Compare
The player nobody had built.
QuickTime feels at home on a Mac but opens few formats. Infuse has a fine library and asks for a subscription for Pro features. IINA is excellent, free and open source too, without SDR to HDR or built-in upscalers and frame interpolation. MacLC brings them together.
| Feature | MacLC | IINA | Infuse | QuickTime Player |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plays almost any video file | Some audio needs Pro | Mostly MP4 and MOV | ||
| HDR video on HDR screens | ||||
| Makes ordinary video glow on HDR screens (SDR to HDR) | ||||
| Upscaling methods built in | Nine | Shaders you install | One AI mode | |
| Smooth motion (frame interpolation) | Built in | Through mpv options | ||
| One-click dialogue boost | Voice Boost | Filters by hand | Volume boost only | |
| Library for your own videos | And music | Playlists and history | Its speciality | |
| Add-on catalogs and torrents | ||||
| YouTube and web video | With yt-dlp | With yt-dlp | ||
| Free | Pro is paid | With macOS | ||
| Open source | GPL | GPL |
Based on each player’s published features as of 2026-11-03. “Partly” means the feature exists only through options or add-ons you set up yourself. Something wrong or out of date? Open an issue and we’ll fix it.
Credit where it’s due.
Every one of these players is good at something. Here is what each does best.
IINA
An excellent Mac player, free and open source too, built on mpv, with a thoughtful interface and strong subtitle and web-video support.
Infuse
A beautiful library that also reaches network shares and media servers, across Apple TV, iPhone, iPad and Mac.
QuickTime Player
Comes with every Mac, is perfectly integrated, and plays HDR from Apple’s own formats beautifully.
What MacLC doesn’t do
MacLC is for Apple Silicon Macs only. There’s no iPhone or Apple TV version, nothing to sync between devices, and no store. If you need one library everywhere, Infuse will serve you better.
Try it yourself
The best comparison is your own files on your own screen. MacLC is free, self-contained and takes a minute to try. Download it.
Does VLC run natively on Apple Silicon Macs?
Discover if VLC runs natively on Apple Silicon Macs, how to check ARM64 vs Intel in Activity Monitor, and how to enable VideoToolbox hardware decoding.
Elmedia Player for Mac: what the free and PRO versions do
An honest review of Elmedia Player for macOS. Compare free vs PRO features, pricing, AirPlay and Chromecast streaming, and free alternatives.
How to change the default video player on a Mac
Change your default Mac video player permanently in macOS Finder using Get Info and Change All, fix Launch Services resets, and set universal associations.