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Modern operating systems have at their disposal tools for most of the tasks that are relevant to the user. Although the functionality of these programs is not deep, they solve their own problems. However, users often want something more. So the built-in QuickTime video player in macOS is not for everyone. Yes, it plays videos, but you can argue about the convenience of working with this application and its capabilities.
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Not surprisingly, third-party developers offer their own options for video and media playback applications. We will tell you about the 10 best player options for Mac that are relevant this year. You just have to choose the application that you like best. We will tell not only about their advantages, but also about their shortcomings.
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What to consider when choosing a video player for Mac?
- The application must work with the main known audio and video formats: WMV, AVI, MOV, MP4, MP3, DAT, FLAC, FLV, SWF, MP3, M4V, MPG and MKV.
- The player must run on the latest version of macOS and support the highest quality 4K and 8K video output.
- The application should have a clear and user-friendly interface.
- The video player should have functions for creating and editing playlists, a lot of settings for outputting videos and subtitles.
- The abundance of ads and pop-ups, both in the player itself and when downloading it, is a bad sign for the application.
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Best Video Players for Mac in 2022
Elmedia Player
This media player can be considered the best for Mac. Its main trump card is support for a huge number of formats. In addition to the common MP4, MOV, MKV, AVI, FLV, SWF, WMV, MP3, these are also more exotic, and the application does not require additional codecs or plugins. Elmedia Player is made in such a way that the user can watch content without being distracted by additional processing tasks.
Elmedia Player perfectly reproduces high quality video, without showing problems traditional for analogues in the form of audio desynchronization or video slowdown. The stability of the work is achieved due to the work with hardware acceleration for media decoding, it is worth noting the abundance of settings for playing content that are present in Elmedia Player.
All this the user receives in the free version of the player. And in the Elmedia Player PRO version, there are even more opportunities. The paid option will allow you to watch video streams for hours, without forced breaks for advertising.
In addition to supporting any audio and video formats used by users, Elmedia Player can also stream files from your Mac using AirPlay or Chromecast, as well as to devices that support DLNA. Elmedia Player PRO has the ability to manually adjust the video and equalizer sliders. This allows you to provide an ideal picture and sound for a particular viewer. Another useful feature of the video player is the ability to take screenshots. Even the color and font of the subtitles can be customized here. A rich set of tools has become the reason for the popularity of Elmedia Player – it is used by more than 2 million people around the world.
Now let’s briefly list the pros and cons of this player:
Pros:
- Variety of supported formats.
- A huge number of settings for the formation of a convenient sound and picture format.
- Built-in subtitle support, including online search.
- Ability to stream files to Chromecast, Apple TV, Smart TV, and other AirPlay and DLNA enabled devices.
- Simple and user-friendly creation of a playlist.
- Hardware accelerated playback.
Minuses:
- Doesn’t work with all older devices.
Download Elmedia Player free version (developer site)
Download Elmedia Player PRO (Mac App Store)
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Just Play
This player is also able to compete for the title of the best Mac application in its class. Despite the small size of the program, it turned out to be quite powerful. JustPlay also supports a large number of video and audio formats, easily plays 4K and even 8K videos. The versatility of the application is achieved by supporting hardware decoding, as well as optimized software code.
Pros and cons of JustPlay:
Pros:
- Small size and overall compactness of the interface.
- Large variety of supported media formats.
- Comfortable 4K and 8K video playback.
- Touch Bar support on recent versions of macOS.
- An abundance of various settings for playing audio and video.
Minuses:
- There is only a paid version, there is simply no free version with limited functionality.
- Modest Blu-ray playback capabilities.
Download JustPlay (Mac App Store)
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VLC Player
The iconic media player also has a version for Mac. The main advantage of VLC Player is its absolute “omnivorousness”. This player allows you to install additional extensions that will make your viewing as personalized as possible. VLC Player is open source, which guarantees the safety of user data. The fame of this product and its popularity on different platforms, including the Mac, is understandable.
Pros and Cons of VLC Media Player:
Pros:
- Fine-tuning the displayed image using the editor and plugins.
- Complete privacy of users, their activities are not monitored
- Support for a huge number of video, audio and even image formats.
- The application is completely free, there are no ads.
Minuses:
- Problems with DVD playback.
- Software decoding does not allow smooth playback of 4K video.
- The interface is outdated and overloaded with functions, it can hardly be called intuitive.
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Download VLC Player (official site of the developer)
Cisdem Video Player
This program also looks like a multifunctional combine. The player supports up to 50 different audio and video formats. With Cisdem Video Player, you can easily play 4K and 8K videos without installing additional codecs or plug-ins for this. In this case, the video will be played as smoothly as possible, without buffering. A nice bonus is that the application has a free version. At the same time, the developers guarantee the absence of surveillance or spy functions. So Cisdem Video Player is a completely confidential product.
Pros and Cons of Cisdem Video Player:
Pros:
- The player supports many audio and video formats.
- You can fine-tune playback.
- High-definition video plays without lag or buffering.
- Very nice user interface with intuitive controls and navigation.
- The player supports the latest versions of macOS.
Minuses:
- There may be playback issues on laptops with dual cores.
- You can work with format conversion only in the paid version.
Download Cisdem Video Player (developer site)
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5KPlayer
5KPlayer may seem like a good video player option to many Mac users for several reasons. The program is very easy to use, while it has all the basic features that are found in more advanced applications. 5KPlayer supports AirPlay, it has its own video tuner and sound equalizer, you can download videos from popular platforms: YouTube, Dailymotion, Facebook, Vimeo. And the built-in video converter will not be superfluous, especially since it is also simple and reliable. With 5KPlayer, the user can quickly start working, which makes this product stand out.
Pros and cons of 5KPlayer:
Pros:
- Possibility to play high resolution HD video.
- Ability to create and customize your own media library.
- There is a built-in converter, simple and straightforward to use.
- Airplay support.
- Ability to take screenshots.
- Support for the latest versions of macOS.
Minuses:
- The interface takes some getting used to for new users.
Download 5KPlayer (developer site)
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IINA
This video player may seem to be created by Apple specifically for its devices. The all-in-one media app caters to all the needs of Mac users. IINA has many features that tightly integrate the player with the macOS operating system: smooth gesture playback control, support for Force Touch, Touch Bar and Dark Mode. IINA looks very natural on Mac. At the same time, regardless of the version of the operating system used on the computer, the player works smoothly and does not crash.
Pros and cons of IINA:
Pros:
- Stylish and modern app interface and Mac style design.
- Support for numerous media formats
- Works even with older versions of macOS.
- There is a browser extension.
- You can watch online YouTube videos without ads.
- There is support for subtitles.
- The player has many image adjustment tools, including picture-in-picture, real-time video editing, screen capture, great equalizer.
Minuses:
- The application is quite heavy on the processor and memory, which is clearly evident when compared with analogues.
- There may be repeated crashes when playing the .avi format.
- Poor playback of 10-bit H.265 full HD video.
Download IINA (developer site)
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Moovist
This application is also rightfully popular with many Mac users. Moovist developers are not afraid to experiment, changing both its appearance and functionality. However, this only pleases users. After all, Moovist maintains a modern and up-to-date design, and the number of settings for displaying video, audio, and subtitles is constantly growing. Not so long ago, Movist significantly updated the platform, improved the optimization of processor usage and the performance of the system. This is required by new high-resolution photos and videos, including 4K. And although the player itself is paid, many users are not deterred by the price of 449 rubles for the opportunity to use convenient features.
Movist pros and cons:
Pros:
- Very stylish design and user-friendly interface.
- Good performance and optimized CPU usage.
- It is possible to manage video, audio and subtitles, making viewing as convenient as possible.
Minuses:
- The main interesting features: picture-in-picture mode, browser extension are present only in the even more expensive PRO version.
Download Moovist (developer site), free trial available
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OmniPlayer
OmniPlayer is easily found in the Mac App Store if you start looking for video players for Mac. The application itself is related to its other counterparts, the ability to play various media formats and an abundance of functions. OmniPlayer will effortlessly play your 4K videos through the use of a hardware decoder. The app has quite a few options to control playback of both video and audio. The player supports subtitles.
Pros and cons of OmniPlayer:
Pros:
- Stylish design and fast getting used to the interface.
- The ability to work in multitasking mode, displaying a picture in a picture.
Minuses:
- The free version of the app has only a basic set of features. The options demanded by discerning users: subtitles, recording screenshots, additional playback controls and no ads are offered only in the paid version.
Download OmniPlayer (Mac App Store)
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Total Video Player
With Total Video Player, we are dealing with yet another universal video player for your Mac that can handle HD content. Here, too, there are important features that users want to see in their player. Total Video Player successfully plays AVI and MKV, thus acting as a good alternative to the standard QuickTime. But there is a whole list of useful functions in the application that allow you to process high-quality video and sound. It is worth noting the deep management of subtitles, as well as the creation of playlists for watching multiple videos in the right order.
Pros and Cons of Total Video Player:
Pros:
- Clear, user-friendly and uncluttered user interface.
- Excellent video playback from CDs, DVDs, Blu-rays, as well as audio CDs.
- Support for many languages, in addition to Japanese, Italian, French, German, Russian and others.
Minuses:
- Intermittent crashes when trying to play video.
- Unreliable H.265 HD video playback
- No free version.
Download Total Video Player (Mac App Store)
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Quick Time
Finally, it is worth mentioning the video player that is installed by default on all macOS devices. This automatically makes the QuickTime app the most popular among its peers due to its affordability. The program does not need to be downloaded and installed – it is already present on the computer and plays media content by default. The main advantage of QuickTime Player is its full integration into the macOS ecosystem.
Pros and cons of QuickTime Player:
Pros:
- Excellent integration with the computer ecosystem.
- Excellent memory-saving HD video compression.
- Wide and up-to-date video editing suite, screen recording capability.
Minuses:
- The player does not play subtitles in .srt format, which is the most common.
- Modest support for media formats, much weaker than similar video players for Mac.
See also:
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