Best Media Player Software in 2026
Updated
In short: Infuse is ranked #1 of 76 as of 5 October 2026, ahead of mpv and 5KPlayer. The best-ranked option with a free plan is mpv. The lowest first paid tier on this page is Infuse at $1.42/mo.
Choosing a media player starts with the files you watch and where they come from. Compare format support and 4K playback with hardware acceleration, subtitle support and network playback to see which capabilities suit your setup. Supported platforms and license model add compatibility and availability details, while free plans and paid-from pricing help you weigh cost. Infuse, mpv and 5KPlayer are among the names here; VLC media player and SMPlayer offer further options to consider. Use the listed criteria to compare playback needs across your devices and media sources.
76 media player software ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
Media Player Software, ranked on how quickly a newcomer can get going. 12 of the 25 on this page can be tried for free.
- 1 InfusePaid from $1.42/mo
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: yes
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 2 mpvFree plan
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: yes
- 3 5KPlayerFree plan
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: yes
- 4 SMPlayerFree plan
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: yes
- 5 VLC media player
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: yes
- 6 DivX PlayerFree plan
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 7 KMPlayer
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: yes
- 8 MPlayerFree plan
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: yes
- 9 RealPlayerFree plan
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: yes
- 10 BS.PlayerPaid from €19.90/mo
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 11 doubleTwistFree plan
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: yes
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: yes
- 12 MediaPortal
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: yes
- 13 GOM PlayerPaid from $22/mo
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: yes
- 14 foobar2000
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: not on record
- Runs where you work: yes
- 15 PlayerXtreme
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 16 Emby
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: yes
- 17 Elmedia PlayerPaid from $19.99/mo
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 18 AudirvānaPaid from $6.67/mo
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: yes
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: yes
- 19 OSMC
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 20 Haruna
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 21 QMPlay2
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: yes
- 22 ShowboardFree plan
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 23 Music Player Daemon
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: not on record
- Runs where you work: yes
- 24 AIMP
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: yes
- 25 Volumio
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: yes
Compare all 25 in a table
| # | Platform | Score | Free plan | From | Free plan | Paid from | Supported platforms | Network playback |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Infuse | 9.2 | Free plan | $1.42/mo | Yes | Free | iOS, macOS, Apple TV, visionOS | Yes |
| 2 | mpv | 9.0 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android | Yes |
| 3 | 5KPlayer | 8.6 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Windows, macOS | Yes |
| 4 | SMPlayer | 8.4 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Windows, Linux, macOS | Yes |
| 5 | VLC media player | 8.3 | No | — | Yes | — | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android | Yes |
| 6 | DivX Player | 8.3 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | windows, macos | Yes |
| 7 | KMPlayer | 8.2 | No | — | Yes | — | Windows, macOS, iOS, Android | Yes |
| 8 | MPlayer | 8.2 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 9 | RealPlayer | 8.2 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Windows, macOS, iOS, Android | Yes |
| 10 | BS.Player | 8.1 | Free plan | €19.90/mo | Yes | — | Windows, Android | Yes |
| 11 | doubleTwist | 8.1 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | android, windows, macos | Yes |
| 12 | MediaPortal | 7.7 | No | — | Yes | — | web, windows, ios, android | Yes |
| 13 | GOM Player | 7.7 | No | $22/mo | Yes | $22one-time | Windows, macOS, iOS, Android | Yes |
| 14 | foobar2000 | 7.6 | No | — | Yes | — | Windows, macOS, Android, iOS; Linux via Wine | Yes |
| 15 | PlayerXtreme | 7.6 | No | — | Yes | — | iOS, Android, Apple TV, Android TV, Apple Watch | Yes |
| 16 | Emby | 7.6 | No | — | Yes | — | web, windows, macos, linux, ios, android, self_hosted | Yes |
| 17 | Elmedia Player | 7.4 | Free plan | $19.99/mo | Yes | $19.99one-time | macOS | Yes |
| 18 | Audirvāna | 7.4 | No | $6.67/mo | No | — | windows, macos, linux, ios, android | Yes |
| 19 | OSMC | 7.3 | No | — | Yes | — | Raspberry Pi, Vero, Apple TV | Yes |
| 20 | Haruna | 7.3 | No | — | Yes | — | Linux, Windows | Yes |
| 21 | QMPlay2 | 7.3 | No | — | Yes | — | Windows, Linux, macOS | Yes |
| 22 | Showboard | 7.3 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | macOS | Yes |
| 23 | Music Player Daemon | 7.2 | No | — | Yes | — | Linux, Windows, macOS, Android | Yes |
| 24 | AIMP | 7.2 | No | — | Yes | — | Windows, Linux, Android | Yes |
| 25 | Volumio | 7.2 | No | — | Yes | — | Linux, Raspberry Pi, PC, web browser, iOS, Android | Yes |
Is your platform on this list?
Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored, and a sponsored row is labelled as paid.
Questions about this list
Which media player software is ranked first on The Geeks Club?
Infuse is ranked #1 of 76 with a score of 9.2. mpv is second and 5KPlayer third.
How many of these have a free plan?
11 of the 25 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
Which is the cheapest paid option?
On this page, Infuse has the lowest first paid tier we found: $1.42/mo.
How is this list ranked?
Ranked on how quickly a newcomer can get going: documentation depth, a free tier or trial, and the platforms it runs on.