VLC media player

Free, open-source player that plays most video and audio files, discs and network streams.

Our verdict

VLC is for anyone who wants one free player that opens almost any file on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS or Android. Skip it if you want a library with posters, watch tracking and streaming to other devices, which is what a media server does.

What it does well

Plays most media files, DVDs, Audio CDs, VCDs and streaming protocols
Hardware decoding on most platforms, with software fallback
Site states no spyware, no ads and no user tracking

Where it falls short

Desktop release on the site is the 3.0 series; 4.0 is still marked as in development
Focused on playback and streaming, not a media library or server
Primarily a player and multimedia engine, not a library manager or server

The VLC media player website — The official VLC media player website, 17 October 2026.

VLC is a free and open source cross-platform multimedia player and framework from the VideoLAN project, a non-profit organisation. It plays files, discs, webcams, devices and streams, and can also convert, encode and stream media.

VLC is available for Windows, macOS, Linux and BSD, Android (including Android TV and Android Auto) and iOS (including Apple TV and iPadOS). The VLC engine, libVLC, can be embedded in other applications.

VLC costs nothing and has no paid tier. The project accepts donations. Per the repository README, VLC is released under GPLv2 or later, and libVLC under LGPLv2 or later.

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Last updated 17 October 2026. Facts checked against the official site on 16 October 2026. How we make money