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12 Best MP4 Players for Windows and Mac
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If you edit or work with video for work or for pleasure, you have likely come across a situation where you are looking for a high-quality video player to view videos. It can be difficult to search for the best MP4 player for Windows 10 or another OS due to the vast amount of players available on the internet. Often, you will then settle for one player, but there will still be some uncertainty about whether you are using the best media player software for you.
Luckily, there is no more need to worry. After some thorough searching, we have gathered the best MP4 players for Windows and the top-rated MP4 players for Macs. We are confident that the following list of MP4 players will suit your needs – whether you work with a PC or Mac.
As always, the following lists of paid and free MP4 players are not ranked based on preference or quality. Rather, they are collections of the best MP4 players that we have selected based on reviews and ratings.
Here’s what Movavi’s team does to provide you with verified information:
When selecting products to include in our reviews, we research both demand and popularity.
All the products covered in this article have been tested by our team.
When testing, we compare key characteristics, including supported input and output formats, quality loss when converting, and other significant features.
We study user reviews from popular review platforms and make use of this information when writing our product reviews.
We collect feedback from our users and analyze their opinions of Movavi software as well as products from other companies.
MP4 players for Windows and Mac: The freeware
VLC Media Player was created by VideoLAN, which is a nonprofit organization. It is open-source software for nearly all operating systems, including Windows 8, 10, and other versions, MacOS X, Linux, Android, and iOS. It has both 32-bit and 64-bit versions. VLC Media Player prides itself on its versatility and ease of use. It can play almost everything – including files, webcams, and streams. Some of its input formats include MP4, MPEG, AVI, MPEG-2, M4B, 3GP, and Real. VLC Media Player also has a wealth of features like subtitle synchronization, video filters, and audio filters. Finally, VLC Media Player does not include any spyware, ads, or user tracking.
Pros:
Free version includes all features and no ads
Can open almost any file format, including obscure ones
Various additional tools, including filters
Cons:
Open-source nature of the program means the user interface can be confusing
2. KMPlayer
KMPlayer is a video player that is available for Windows, macOS X, Android, and iOS. Released in 2016, KMPlayer serves users in over 150 countries. KMPlayer has a bevy of features for users, including the ability to watch videos in high resolution, video and screen capture options, internal codecs, and support in over 24 languages. Ultimately, users can control all aspects of video, sound, and subtitles. KMPlayer’s mobile application allows for similar features, including playbook speed control and the ability to watch videos through an easy encoding process.
Pros:
Available on mobile devices as well as desktops
Easy to navigate
Cons:
“VIP Features” require payment
Apple’s QuickTime Player is a longstanding MP4 player. It is available for various editions of both MacOS X and Windows. As you can see on this page, you have a wealth of QuickTime Player editions to choose from. QuickTime Player provides a wealth of features to users, like easy-to-use playback controls, simple editing features like trimming, splitting, and flipping/rotating, and the ability to easily share the videos that you love. Apple provides a wealth of documentation on QuickTime Player in case that users have questions on getting the most out of this MP4 player.
Pros:
Available on a Windows PC and Mac
Extensive user guides available
Basic editing tools
Cons:
Can’t read more obscure files
Media Player Classic (also known as MPC-HC) is an open-source MP4 player. MPC-HC is most known for its lightweight nature. It’s small enough to be used even on old and weak laptops. It claims that users can watch movies on any SSE2 CPU. MPC-HC also offers a fairly comprehensive frequently asked questions page to answer most questions about using this MP4 player. That said, there are some downfalls – most notably, that MPC-HC is only available on Windows devices. Also, although the app is still downloadable, the support for the player has stopped in 2017.
Pros:
Small app size means even older devices can run it
Detailed FAQ page on the website
Cons:
Unavailable on a Mac and Linux
App support ended in 2017
5. RealPlayer
RealPlayer is an MP4 player that is available on Windows. With over 1,000,000,000 downloads in its history, RealPlayer is one of the most used MP4 players. Users can access features like the ability to download web videos, convert web videos to formats like MP3, and require a PIN to access their private videos. You are also able to stream HD videos to your television by using hardware like Xbox One, Roku, or Chromecast. If you have a Mac, you can use RealTimes to create video stories from your photo library.
Pros:
Extremely popular, with more than 1 billion lifetime downloads
Can password-lock videos
Stream content to a smart TV or Xbox One
Cons:
Interface is dated
6. GOM Player
This video playing software is produced by GOM lab – a Korean company. The name of the company is a short version of Gretech Online Movie Player. Also, “gom” in Korean means “bear”, and this is why the icon of the player has a bear’s paw on it. The program itself has a clear interface and some features other programs lack. For example, you can install the mobile app called GOM Remote to your smartphone and use it as a remote while watching videos. Convenient, isn’t it?
Pros:
Extensive library of subtitles that you can add to downloaded videos
Use mobile app as a remote while watching videos on the desktop app
Cons:
Some features restricted to the paid version
7. PotPlayer
PotPlayer is a comparatively recent addition to the media players’ family. Also developed by a South Korean company (Kakao), the player is extremely light-weight, allows you to fix some problems of the video (for example, if the audio is not properly synchronized with the video), and even gives you some video editing options. PotPlayer supports more file formats than many other players previously mentioned in this list, which makes it a great alternative to any of them.
Pros:
Fix desynchronized audio
Supports almost all file formats
Cons:
Only available on Windows
MP4 players for Windows and Mac: The paid software
8. Elmedia
Elmedia is a video player that plays almost any file that you have, including MP4, AVI, MKV, FLV, MOV, and DAT files. Some highlights of using Elmedia include multiple audio tracks in any video, the ability to fit a video or image to your screen, and easily-adjusted playback speed.
Elmedia offers both free and paid versions. The FREE version has all the essential features necessary for seamless media playback. Meanwhile, the PRO version, priced at $19.99, unlocks a range of advanced functionalities like streaming capabilities, A-B loop, and more. Users can download Elmedia Player through its website or the Mac App Store.
Pros:
Not restricted to a single audio track in a video file
Adjustable video playback speed
Subtitle support
Cons:
macOS only, no Windows version
Cisdem MP4 Video Player is a video player for Mac. Like other video players, you can play video and audio files (including MP4 files) with no necessary codec packs. It can play high-quality video files (like 4K, 5K, and 1080p videos) without crashing or buffering. Cisdem MP4 Video Player is easy to use and offers several helpful tutorials. You can purchase one lifetime license of Cisdem MP4 Video Player for Mac for $9.99.
Pros:
Play ultra-high-quality, 5K videos
Tutorials available to show you the ropes
Cons:
Only available on a Mac
10. DivX Player
DivX Player is another MP4 player that is available on both Windows and Mac devices. Like RealPlayer, DivX is heavily used. DivX Player is playing on more than one billion devices. With the DivX Player, users can watch their videos in extremely high quality and can convert videos into a variety of forms, including MP4, MKV, and HEVC. You can also use DivX Player to stream any video to devices like gaming consoles, tablets, or Chromecast. While you can download a free version of the player, DivX Player also offers a pro version, which is ad-free and includes additional features. You can purchase the pro version for a one-time cost of $19.99.
Pros:
Available on both Windows and Mac computers
Stream videos to other devices
Free version available
Cons:
Some features only available in the paid, pro version
11. Emby Premiere
Emby Premiere is another premium MP4 player. It is somewhat more technical than the other players on this list. Emby itself is a Personal Media Server platform, which means that you need to have your own server installed and your own media to view. However, by purchasing Emby Premiere, you can access an array of unique features for an MP4 player, including accessing free Emby apps, using Emby’s DVR feature, and downloading multimedia to smartphones (specifically Android, iOS, and Windows devices) and viewing them at your convenience. There are several Emby Premiere licenses that you can purchase, including a monthly license that costs $4.99 per month.
Pros:
Download files to your mobile device
Various unique features not present in other programs
Cons:
Program is a Personal Media Server platform which requires an installed server to run
12. Tune-Up
Finally, Tune-Up is another MP4 player, yet it is focused on organizing and transforming your digital music collection. Tune-Up integrates with your iTunes or Windows Media Player library to organize your music collection. It can even help you find missing cover art so that your music collection looks beautiful on your computer. While you can download a free trial of Tune-Up, the software requires an annual subscription of $39.95.
Pros:
Syncs with iTunes or Windows Media Player for organizing music files
Locate missing cover art
Cons:
Annual subscription required
How to playback MP4 files: solving format issues
The MP4 players above, whether free or not, will undoubtedly suit your needs. There are many high-quality MP4 players on the internet. That said, you may have some specific questions on how to get the most out of your MP4 player. For instance, you may have a video file and want to convert it from one format to another but may not necessarily know how to do so.
Luckily, this is a fairly easy task. To illustrate how easy it is, we would like to show you how to convert your files using Movavi Video Converter. Movavi Video Converter is our easy-to-use software that allows for the lightning-fast conversion of any video, photo, or digital media files.
- Add the file to the program. Simply drag it into the working area within Movavi Video Converter.
- Select the output format. It can be AVI, MOV, or something else.
- Click Convert. In a moment, your file will be converted automatically.
This simple, three-step process makes it easy and seamless to convert any file that you have into something else.
If you want to know more about converting video and audio files with Movavi, check out our full guide in this article.
File conversion is just one of the many features included in Movavi Video Converter. You can also easily edit your clips and add high-quality effects to make your videos beautiful. You can download the software for free, and we are certain that you will be satisfied with your experience.
Pros:
Use AI to increase the quality of your video
Available on both Windows and Mac devices
Conversion tools available
Cons:
Unable to play files from the web
Frequently asked questions
▶️ What is in an MP4 file?
▶️ Can Windows Media Player play MP4?
▶️ Why can't I play MP4 videos on my computer?
▶️ How do I fix an MP4 file that won't play?
▶️ What program do I need to play MP4 videos?
▶️ What is the best MP4 player for Windows?
▶️ How do I play an MP4 file on Windows 10?
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