VLC media player alternatives for Mac
VLC media player — Multimedia player — is installed 11,560 times a month through Homebrew. These are hand-picked alternatives that occupy the same slot, ordered by how comparable their user base is.
Run
brew install --cask vlc to install VLC media player itself.- IINA7,161 installs/mo
- mpv6,606 installs/mo
- Downie29.5× smaller user base
- HandBrake6.7× smaller user base
- LosslessCut15.7× smaller user base
- ffmpeg12.5× the installs
- Permute116.8× smaller user base
- Audacity3.3× smaller user base
Full comparison
| VLC media player | IINA | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | GUI app | GUI app |
| Category | Video & Audio | Video & Audio |
| Open source | Not declared | Not declared |
| Licence | Not declared | Not declared |
| Apple silicon | Universal | Universal |
| Latest version | 3.0.24 | 1.5.0 |
| Dependencies | 0 | 0 |
| Installs (30 days) | 11,560 | 7,161 |
| Install command | brew install --cask vlc | brew install --cask iina |
How we picked these
The list comes from a hand-maintained set of same-purpose apps, not from keyword matching. Alternatives are removed automatically when Homebrew no longer carries them. Ordering reflects 30-day install volume, not paid placement. Data updated 2026-10-26.