Alternatives to IINA
The modern macOS player on mpv
IINA ranks #4 of 7 in Video players, with an Alt Score of 73. It is licensed under GPL-3.0, free and available on macOS. 7 of 10 checklist rows are verified against a public source.
macOS users who want a modern, native alternative to standard media players for playing local video and audio files, including power users who want gestures, plugins, and format flexibility that QuickTime lacks.
IINA plays nearly any media format via the mpv engine under the hood, wrapped in a native macOS interface with dark mode, Picture-in-Picture, Touch Bar and system media control support. It adds trackpad/mouse gestures, thumbnail previews, online subtitle search, a music-only mode, and a plugin system for extending functionality. It's free, open-source (GPLv3), and built in Swift.
Open or drag in a local media file (or a URL from sites like YouTube via built-in yt-dlp/youtube-dl support) and IINA decodes and plays it through mpv, presenting standard playback controls alongside macOS-native touches like PiP and gesture navigation.
Why people leave IINA
Dashed reasons are sourced facts; the rest are opinions. Vendors can dispute.
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Ranked alternatives
Ordered by Alt Score. Click any score to see the breakdown.
Feature comparison
How IINA compares with its alternatives, feature by feature.
| Video players checklist | IINA | VLC | mpv | Infuse | MPC-HC | SMPlayer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | ||||||
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| Hardware decoding | ||||||
| Subtitle handling | ||||||
| Streaming (DLNA, network) | ||||||
| Playback speed & A-B loop | ||||||
| Plugins / scripting | ||||||
| Casting support | ||||||
| Open source | ||||||
| No ads or upsells | ||||||
| Library management |
Every fact and feature listed for IINA is verified against its own pages. Each alternative is sourced on its own page.
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License GPL-3.0 verified 2026-07-10
GNU GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE
https://github.com/iina/iina/blob/develop/LICENSE -
Platforms macOS verified 2026-07-10
Designed with modern versions of macOS (11.0+) in mind
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/iina/iina/develop/README.md -
Pricing model Free verified 2026-07-10
Free/libre — GPL-3.0 open-source software.
GNU GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE
https://github.com/iina/iina/blob/develop/LICENSE -
Status active verified 2026-07-10
Released on 2026-06-24
https://iina.io/download/ -
Format support breadth Yes verified 2026-07-10
Based on [mpv](https://github.com/mpv-player/mpv), which provides the best decoding capacity on macOS
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/iina/iina/develop/README.md -
Hardware decoding Yes verified 2026-07-10
quicksetting.hwdec" = "Hardware Decoding";"
https://github.com/iina/iina/blob/develop/iina/en.lproj/Localizable.strings -
Subtitle handling Yes verified 2026-07-10
Online subtitle searching and intelligent local subtitle matching
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/iina/iina/develop/README.md -
Streaming (DLNA, network) Yes verified 2026-07-10
Opens online/network media; no native DLNA.
You can open various online media in IINA directly from web browsers by using our browser extensions.
https://iina.io/download/ -
Playback speed & A-B loop Yes verified 2026-07-10
settings.doubleClickAction.items.5" = "A-B loop"; "settings.doubleClickAction.items.6" = "Reset speed";"
https://github.com/iina/iina/blob/develop/iina/en.lproj/Localizable.strings -
Plugins / scripting Yes verified 2026-07-10
The plugin system allows you to extend IINA's functionality with JavaScript. You can control the playback, call the mpv API, access the network and file system, adding custom UI elements, and more.
https://iina.io/plugins/ -
Open source Yes verified 2026-07-10
GNU GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE
https://github.com/iina/iina/blob/develop/LICENSE
FAQ
Yes. VLC, mpv and Infuse have a free tier or are fully free. Free-tier limits in the comparison table are verified and dated.
VLC, mpv and MPC-HC — every license claim links its source.