MPlayerXįirst, be advised that there are several variants of MPlayer, all of which utilise the same engine, and the one we’re specifically reviewing here is the MPlayerX. QuickTime is native to OS X and doesn’t require a download link. And since you don’t have to go through the hassle of downloading and installing it, it’s worth staying at number 2 in our list. QuickTime is also one of those few video players that come with AirPlay support, something which even the mighty VLC lacks. QuickTime, too, doubles as a movie, audio and screen recorder, and gives one of the best results in this area. MOV files, which is Apple’s native recording format for its line of iDevices. Besides that, QuickTime is a very capable video player on OS X for the common formats that it supports, and it works the best for.

What really limits QuickTime as a solid contender is its lack of format support, especially for MKV files. However, recommending it for the second spot on our list was quite difficult, but we went with it in the end just because QuickTime is the most battery optimized video player that you’ll find for OS X (which is true for almost all native Apple software on a Mac). QuickTime Player is native to OS X, and it has seriously grown over the years. Still, the good certainly outweighs the cons, so you have to give VLC a try if you’re looking for a capable video player. Compared to some other players, VLC can seriously drain your Macbook’s battery, so be advised. The only downsides that you might face with VLC are the relatively outdated interface compared to some other video players on our list, and its lack of battery friendliness. Top this all off with the active development that VLC has become accustomed to over the years, and you’ve got your number one contender at your hands without any cost. You also get very decent Trackpad gesture support, which becomes a godsend if you don’t use a mouse all the time.

VLC also doubles as not just a media player, but a capable cataloguing and library management tool as well as a decent screen recorder. You’d be hard pressed to find a video codec or format that VLC can’t handle, and the number of customization and enhancement options that it presents is overwhelming. This insanely powerful media player is all that you’ll ever need, be it a power user scenario or just someone who wants to watch videos. It’s hard to place the immensely popular and cross-platform VLC Media Player at any spot other than first.

Vlc player alternative mac