Albeit viable for playing videos sporadically, Windows default media player has never been a de facto recommendation.

Want to know the best part?

Windows has never shied away from embracing third-party alternatives, and this situation is no exception.

VLC Media Player

In this article, youll learn about the 7 Best Media Players for Windows 10 and 11.

Besides receiving regular updates, VLC packs many out-of-the-box features to yo its vast community of enthusiasts.

To top it all off, the app is also entirely free and open-source.

PotPlayer

VLC is supremely reliable, and thats what makes it the undisputed king.

PotPlayer

The best way to describe PotPlayer in this article is as the underdog.

Think of it as a refined and clarified version of VLC Media Player.

KMPlayer

Sounds compelling, right?

Not just that, PotPlayers design language is streets ahead of VLC.

After VLC, you could say its one of the best media players for Windows out there.

5KPlayer

PotPlayer lets you choose which one to use if you have more than one sound card.

Moreover, it also offers a suite of customizable features.

Of course, PotPlayer, too, is free of charge to use.

Kodi

Platform:Windows

Download:PotPlayer(Free)

3. you’ve got the option to also enable hardware acceleration to lessen the load on your CPU.

In addition, the 64-bit version of KMPlayer also comes with a built-in YouTube video downloader.

Oh, and there are no fees whatsoever!

ACG Player

Platforms:Windows | Android | iOS

Download:KMPlayer(Free)

4.

It guarantees wireless streaming with almost no lag and near-lossless quality.

Contrary to its name, 5KPlayer supports 8K and Blu-ray video playback.

MPV

Supported audio formats include MP3, AAC, APE, and FLAC.

It can stream YouTube videos natively and download videos from over 300 websites, including Vimeo and Dailymotion.

Kodi

Ever wonder why a TV never feels like a wall-mounted external display?

The reason is its interface, which you never feel like leaving once youre in.

Kodi mimics a TV-like interface and essentially puts an entertainment hub ahead of you.

Moreover, its open-source, making it one of the best open-source media players for Windows out there.

Nevertheless, Kodi supports numerous file formats and is pretty customizable.

Kodi is built around a 10-foot interface with remote controls that resemble a television.

ACG Player

ACG Player echoes its developers passion for app development.

It is a lightweight, incredibly feature-rich program with a pleasant appearance.

ACG Players secret advantage is its genius gesture implementation, which is very well done.

It also packs a music visualizer.

The app is vanilla and wont startle you with unpalatable features.

Although if you still want some condiments, many user scripts are available on GitHub for the same.

The playback controls are within your mouses reach, so you neednt rely much on your keyboard.

Besides, MPV is free, open-source, and has cross-platform support too.

Some may have an alluring design, while others may have intriguing features and customizations.

Dont worry, weve got you covered with our detailed guide.

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