MPV is a better media player than

and it's not even close

Updated: Jan 21st, 2026

Download a video player that actually works. It's free.

Windows logo

Windows

MPC-QT logo MPC-QT

MPC UI for MPV on Windows

Download
macOS logo

macOS

IINA logo IINA

Modern MPV player for Mac

Download
Linux logo

Linux

Celluloid logo Celluloid Flatpak Recommended

Celluloid - Modern MPV player for Linux

Celluloid Website
Install

Alternative methods in dropdown

Flatpak Recommended

flatpak install flathub io.github.celluloid_player.Celluloid

Ubuntu Snap

sudo snap install celluloid

Debian / Ubuntu / Mint

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:xuzhen666/gnome-mpv
sudo apt update
sudo apt install celluloid

Fedora / Bazzite

sudo dnf install celluloid

Arch / CachyOS / Manjaro

sudo pacman -Sy celluloid

Note: The recommended options above are easy out-of-the-box MPV implementations. They may have some flaws compared to the official MPV app due to the nature of libmpv, but they are still significantly better than VLC. More info in the FAQ.

Android logo

Android

mpvkt logo mpvKt

MPV Player for Android

Play Store
iOS logo

iOS

Outplayer logo Outplayer

MPV player for iOS

App Store

MPV logo Official MPV - For the best MPV playback

Visit mpv.io for the official MPV player. Recommended for power users. The full MPV app has a better rendering backend than the easy to use apps using libmpv.

Download MPV from mpv.io

It costs Nothing to have better video playback

🎬 Modern Codec Support

  • Plays AV1 and Opus correctly
  • Plays surround sound Opus correctly
  • Uses FFmpeg 8.x (vs VLC's 4.1)
  • No extra codec packs needed

🎨 Accurate Color Reproduction

  • Precise HDR tone-mapping
  • Advanced scaling algorithms
  • Better deinterlacing & debanding
  • GPU-accelerated filters

📝 Superior Subtitle Support

  • Plays ASS subtitles correctly
  • Critical for anime viewing
  • Better subtitle rendering
  • No missing styled subtitles

⚡ Blazing Performance

  • Lightning-fast startup
  • No font cache at startup
  • Minimal CPU/GPU overhead
  • Frame-perfect seeking

🛡️ Reliable Playback

  • Doesn't corrupt video decoding
  • Handles decoding delays gracefully
  • No frame drops on high-bitrate
  • Reliable resume playback

⚙️ Customizable

  • Infinite config options
  • Lua/JavaScript scripting
  • Custom keybindings
  • Community scripts ecosystem

Visual Comparison

Compare the same scenes rendered by VLC vs MPV

VLC
VLC
Wrong - INCORRECT COLORS
MPV
MPV
Correct
VLC
VLC
Wrong - OVER-SATURATED
MPV
MPV
Correct
VLC
VLC
Wrong - OVER-SATURATED
MPV
MPV
Correct
VLC
VLC
Wrong - BAD IVTC
MPV
MPV
Correct

Drag slider to compare. Use arrows to switch comparisons.

Quick Comparison Rundown

Simple overview and comparison of MPV, VLC, MPC-HC, and Windows Media Player (WMP)

Feature MPV VLC MPC-HC WMP
Active Development Yes (weekly builds) Kinda (4.0 delayed 10 yrs) Abandoned & Forked Abandoned
Startup Speed Instant Slow (2-5s) Fast Sluggish
RAM Usage <100MB 200-500MB <50MB High
Video Codec Support Excellent Okay (Older only) Good Poor
Audio Codec Support Excellent Okay (Older only) Excellent Poor
4K/HDR Support Excellent Poor Good (w/ madVR) Poor/None
Color Accuracy Excellent Wrong/Poor Good Poor
ASS Subtitles Excellent Poor Good None
Scripting Lua/JS Limited None None
Customization Highly Limited Good None
HW Acceleration Vulkan/D3D11 DXVA/OpenGL DXVA/LAV DXVA
Platforms Windows/Linux/MacOS Windows/Linux/MacOS Windows only Windows only
FFmpeg Version 8.x - Latest 4.4 N/A N/A

Video Codec Support

Videos codecs that the videos are encoded in

Feature MPV VLC MPC-HC WMP
Video Backend FFmpeg + libplacebo FFmpeg + OpenGL LAV + madVR MF + Direct3D
AV2
(2026) Open Source - Free
Planned
Planned for 4.0
VVC/H.266
(2020) Proprietary - Licensing Pools
Planned for 4.0
AV1
(2018) Open Source - Free
MPC-BE Fork
VP9
(2013) Open Source - Free
HEVC/H.265
(2013) Proprietary - Licensing Pools
with LAV 0.80+
Paid Extension
VP8
(2010) Open Source - Free
ProRes
(2007) Proprietary - Free
Partial
Dirac
(2007) Open Source - Free
VC-1/WMV
(2006) Proprietary - Licensed
Theora
(2004) Open Source - Free
AVC/H.264
(2003) Proprietary - Licensed
MPEG-4 ASP (Xvid/DivX)
(1994) Mixed - Free (Expired)
MPEG-2
(1994) Proprietary - Free (Expired)
MJPEG
(1992) Open - Free
MPEG-1
(1992) Proprietary - Free (Expired)
Fully Supported
Planned Feature
Partially Supported
Poorly Supported
Not Supported

Audio Codec Support

Audio codecs used in videos and music files

Feature MPV VLC MPC-HC WMP
Audio Backend FFmpeg FFmpeg LAV MF
AC-4
(2014) Proprietary - Licensed
Experimental
Opus
(2012) Open Source - Free
Surround Broken
DTS-HD
(2006) Proprietary - Licensed
Passthrough
Passthrough
Partial
TrueHD
(2006) Proprietary - Licensed
Passthrough
Passthrough
Partial
E-AC-3
(2004) Proprietary - Licensed
ALAC
(2004) Open Source - Free
FLAC
(2001) Open Source - Free
Vorbis
(2000) Open Source - Free
WMA
(1999) Proprietary - Free (Expired)
APE/WavPack
(1998) Open Source - Free
AAC
(1997) Proprietary - Free (Decode)
DTS
(1993) Proprietary - Free (Expired)
MP3
(1993) Proprietary - Free (Expired)
AC-3 (Dolby Digital)
(1991) Proprietary - Free (Expired)
WAV
(1991) Open - Free
Fully Supported
Planned Feature
Partially Supported
Poorly Supported
Not Supported

HDR Support

Visual formats for precise color and brightness representation

Codec MPV VLC MPC-HC WMP
HDR10+ Advanced
(2026) Open - Free
Dolby Vision 2
(2026) Proprietary - Licensed
HDR10+
(2017) Open - Free
Planned for 4.0
madVR partial
HDR10
(2015) Open Standard - Free
with madVR
Win 11 only
HLG
(2015) Open Standard - Free
limited
Dolby Vision
(2014) Proprietary - Licensed
P5 full; P7/8 partial
Only P5
MPCVR passthrough
SDR-to-HDR
with madVR
Tone Mapping
Poorly
madVR advanced
Very poorly
HW Accel
D3D11/Vulkan
D3D11/VAAPI
D3D11/LAV
MF & ext needed
10/12-bit Color
10-bit partial
Fully Supported
Planned Feature
Partially Supported
Poorly Supported
Not Supported

Spatial Audio Support

Special Surround Sound formats for precise audio positioning

Codec MPV VLC MPC-HC WMP
Eclipsa Audio (IAMF)
(2025) Open Source - Free
Experimental
Planned for 4.0
Sony 360 Reality Audio
(2016) Proprietary - Licensed
DTS:X
(2015) Proprietary - Licensed
No Object Rendering
No Object Rendering
No Object Rendering
MPEG-H
(2015) Proprietary - Licensed
Dolby Atmos
(2012) Proprietary - Licensed
No Object Rendering
No Object Rendering
No Object Rendering
Auro-3D
(2012) Proprietary - Licensed
No Object Rendering
No Object Rendering
No Object Rendering
Spatial Rendering
macOS only
Binaural
Basic Opus only
AVR Passthrough
audio-spdif + HDMI
WASAPI
LAV passthrough
Fully Supported
Planned Feature
Partially Supported
Poorly Supported
Not Supported

Known VLC Issues

Just some examples of how VLC struggles

Wrong Colors

slow.pics/c/XhbmrYgU slow.pics/c/FW2nBwKP slow.pics/c/BLodyVXh slow.pics/c/KeCnbfKS

Poor Subtitle Rendering

files.catbox.moe/uavkkp.mp4 files.catbox.moe/yvop5e.gif files.catbox.moe/hjfvx3.png

Scaling & Deband Issues

slow.pics/c/j5xmf2of

IVTC Problems

slow.pics/c/kkPNlNwW slow.pics/c/L3zLP4DE

Visual Comparisons

VLC (left) vs MPV (right) BakaBT's comparison

Playback Issues

Seeking BDMVs MPEG2.ts playback

F.A.Q

(This FAQ is just filler slop to be replaced later)

Is MPV hard to use? ▼

Not at all! The recommended implementations on this page (MPC-QT, IINA, Celluloid) provide a user-friendly graphical interface with all the usability you'd expect from a media player - drag and drop files, easy playback controls, and intuitive settings. You get MPV's powerful playback engine without needing to touch any configuration files.

Can I open files by double-clicking them? ▼

Absolutely! All the recommended implementations support file association. When you install them, they'll set themselves as your default media player, allowing you to double-click any video file to open it directly, just like VLC.

Will MPV play all my existing video files? ▼

Yes! MPV supports virtually all video and audio formats out of the box, thanks to its built-in FFmpeg support. This includes AVI, MKV, MP4, WEBM, FLV, and hundreds more. It even handles damaged or partially downloaded files better than most players.

Why should I switch from VLC? ▼

VLC has several known issues with modern video playback, including incorrect color rendering, broken surround sound for Opus audio, poor subtitle rendering, and slower startup times. MPV uses a much newer FFmpeg version (8.x vs VLC's 4.1), meaning it supports the latest codecs like AV1 and IAMF correctly. The difference is especially noticeable with anime (ASS subtitles) and HDR content.

Does MPV require any codec packs? ▼

No! MPV includes everything it needs out of the box. Unlike Windows Media Player or older players, you don't need to install K-Lite Codec Pack or any external decoders. Just install the player and it works.

Is MPV free? ▼

Yes, completely! MPV is open-source software released under the GPL license. It's free to download, free to use, and free to distribute. There are no ads, no pro versions, and no hidden costs.

Can I customize MPV's appearance and controls? ▼

Yes! MPV is highly customizable. You can change themes, remap keyboard shortcuts, add custom scripts, and modify virtually any behavior. The GUI implementations (MPC-QT, IINA, Celluloid) provide easy settings panels for common customizations, and power users can edit configuration files for advanced control.

What about subtitles? ▼

MPV has excellent subtitle support. It handles all common subtitle formats including SRT, ASS, SSA, VTT, and more. The ASS subtitle rendering is particularly important for anime fans, as MPV displays complex styled subtitles correctly while VLC often has issues with positioning, colors, and effects.