What are the best free video and audio players for all formats? 2022 list

Content is king, and video is today the king of content. That is why the film industry collects billions with a good film; YouTube is closing in on Google as the top search engine and emerging platforms like Vine, Vimeo or Dailymotion are rising like foam.

Among the most downloaded video content are undoubtedly the series, movies and music videos. For this reason, users spend their time looking for players for different devicesto be able to fully enjoy the quality of the audiovisual that they are going to appreciate.

A quality player is important because it allows you to download content in DVD or BlueRay format and play it as if you had the CD on one of these devices, considerably improving the experience when watching it. In this article we are going to present you a list of the best video players for desktop and mobile.

What kind of video formats are supported by these video players for computer and smartphone?

These video players they are constantly updated, which allows them to have support to include new formats in the future in case it is necessary. That is why you should not worry about the type of video you choose, since you will be able to play them without problems.

Among the main formats that accept those that we will present in this list are:

MP4

It’s one of the older video formats that are handled today, born in 1998 as an evolution of the typical MP3, which allows the reproduction of audio and video in a single file, which revolutionized the industry at the time.

Also known as MPGE4 (Moving Picture Experts Group), this is an official format created by the ISO (International Organization for Standardization) and the IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission). However, this was not the first existing video format, before it was MPGE2, which was the same but only supported video qualities not higher than 380px. In addition to supporting higher qualities, MP4 does so by considerably reducing the weight of the file.

AVI

This is the most widely used format worldwide, both in the film industry and on television and other members of the audiovisual sector. It is a veteran of the market since it was born in 1992 and since then it has remained in force thanks to the many updates to it.which has allowed it to support the new HD qualities.

His initials are a acronym for Audio Video Interleave, which was created by Microsoft to compete against the physical DVD format that was the most powerful at the time. For this, it included support for multiple audio channels (stereo) and integration of various codecs for audio and video. It is one of the most used formats on YouTube.

mkv

The MKV or Matroska Video, is a format that is presumably more powerful than the previous ones. Like MP4, it allows you to integrate high-quality video and audio into a single file, without it having to weigh too much, plus it allows you to integrate more audio tracks.

This is relatively younger than the previous ones since it was released in 2002but in just over 15 years it has positioned itself as one of the best, being the most used in the Russian television industry.

flv

This is a Flash video format that Macromedia created more than a decade ago and that would later be acquired by Adobe to integrate it into your Adobe FlashPlayer. There is not much to say about this one since it is a bit limited and it is intended to be played online.

MOV

This was for many years the flagship format of Apple for all its devices until it was replaced by MP4. This is more limited than the previous one since it did not support great qualities in the past. Currently it does, but the files usually weigh up to 40% more than in MP4,AVI either MKV.

In addition to these formats there is also the WMV released by Microsoft for its Windows system in 1999, as well as other formats such as DivX or the xxx They are still used but to a lesser extent today. The fact is that the players that we will present to you can play any of them without problems.

List of the 10 best video and music players for Windows 10, 7 and 8 free and without ads

Windows is the most used operating system in the world and therefore it is the one with the most options when choosing a good video player. If you have doubts, here is a list of the best options.

We remind you that this is not a top, so there is no order of best or worst, but rather a selection of good players that you can use at will:

vlc media player

It will not be the first time you hear about this player as it is a true eminence. It is for many the best in the industry today, since despite being free, it is very powerful. First of all, it is compatible with all existing video formats, as well as audio ones..

It also has all the necessary drivers installed from the factory so that you can open a movie and play it to your liking as if it were a DVD. This company does not stop innovating and continuing to improve its player, which currently has support for VR 360°, 4K and even 3D.

KM Player

One of the best players you’ll ever have on your computer is this simple but versatile KM Player. It doesn’t have special functions like VLC, but it works perfectly because it has everything you need so you can fully enjoy the audiovisuals you download.

To begin with, it has support for HD 4K and even 8K, being one of those that have best exploited this feature, without forgetting that you can play 3D content as if it were a cinema. In addition, it has all the necessary drivers to activate or deactivate subtitles or audio channels so that you can change the language if the file allows it.

PotPlayer

This is a player pass that it will let you watch videos in all the currently existing formats. It is a relatively new tool since it has not been on the market for many years, but it has been enough for it to at least make itself known.

In this you can see content in 4K and even in 3D, so you don’t have to go to the movies to enjoy the best of the best from the comfort of your computer. It is exclusive to Windows, specifically with versions 7 or higher in both 32bits and 64bits.

Media Player Classic

This was the second most powerful player on the entire internet only behind VLC. Like this one, it has support for all HD formats and qualities. The problem with this is that it hasn’t been updated for 2 years and its developers do not seem to be interested in doing it, so its end may be near.

Despite this, it continues to be one of the best alternatives because it retains interesting features such as its multitrack functions, or its drivers to open DVD menus. Even if it stops updating, it may still work perfectly for you for another couple of years, although you will not be able to view content in 4K and 8K.

GOM Media Player

This is an innovative player that in addition to having support for all formats and qualities 4K or higher, you can also play content in virtual reality 360 °being one of the best currently to do so.

So to make the most of it you will need good augmented reality glasses. It is not only available for Windows, since there is also its version for Apple and its app for mobile devices. Nevertheless, to be able to see content in 4K you will have to pay for its full license, since the free one has this limitation.

ACG Player

It is much more than a simple player since in addition to being able to play content in 4K support all formats and have all the necessary drivers to change subtitle and audio language.

It has a video editor that, although it’s not the most powerful out there, is quite useful for taking your first steps in the world of audiovisual productionl, without forgetting the wide variety of effects that it puts at your disposal. Plus, it’s perfectly up-to-date so you won’t have to worry about changing it for a long time.

Kodi

This is the player that promises to change the way we consume our digital content in no time. Actually it is a multimedia center that allows you to synchronize it with your YouTube, Spotify, Netflix and other streaming platforms so you can enjoy them from their interface or upload content to them.

In addition, it has a grid of free channels where you can enjoy all kinds of content; from soccer and basketball games, to completely free series and movies. That without forgetting that it is compatible with 4K and the best audio qualities.

DivX Player

This is a player designed so that you have all the benefits of physical DVDs on your computer, being almost an emulator of the device that is needed to read them. For this reason, from it you will be able to perform all kinds of wonders, from changing the subtitles and the audio languageuntil you can watch a movie from a certain scene.

At the time it began as simply an isolated project, but currently it is one of the most used in Windows because, in addition to being powerful, it is completely free and free of invasive ads that spoil your user experience.

5K Player

A player that boasts of image quality as we can see in its name. This was developed especially for Apple, and in fact it is in this system where each of its functions can be fully exploited, but recently they released a version for Windows that is not wasted at all.

KM PLAYER

It is a player based on the open source of VLC, so you could say they are basically the same program, with slight changes in its interface that have little to do with its excellent functions. It is available for all current Windows versions.

List of the 5 best video and audio players for MacOS computers in HD and 4K quality

In MacOS there is not as much variety as in Windows, but one thing we can assure you, the most powerful players are in Apple and soon you will know why we think this. Without much more to say, we present 5 high-definition audiovisual content players.

5K player

We already told you about it but we limit ourselves a bit by doing it in the Windows section because its true habitat is in Apple, where all its functions can be fully exploited. To start, has support for AirPlaywhich allows you to link your computer to your mobile and play content that you have saved on it, which is a unique feature in many players. It goes without saying that it can play all existing formats in 4K and 8K qualities, but we will say it the same so that it is clear.

QuickTime player

This is Apple’s basic player, but unlike the Windows Media Player (last update in 2009), this one is updated and every time they do it is to give it “steroids” that today allow it to play content in 4K UltraHD, as well as AirPlay support so you can play content stored on your iPhone with complete freedom. In addition, it is perfectly optimized to reduce energy consumption to the maximum without affecting the power of its functions, an ecological and very conscientious decision.

MPlayerX

This is a player that has been on the Apple market for many years. This time we are talking about version X, which has interesting functions that fit perfectly with the demands of MacOS. First of all, it has support for all formats and qualities 4K or higher, which is basic, but it also allows you to play online content from streaming platforms such as YouTube or Vimeo. That without forgetting that it has all the necessary drivers to change the language of audio and subtitles according to your needs.

Elmedia Player

This is a player that you can buy in the Apple Store. It has two versions, but the free one is not as limited as you might think. With it you can edit subtitles, add gestures and other elements that make your playbacks more dynamicas well as support for playing online content from the main streaming platforms on the market.

That without forgetting that with it you can play all currently existing formats in 4K. For its part, the PRO version is not very different from this one, let’s saysince in addition to all the things mentioned before, it has a function to download videos, including the online videos that you watch from it, and little else.

VLC Media Player

We were avoiding talking about him but it’s impossible not to. We already mentioned this player in the last section, but it is that also on Mac you can enjoy all its features completely free men.

This is possibly the only free player that can compete with the powerful paid copies that are regularly handled in the Apple OS. As we mentioned before, this is one of the best players since it has support for 4K, 3D and even 360° augmented reality videos.

List of the 5 best apps to play videos with music on Android devices

We continue our lists and now we are going to talk about the players available for Android. This is a little explored area because the native player of this system is already quite acceptable. and is constantly updated with every OS update. But if what you want is something more customizable, we recommend the following players.

UPlayer

A very powerful free player that allows you to play content in 4K UltraHD without any kind of problem, although you will see it in HD on your mobile, and it supports all currently existing video formats.

In addition to this, it has other interesting functions such as speeding up or slowing down content playback, which can be a lot of fun for many. That without forgetting that you can change the subtitles and the audio language in those files with integrated DVD.

VLC PhonePlayer

Yes, again VLC. Many think that the mobile version is much more limited than the desktop, And they have all the reason. However, it is still one of the best players despite its limitations as it has the necessary functions to play content on Android mobiles. Perhaps the only thing that bothers you about it is that it does not have 4K support.

nPlayer

This is the only paid player in the entire list and We have included it because it is really worth paying the 5 euros that the app is worth in both the Play Store and the App Store. This is a powerful program that will allow you to play complex audio formats and all currently existing video formats. As it is paid, it does not have any type of annoying advertising or anything like that.

x-player

This is one quite useful professional tool for android users since it has a wide variety of quite powerful tools. It is compatible with all currently existing video formats, as well as audio formats. Not for nothing is it one of the main alternatives to play audiovisual content on tablets and mobile phones with the Android operating system on the market.

MX Player

A player that, like VLC, is quite basic but perfectly meets everything a user needs who consumes audiovisual content on a daily basis from their smartphone. There is not much to say about it other than the fact that it supports all audio and video formats, and that reproduces content in 4K in high definition.

List of the 5 best applications to play audio and video on your iPhone and iPad

We now proceed to talk about the currently available players for Apple mobiles and tablets. Just like in MacOSthis is a system in which power is highly valuedso you’re likely to find more powerful options here.

Infuse Pro 5

This is possibly the most efficient and powerful player for mobile devices today, thanks to the fact that it has one of the best-organized interfaces in this entire list of applications.

It is quite useful as it supports all currently available audio codecs, including the most complex ones such as Dolby. In addition, it also has support for 4K content and you can link it with AirPlay. The only detail is that it’s not free like others on this list, since you have to pay to download the app.

PlayerXtreme

A fairly simple and basic player but that perfectly meets what you need to watch series, movies and change the language of the audio and subtitles. There is not much more to say about this since it is basically identical to the basic android player.

GoodPlayer

A very good player that will allow you to play all currently available audio and video formats without much trouble in HD quality. Among its most interesting features is the fact that you can do your own changes to subtitle translationsbeing one of the few on this list that can do it.

OPlayer Lite

This is another fairly basic player but it has everything you need to enjoy your audiovisuals to perfection. It can play all existing formats, but without a doubt the most interesting thing is the fact that you can also use it on Apple SmartWatchwhich gives it a plus of versatility.

Moli-Player

We close our list with an app that comes from the emerging Asian market. This player was developed in China and is quite attractive even though it is basic. It can play all existing formats to date and has support for complex audio codecs.

But then… What is the best media player to play video and music in any format?

you just met the best media players They exist for all devices. Choosing the best of them is a difficult task, since everything depends on the use you are going to give it.

If you are a person who is going to use it to watch some other music video clip or some funny video that has been shared with you WhatsApp, something basic like the vlc phone.

Now if what you want is watch series and movies in the best possible audio and video definition, you may require a more powerful option such as GOM Media Player that allows you to even enjoy augmented reality.