by Christine Smith • 2020-09-21 16:04:28 • Proven solutions
Developed by Adobe Systems, FLV is the most widely used video format adopted by online video sharing platforms such as YouTube, Hulu, VEVO, Metacafe and many others. If you download video clips from the internet and want to play them on your Mac, you cannot do so without an FLV media player. Since many of the products developed by Adobe Systems are designed to run on Windows, you might encounter problems trying to play FLV videos on a Mac computer. As we all know, Apple's default media player-QuickTime doesn't come with the codecs required to play FLV files.
100% FREE Video Player for Mac (macOS Catalina Ready!) Try something fast and different! Cisdem Video Player is a free video and audio player that plays just about any media file (Including 5K and Full HD 1080P video) you can throw at it. No need for additional codecs, plugins. VLC Media Player is the go-to free video player if you’re looking for a software that can handle whatever videos you throw at it. This extremely versatile software can play 360-degree videos. Elmedia Player is the best Mac media player. It will play any video and audio file easily. Supported formats: MP4, AVI, MOV, FLV, MKV, MP3, MMV, etc. VideoLAN, VLC, VLC media player and x264 are trademarks internationally registered by the VideoLAN non-profit organization. VideoLAN software is licensed under various open-source licenses: use and distribution are defined by each software license. Design by Made By Argon. Some icons are licensed under the CC BY-SA 3.0+. VLC for Mac OS X VLC is a free and open source cross-platform multimedia player and framework that plays most multimedia files as well as DVDs, Audio CDs, VCDs, and various streaming protocols.
To play videos in FLV format, Mac users often turn to Wondershare UniConverter (originally Wondershare Video Converter Ultimate) to convert your FLV video to Mac supported formats, or search additional plugins for Quicktime, or install a third-party FLV player. In this article, we have collected the 5 Best media players recommended to play FLV videos on Mac (Mojave included).
Wondershare UniConverter (originally Wondershare Video Converter Ultimate) -Your Complete Video Toolbox
- Convert video to over 1000 formats, including MP4, AVI, WMV, FLV, MKV, MOV and more
- Convert to optimized preset for almost all of the devices
- 30X faster conversion speed than any conventional converters
- Edit, enhance & personalize your video files
- Burn and customize your DVD with free DVD menu templates
- Download or record videos from 10,000+ video sharing sites
- Versatile toolbox combines fix video metadata, GIF maker, VR converter and screen recorder
- Industry-leading APEXTRANS technology converts videos with zero quality loss or video compression
- Supported OS: Windows 10/8/7/XP/Vista, Mac OS 10.15 (Catalina), 10.14, 10.13, 10.12, 10.11, 10.10, 10.9, 10.8, 10.7, 10.6
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Part 1. Tips on Choosing the Best FLV Video Player for Mac
There are hundreds of video players available today online, which one is the best choice? A good FLV player:
- Should offer crisp image quality
- Should feature a user-friendly interface
- Must be free of ads, viruses, malware or spyware
- Have a strong coding ability and should let us play videos in many other formats
- Be light on resources and take up little disk space
Part 2. 5 Useful Media Players Recommended to Play FLV Videos on Mac (Mojave included)
1. Wimpy Player
Wimpy player is a good choice for Mac users who are looking for a reliable player that can easily handle FLV files, as well as other video formats such as SWF, MP4, 3GP, MPEG-4, H.264 and audio formats like MP3, AAC, and M4A. It is fully compatible with the iPad, iPhone, and Apple desktops. Some of its features include customized skins and Javascript API.
Pros: User-friendly interface and plays files easily.
Cons: Unattractive layout and basic features
2. 5KPlayer
5KPlayer is an all-purpose media player that handles FLV media well. Its enhanced playback capabilities also allow it to play 4K and 5K videos in other video formats such as MKV, AVI, FLV, WMV, MP4 and more. This amazing FLV player allows you to download videos from video sharing websites, play videos with multiple subtitles and stream video or music on your iPhone, iPad, iPod to Mac.
In addition to its video player capabilities, 5KPlayer can also play most of the popular music file formats such as MP3, AAC, AC3 and FLAC. 5KPlayer comes with many useful features and aims to provide a complete media user-experience.
Pros: It is well organized, and its sleek interface makes it easy to use.
Cons: Not customizable and difficult to uninstall.
3. VLC Media Player
VLC Player is a well-known lightweight video player that allows Mac users to play FLV video files without requiring them to install additional codecs. Among video players, it is famous for supporting the most video formats across major operating systems. This media player packs a lot of advanced features for a free program. It gives users the ability to preview incomplete/partially downloaded files and stream live content from the internet. VLC also supports almost all of the music file formats music available today, and its graphic equalizer and visualization features are sure to enhance your music experience.
Pros:
- It is 100% free, no strings attached
- Highly customizable
- Reliable
Cons: Does not play Blu-ray movies
4. Elmedia Player
Elmedia Video Player is an alternative media player for Mac that can handle FLV video format, without requiring the installation of additional codecs. It is available as a free version and paid version, which upgrades the player to unlock audio playback control settings, allow downloading of YouTube content, and grab still images from videos.
Like many of the players in this list, Elmedia Player supports various audio and video formats, including FLV, SWF, MP4, AVI, MOV, MP4, DAT, MP3, etc. Mac users can also create and save playlists, load subtitle files and adjust the playback speed.
Pros: Create and manage playlists easily
Cons:
- Tries to install extra components
- Heavy on resources
5. Sothink FLV Player
Sothink FLV Player is a multifunctional media player for Mac, which can play a variety of formats, including FLV. It is lightweight, easy to use, and supports a lot of codecs, including Screen Video, Sorenson H. 263 and H.264, on2 vp6, and many others.
This media player's interface is clean and simplistic. It allows Mac users to download online videos and gives access to other basic tools, including pause and stop, volume adjusts, jump frames backward/forward, etc.
Pros: User-friendly interface
Cons: Occasional bugs
Summary :
Sometimes, you may need VLC alternatives because of the annoying 'Rebuilding Font Cache' thing or others. This post lists different VLC alternatives for Windows/Mac. Choose the best VLC alternative 2019 depends on your actual situation.
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Have you ever used VLC media player? This post is going to show you some excellent VLC alternatives for Windows/Linux/Mac. You can find a suitable VLC alternative 2019 to play video and audio files.
VLC is a free, open-source, portable, and cross-platform media player and streaming media server developed by the VideoLAN project. It is able to play incomplete, unfinished or damaged video, but it will drive you crazy sometimes.
For example, here is a true story.
I have been using VLC media player for a while and was pleased with it. Then I get a notice about an update, which I did. Now all I get is green lines over the movie. I have tried everything to solve the problem, installing the backup, uninstall and install, with no success. Everything worked great until this update. Does anybody have a solution to this? It is driving me crazy. Please help. Thank you.
In general, a VLC alternative can solve this problem easily. The below are some common problems you might encounter when using the VLC media player.
4 Reasons Why You Need a VLC Alternative
1. VLC is unable to play broken files.
Generally, VLC media player can play unfinished or damaged video. But, sometimes, it cannot play video file and tells you that the file is damaged. Actually, this file is just being downloaded.
2. VLC doesn’t support a few codes and file types.
VLC supports a lot of video and audio codes and formats, but it requires codec settings for a few formats. For many common people, it is a difficult job.
3. VLC crashes without warning.
Sometimes, VLC media player suddenly crashes when you watch some normal files, try to insert subtitle or make it full screen.
Best Video Player For Mac
4. VLC media player will damage the speakers!
If you are using VLC media player and keep the volume loud for a long time, your speakers could be damaged. Sadly, some manufacturers like Dell say replacing the speakers will not be covered by the hardware warranty. Therefore, please keep the volume down while using VLC.
Now, it is time to look for VLC alternatives to play your video or audio files. No matter you have come across these problems or not, it is a good idea to prepare a suitable alternative to VLC.
You will find many people are searching for VLC alternatives on the Internet. Here, we list different alternatives to VLC media player for Windows/Mac/Linux. Read on and find out which one suits you best.
Part 1. VLC Alternatives 2019 for Windows
VLC is a free video editing software, you might need to look for a VLC alternative because of the unfriendly UI, “Rebuilding Font Cache” thing and other problems. Now, try the following alternatives to VLC media player for Windows.
No 1. Windows Movie Maker
There is no doubt that many people have probably heard of Windows Movie Maker, a video editing tool developed by Microsoft. It not only allows you to watch video, but also lets you edit this video simply, for instance, add text to video.
Video Players For Mac
Related article: How to Add Text to Video in Windows Movie Maker (Step-by-Step Guide).
Now, some users might want to know where to get this tool since it was officially discontinued on January 10, 2017. Fortunately, you can get this Microsoft video editing tool by clicking the following button.
Cons
- It supports playing videos as well as pictures.
- It can edit your videos simply.
- It is able to share your videos on YouTube, Facebook, etc.
Related article: How to Use Movie Maker | Step-by-step Guide for Beginners.
Pros
- Microsoft does not support it now.
- It cannot play music alone.
No 2. 5KPlayer
5KPlayer is a mixture of free (MKV) HD video player and music player. This real media player is compatible with Windows as well as Mac OS X. If your VLC crashes suddenly, you can try this alternative.
Pros
- It supports a lot of video formats, including MKV, M2TS, MPEG1/2, WMV/ASF, AVI, MOV, RM, OGV, FLV, MP4, H.264, M4V, WEBM.
- It can play 4K UHD videos without any glitches.
- It is able to play 1080p or 1080i high-definition videos under 10% CPU cost.
- It can play MP3 AAC APE FLAC music perfectly to activate your senses.
- It can download online videos from YouTube, Facebook, Vimeo, etc.
Cons
This alternative to VLC media player for Windows might be confusing for beginners.
No 3. Windows Media Player
Windows media player is another VLC alternative. It allows you to play video and audio files. Besides, it allows previewing images on personal computers running the Microsoft Windows operating system, as well as on Pocket PC and Windows Mobile-based devices.
Pros
- It provides a less cluttered user interface.
- It offers a better music library.
- It supports network sharing.
- It can access to online music services.
Cons
- It cannot handle 4K, 3D and 360-degree video.
- It doesn’t support for VR headsets.
No 4. Photos App
If you are running Windows 10, you have another great VLC alternative 2019 – Photo app. This Windows 10 hidden media player not only can play video but also can play images. Besides, it can help to trim video.
Related Article: How to Cut Video Easily and Quickly (The Definitive Guide).
Pros
- It can play videos quickly.
- It has a simple, touch-friendly interface.
- It also supports browsing photo, and is able to create albums automatically.
- It has cool video editing effects.
Cons
- It cannot tag faces.
- It doesn’t support panorama stitching and selective focus.
No 5. KMPlayer
KM player can play video as well as audio in Windows. This alternative to VLC supports almost any format that Windows can play including AVI, ASF, WMV, AVS, FLV, MKV, and many more. With the VLC alternative, you can slow down or increase playback speed, select parts of a video as favorites.
Pros
- It supports many audio and video formats.
- It supports 3D and VR and setting related to that.
- It has extensive subtitle management.
- It can capture audio and video.
Cons
Advertisement (There are no hidden or misleading clauses while installing, but we will be asked whether we want to install Avast Antivirus after installing.)
After learning these different VLC alternatives for Windows, you can take a look of the below wonderful video tool.
No 6. MiniTool Movie Maker
MiniTool Movie Maker, free and simple video tool, lets you review videos, and pictures. Besides, it also lets you create videos and slideshow easily and quickly. For instance, I usually use this simple and free tool to create Facebook Slideshow.
Pros
- It supports a lot of video format including WMV, MP4, AVI, MOV, F4V, MKV, GIF, MP3, and so on.
- It offers wizard-like interfaces. This tool can help you create a movie without requiring professional knowledge and skill.
- It offers movie as well as trailer templates. You are able to easily create cool movies or Hollywood-style movie trailers.
- It allows you to make video with pictures easily and quickly.
- It offers some filters to help you change the color, style, or tone in minutes.
- It offers plenty of useful transition effects to make the presentation, slideshow or movie good looking and impressive.
- It not only can split large video into small parts but also can trim video to remove the unwanted frames from the start or end of a clip. More details can be found in How to Trim Video Easily (Step-by-Step Guide with Pictures).
Cons
It only supports Windows OSs, now.
Part 2. VLC Alternative Mac
Mac users can try the following alternatives when the VLC media player isn’t working.
No 1. QuickTime Player
QuickTime player, the best VLC alternative Mac, is the most familiar media players for Mac users. As the default movie player as Mac, QuickTime player is capable of supporting various formats of videos, music, images, and other media files.
- QuickTime player enables you to set playback from 1/2x to 3x the normal speed.
- This alternative to VLC is capable of watching videos from hard drive and internet.
- This VLC alternative Mac allows you to screen recording your Mac, edit movies and extract audio from a video. However, you need to purchase the QuickTime Pro license key to unlock the recording, editing and extracting features.
No 2. MPlayerX Media Player
MPlayerX, a free and open source media player, is another VLC alternative.
- It can handle any media format in the world without extra plug-ins or codec packages as it is armed by FFmpeg and MPlayer.
- It provides you the easiest way to control the playback as it will follow your gestures.
- It can automatically and seamlessly detect and convert the encoding method of the subtitle file.
No 3. Movist
Movist, a free, simple yet powerful player for Mac, supports QuickTime, FFmpeg as well as subtitles.
- It is easy to use.
- It owns a beautiful and convenient user interface.
- It is available to adjust aspect ratios and configure keyboard shortcuts.
Unfortunately, this VLC alternative Mac doesn't support Apple remote.
Part 3. VLC Alternative Linux
Let’s start with a true example from my best friend.
I've used VLC in Linux for years. But lately, it's been choking and dying for no discernible reasons and attempts to troubleshoot have failed. Are there any other comparable alternatives for media players out there at the moment?
Now, my friend can try the following VLC alternative Linux.
No 1. Bomi Player
The best VLC alternative Linux, Bomi player (known as CM Player), works well on Linux and provides GUI features.
- This easy-to-use VLC alternative Linux provides some powerful features which you will find in the context menu.
- It supports audio file and subtitle at all.
- It allows browsing your old playlist because it generally saves all your playback record.
No 2. SMPlayer
SMPlayer supports for all the default formats as like as other media players.
- This VLC alternative Linux allows you to play YouTube video directly from this player because of its built-in codec.
- This VLC alternative 2019 loads the subtitle of a movie from the internet. And, it saves your all settings when you play video.
- This alternative to VLC is fully resume supported video player.
Your Choice
The above video editing tools are good alternatives to VLC media player. You can choose a suitable one to play your videos.
Which VLC alternatives do you like to choose? Let us know by leaving comments.
Should you have any other good suggestions about VLC alternatives, please share them with us. Thanks in advance!
VLC Alternatives FAQ
VLC is a free, open-source, portable, and cross-platform media player that can play incomplete, unfinished or damaged video.
QuickTime Player is bundled into the macOS, thus it becomes the default option for a lot of users. However, VLC is often the best option since it supports a massive number of both audio and video file formats, and it is available on Windows, Mac, and Linux.
- PotPlayer
- KMPlayer
- Media Player Classic – Home Cinema
- ACG Player
- GOM Media Player
- DivX Player
- Kodi
- Plex
- 5KPlayer
- MediaMonkey
- VLC Player
- PotPlayer
- Media Player Classic – Home Cinema