Top 7 VLC Alternatives for Windows & Mac [2023 Updated]

By Karen Nelson
30/03/2023

Blu-ray Player

VLC Media Player has been widely-used multimedia player software around the globe, with its powerful compatibility across multiple platforms, meanwhile, providing support for a majority of popular media formats. Even for Blu-ray, DVD, and CDs, VLC would detect and read the content, then deliver a high-quality streaming experience to its dear users.

However, many of you may still report some streaming issues that would frequently occur while using VLC to play Blu-ray. Therefore, this blog has tested and collected the 7 best VLC alternatives of 2023 from the market to you. If you are also looking for a backup to VLC Media Player. Now, let's get started and check them one by one!

Why You Need a VLC Alternative

Although VLC is widely utilized by global users, some restrictions still exist resulting in its less superiority. Have you ever got irritated by the following downsides of VLC?

Not compatible with all Blu-ray discs playback: For the high-quality Blu-ray content, VLC may fail to process the playback. For example, some commercial Blu-ray discs may not be able to stream within VLC.
Outdated UI and tagging feature: VLC still maintains a classic-designed UI, which makes it difficult for users to get around its functionality. For example, its tagging feature would be quite difficult to understand.
Lack of AirPlay streaming feature: When most media players are paying higher attention to the easy streaming functionality, VLC still fails to update for being compatible with commonly-seen features like AirPlay streaming, making the video playback synchronization on iOS devices a little challenging.
Weaker performance on Mac or Linux devices: Even though VLC works excellently on Windows devices, for Mac and Linux, it fails to provide the same smooth in-app performances, which would appear some sudden errors while used on these systems.
Perform unstably to replay videos: Many users also reported that VLC fails to deliver a stable image replay while rewinding a video playback, even for those downloaded files.
Less compatible with new systems: The latest updated VLC versions seem to be less compatible with new systems like Windows 11, which would cause file corruption on your computers unexpectedly.

Hence, finding another VLC alternative as a backup to play Blu-ray content becomes a rising demand for many users who feel disappointed about these VLC restrictions. So now, let's quickly get started with the top 1 pick.

Top 1: VideoByte Blu-ray Player

Supported OS: Windows, Mac

Pricing: Start from US$29.95/month (free trial available)

The top-ranking VLC alternative, VideoByte Blu-ray Player is a universal Blu-ray/DVD/4K player, which is able to deliver the best movie streaming quality to provide you with a cinema-like experience at home. It is well compatible with all types of Blu-ray discs, DVD Disc/Folder/ISO file, BDMV, etc., including both homemade and commercial ones, even many of which can't be supported by VLC.

What's more, the original visual and audio effects could all be maintained in the best state. And unlick VLC, Videobyte Blu-ray Player is really easy to use with clear interface and flexible menu control. Therefore, if you consider high-resolution Blu-ray movie playback without running into any unstable performance like VLC subtitle delay, VideoByte Blu-ray Player must be the best pick for you.

Pros:

Both region-free and commercial Blu-ray playback compatible;
Work as a regular media streaming software to play video as well as audio of all mainstream formats;
Preservation of perfect original image and sound effects to deliver a great video streaming experience at home;
The navigation menu maintained for flexible control on the playback while streaming;
GPU acceleration embedded to save CPU and battery consumption while playing the Blu-ray disc;
Free snapshot taking is available during the video streaming process.

Cons:

Watermark will be inserted while playing Blu-ray disc with the free trail;
Only 30 days trial period to stream Blu-ray disc/ISO file/folder for free.

A Tutorial Video on How to Play Blu-ray/DVD with VideoByte Blu-ray Player

Top 2: 5KPlayer

Supported OS: Mac

Pricing: Free

While VLC functions better to stream local media files, 5KPlayer is superior to screencast them on larger screens such as your televisions or tablets, being a perfect alternative to VLC to omit its weakness. 5KPlayer will retain original visual as well as audio effects while screen casting videos, allowing you to stream any DVD, IPTV, 4K, 8K, 1080P, or even 360-degree videos without restrictions. The program is also lightly designed, which won’t cause any lagging or delay experience while streaming videos for you.

Pros:

Compatible with satellite radio and AirPlay feature that can’t be used in VLC;
High definitions and visual effects retained for screen-casting;
No-lag streaming experience ensured.

Cons:

Advertisements would affect your experience;
Hard to uninstall it if you wish to remove it.

Top 3: Leawo Blu-ray Player

Supported OS: Windows, Mac

Pricing: Start from US$22.47/year (free trial available)

Another professional Blu-ray player that could replace VLC is absolutely the popular Leawo Blu-ray Player. This software provides the simple design but comprehensive video playback functionality to its users. If you only require its player feature, then you are able to use it for free. From all aspects, Leawo Blu-ray Player could be placed on a medium level, which is able to offer the reliable Blu-ray and regular video files streaming experience to users.

Compared with VLC, Leawo Blu-ray Player can offer more professional streaming services in Blu-ray streaming. If you have higher requirements for this, it can be a rational alternative to VLC for you.

Pros:

Regional-free Blu-ray discs/DVD discs streaming supports;
Optional subtitles and audio tracks revealed functionality;
Acceleration tech applied to speed up the playback performance without occupying high CPU;
Great sound quality such as the Dolby effect supported.

Cons:

Less user-friendly interface design;
HDR effect not available;
Probably get stuck while quickening the video playback.

Top 4: PowerDVD 22

Supported OS: Windows

Pricing: Start from US$69.99 (free trial available)

PowerDVD 22 is widely recognized as one of the most powerful media player on the market. Its streaming functionality supports the playback of almost all disc types as well as regular video formats. With the quality enhancement feature, PowerDVD 21 is able to deliver the best resolutions to stream Blu-ray, 3D, and regular videos with the best image as well as audio effects.

Compared with the open-source VLC media player, which is better used to play regular media files, PowerDVD 22 is oriented for high-class and great-definition video streaming to obtain a theatre-like playback experience. However, as desiring to support the operation of this software, your hardware requirements should meet its standard.

Pros:

Intuitive interface with powerful functionality;
Optional subtitles and audio tracks;
Hardware acceleration tech empowered the smooth in-app performance;
Full video/hardware info and original navigation menu preserved.

Cons:

Unavailable to take snapshot of the protected movies while streaming;
High requirements for the hardware settings;
Expensive pricing;
Occupy high CPU and RAM while streaming content.

Top 5: PotPlayer

Supported OS: Windows

Pricing: Free

Oriented for Windows computers, PotPlayer is also a great VLC alternative with more customized settings available to help you determine the video streaming effects in ways you like. Meanwhile, it offers powerful compatibility to play videos of popular formats. Even for some incomplete or broken files, PotPlayer can detect and fix to provide the playback for you, which can’t be done utilizing VLC Media Player.

Pros:

Powerful video streaming feature even functions to play incomplete files;
Rich settings available to personalize video playback in all ways;
Support a wide range of video/audio formats.

Cons:

Blu-ray streaming is not supported.

Top 6: Free Blu ray Player

Supported OS: Windows, Mac

Pricing: Free

As an ideal VLC alternative, Free Blu-ray Player is also an open-source program, which is able to deliver reliable and high-resolution Blu-ray/DVD movies playback on computer screens with decent quality. Its intuitive design makes the software quite easy for every user to grasp. Despite this, Free Blu-ray Player is also compatible with popular video formats to provide common quality playback with lossless sound quality. Hence, if you also consider an easy way to play Blu-ray/DVD/regular videos on Windows or Mac devices without paying high attention to the quality, Free Blu-ray Player is also a nice choice.

Pros:

Available for free snapshot taking during the movie playback process;
Both Blu-ray and DVD playback supported;
Free for usage;
Optional subtitles and audio tracks selection available.

Cons:

Ads would be inserted during the playback;
Full screen mode is not available;
The video streaming is not smooth at all;
Free trial lack of the acceleration feature;
Many quality and feature limitations will exist as it is freeware.

Top 6: Macgo Blu-ray Player

Supported OS: Mac

Pricing: Start from US$29.95 (free trial available)

The final recommended alternative to VLC is Macgo Blu-ray Player. As a versatile Blu-ray player software, it could work with Mac systems with the smooth performance to enable users a nice experience for streaming Blu-ray content with high quality. With the intuitive design, users won't cost much time in getting familiar with the software. Additionally, it can also work as a regular media player to stream mainstream video files with HD quality. From all aspects, Macgo Blu-ray Player is also a trustworthy software to play Blu-ray and other video files on Mac.

Pros:

Compatible with high-quality playback without quality loss in both image and sound effects;
Save 20-50% of CPU and reduce RAM while processing the Blu-ray movies playback;
Ads-free and intuitive in-app environment as well as functionality.

Cons:

Not supported on Windows;
Unavailable for 4K playback;
Online media streaming is not available.

Comparison Between 7 Best VLC Alternatives

Finally, as you have reviewed the comprehensive features and shortcomings of these 6 VLC alternatives, the following comparison chart is able to help you better sort out the one you need:

Software	Protected Blu-ray/DVD Supported	Regular Formats Supported	Video Quality Support	Original Sound Effect	Pricing
VideoByte Blu-ray Player	√	MP4, MKV, WebM, MOV, AVI, AVCHD, AAC, FLAC, MP3, M4A, etc.	4K video, 1080P HD video, SD	√	Start from US$29.95/month (free trial available)
5KPlayer	√	MP4, MOV,M4V, MP3, etc.	Up to 4K	√	Free
Leawo Blu-ray Player	√	AVI, MPEG, WMV, etc.	Up to 1080P HD videos	√	Start from US$22.47/year (free trial available)
PowerDVD 22	√	MP4, MKV, MOV, AVI, WebM, HEVC, etc.	4K Ultra HD and 8K	√	Start from US$69.99 (free trial available)
PotPlayer	×	MP4, AVI, MKV, WebM, and FLV	Up to 1080p	×	Free
Free Blu ray Player	×	TS, MTS, MP4, M4V, QT, MOV, etc.	Less than 1080p	×	Free
Macgo Blu-ray Player	√	AVI, MP4, MOV, MKV and WMV	Up to 1080p HD quality	√	Start from US$29.95 (free trial available)

After the full introduction and comparison, you must be able to sort out the best pick to be your VLC alternative when you require to abandon VLC. Simply based on your personal requirements, compare both the pros and cons among the 7 choices, and you are available to pick the best option to use.