Kitsmith / Utilities / VLC media player
The free, open-source media player that plays almost anything — no codec packs, no ads, no tracking, maintained by the VideoLAN project since the 1990s.
Our take
The one media player with a real claim to “just works” — MKV, WebM, obscure codecs, DVDs, and network streams all play without hunting for a separate codec pack, and it’s genuinely free with no upsell anywhere in the app. It looks its age next to a newer native player, but VideoLAN’s own line — completely free, “no spyware, no ads and no user tracking” — is a real differentiator most alternatives can’t make.
- Price
- Free
- License
- Open source
- Requires
- macOS 10.7.5 or newer, Intel or Apple silicon
- Get it via
- Homebrew · Direct
- Developer
- VideoLAN
Do you use VLC media player?
Who made this
VideoLAN ✓
VideoLAN is a French non-profit, not a company — per its own site, it began as a student project at École Centrale Paris in 1996, went open source in 2001, and has been fully independent of the school since 2009. Current board president: Jean-Baptiste Kempf.
What it does
Plays nearly everything
Files, discs, webcams, devices, and streams, including MPEG-2/4, H.264, MKV, WebM, and WMV with no separate codec packs.
Cross-platform
Native builds for macOS (Intel and Apple silicon), Windows, Linux, iOS, and Android.
Skins & extensions
Customizable interface skins and a library of community extensions.
The deal
- Free, open source (GNU General Public License v2)
- No spyware, ads, or user tracking, per VideoLAN’s own description
VLC media player — questions people ask
Is VLC free?
Yes, completely free and open source, with no ads or tracking, per VideoLAN’s own description.
Who makes VLC?
VideoLAN, an open-source project and community.
Does VLC need separate codec packs?
No — it plays most common video and audio formats out of the box.
Is VLC media player free?
Yes — VLC media player is free.
Does VLC media player work alongside a notch app like Alcove?
Yes — VLC media player lives in the screen, so it runs happily alongside any Dynamic Island hub or notch app.
Where can I download VLC media player?
VLC media player is available via Homebrew, Direct.
Is VLC media player open source?
Yes — VLC media player is open source.
Reviews
No public ratings yet. Reader reviews are coming to Kitsmith soon.
Listing hand-verified August 27, 2026 from the developer's site and public sources.