VLC media player vs MPlayer

VLC media player9.4Visit MMPlayer8.7Visit

Higher score VLC media player #1 in Video Player Software 9.4/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 1 of 3 features Visit VideoLAN

vs

M MPlayer #6 in Video Player Software 8.7/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 2 of 3 features Visit MPlayer

• VLC media player fits best

  Most users needing a free all-purpose player

• MPlayer fits best

  Technical users needing broad legacy support

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Side by side

Feature	VLC media player 9.4/10 Visit ↗	MMPlayer 8.7/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.4	8.7
Ranking	#1 in Video Player Software	#6 in Video Player Software
Best for	Most users needing a free all-purpose player	Technical users needing broad legacy support
Pricing model	Free	Free
Starting price	Free plan	Free plan
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Desktop, Mobile	Self-hosted, Desktop
Platforms	Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android	Linux, Windows, macOS
Support	Community, Docs	Community, Docs
Built for	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Solo, Small business
Features VLC media player 1/3 · MPlayer 2/3
Hardware acceleration	✓	✓
Playback speed control	Not checked yet	✓ (best)
Portable version	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Specs
Supported platforms	Not checked yet	Linux, Windows, Mac OS X, BSD, Solaris, HP-UX, AIX, QNX
Codec support	Not checked yet	MPEG-1/2, MPEG-4 ASP, H.264, WMV1/2/3, RealVideo, Sorenson, Cinepak, DV, 3ivx, Indeo, H.263, MJPEG, HuffYUV, MP3, AC3/A52, E-AC3, DTS, AAC, WMA, RealAudio, Ogg Vorbis, PCM
Subtitle formats	Not checked yet	MicroDVD, SubRip, OGM, SubViewer, Sami, VPlayer, RT, SSA, AQTitle, JACOsub, PJS, MPsub, SPU, VOBsub, Closed Captions
Maximum resolution	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Our review
Pros	Plays local files, discs, devices, webcams, and network streams Supports extensive video, audio, container, subtitle, and protocol formats Available across Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android	Plays a wide range of video and audio formats Supports many subtitle formats, streams, and optical media Offers adjustable speed, frame-by-frame playback, and hardware acceleration
Cons	Hardware-accelerated decoding depends on platform support Media libraries, search, and playback history are specified for Android Its extensive controls may be more than basic playback requires	Optional GUI is not enabled by default Command-line binaries may not suit GUI-first users Hardware acceleration depends on supported output drivers
Our verdict	VLC media player is a free, open-source multimedia player and framework from VideoLAN. It is designed for people who want one application for local video and audio files, DVDs, Audio CDs, VCDs, webcams, devices, network streams, and varied… Read the review →	MPlayer is a free, open-source media player for technical users who need broad compatibility across Linux, Windows, Mac OS X, and other Unix-like systems. It handles local files, optical media, television input, and network streams, while… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• VLC media player — where it wins

  • Plays local files, discs, devices, webcams, and network streams
  • Supports extensive video, audio, container, subtitle, and protocol formats
  • Available across Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android

  Where it doesn't

  • Hardware-accelerated decoding depends on platform support
  • Media libraries, search, and playback history are specified for Android
  • Its extensive controls may be more than basic playback requires

• MPlayer — where it wins

  • Plays a wide range of video and audio formats
  • Supports many subtitle formats, streams, and optical media
  • Offers adjustable speed, frame-by-frame playback, and hardware acceleration

  Where it doesn't

  • Optional GUI is not enabled by default
  • Command-line binaries may not suit GUI-first users
  • Hardware acceleration depends on supported output drivers

• VLC media player9.4/10 · Free plan

  A broad, free player for local media, network playback, subtitles, and major platforms.

  Visit VideoLANFull verdict →
• MMPlayer8.7/10 · Free plan

  A free, open-source player for technical users who need wide format and stream support.

  Visit MPlayerFull verdict →