VLC
Free media player that plays almost any video or audio file with no extra codecs to install.
Our verdict
VLC is the first thing most switchers install and the last one they ever have to think about. It plays the file, whatever the file is, without the codec packs that used to be part of life on Windows.
If you used VLC on Windows, this is the same app with the same layout, so there is nothing to learn. If you used Windows Media Player or the Films and TV app, VLC does everything those did and considerably more, including DVDs and video streams from a URL.
It is a player and nothing else. It will not build a library of your films or match up artwork. Take the Flathub or your distribution's version and it just works. The Flathub listing is community maintained rather than published by VideoLAN, which has not caused problems in practice.
What's good
- Plays practically every file you throw at it with nothing extra to install
- Identical to the VLC you may already use on Windows, including the traffic cone
- No ads, no tracking and no account
- Handles DVDs, network streams and damaged files that other players refuse
What to know first
- The interface has not changed much in years
- Not a media library, so it will not organise your films or music
- Some menu options are technical and unexplained
- The Flathub build is community maintained rather than published by VideoLAN
The details
- Cost
- Free
- Open source
- Yes (GPL-2.0)
- How you install it
- App store (Flatpak), App store (Snap), .deb installer, .rpm installer, Built-in app store
Windows apps it can replace
Last checked . Sources: