who want a free, scriptable player and are fine without a built-in library
67/100
$0price of the player
4
PotPlayerWindows users who want many playback settings in a free player
60/100
$0price of the player
5
5KPlayerPeople who want a free player that also streams to and from Apple and DLNA devices
56/100
$0price of the player

VLC media player vs Kodi · VLC media player vs mpv · All 12 media players

Sources

VLC: Official site, VideoLAN. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
VLC features, VideoLAN. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
Official download of VLC media player for Windows, VideoLAN. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
VLC 3.0.0 release notes, VideoLAN. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
VLC 3.0.21 release notes, VideoLAN. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
Official download of VLC media player for Android, VideoLAN. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
Official download of VLC media player for iOS, VideoLAN. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
VLC user documentation: Subtitles, VideoLAN. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
VLC user documentation: Adjustments and effects, VideoLAN. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
VLC user documentation: Add-ons, VideoLAN. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
VLC user documentation: Media, VideoLAN. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
VLC user documentation: Stream using RTSP, VideoLAN. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.

Website: www.videolan.org/vlc · Markdown version · We are not affiliated with VideoLAN.