VLC is the go-to video player for most people, regardless of what platform they use. But if you're a Mac user, there are better options. I switched to IINA a while back. It matches VLC in functionality and it looks a whole lot better—I don't think I'll ever switch back.
The biggest downside to VLC is its design. VLC is a perfect example of what many people think of when they think about open-source software. It's powerful, it's packed with functionality, and yet the design is, at best, utilitarian. It doesn't feel like a native Mac app, and it isn't especially enjoyable to use.
IINA shows that the stereotype about open-source apps doesn't have to be true. Like VLC, IINA is also open-source, yet it looks like something Apple itself might have designed. It was built exclusively for macOS, and its clean, modern interface is a massive improvement.
It isn't just a superficial visual preference—I use LibreOffice, after all, so I am not one to trade usability for looks. The design helps make the app easy to use in various ways.
It integrates fully with the MacBook trackpad to offer intuitive gestures for moving through videos, adjusting the volume, and resizing windows. You can customize these gestures if you want, along with the on-screen controls and keyboard shortcuts. You can actually adopt the VLC keyboard shortcuts if you're already used to them.
There are lots of other nice touches, like how it shows thumbnails when you hover your mouse pointer over the timeline, and how it automatically plays all the videos in a folder without you needing to create a playlist. The app also shrinks down into a nice-looking music player when you play MP3s.
IINA isn't short on features. The essentials like picture-in-picture mode are here. I love how it can automatically search for and download subtitles. The app supports a huge number of file types, and I haven't encountered anything it couldn't handle. It also enables you to watch streamed videos through YouTube and other services.
When you install it, IINA adds a Safari browser extension, and there are extensions available for Firefox and Chrome too. This places an IINA button on your browser toolbar that you can click when you visit a video site like YouTube or Dailymotion. It's surprisingly handy to be able to watch longer-form videos outside of the browser (although it doesn't work with services like Netflix).
On top of all that, there are the usual technical tools similar to those in VLC. I don't need most of these, although being able to adjust the delay on audio is useful in videos where the sound is out of sync. There are also audio and video equalizers that let you tweak the sound output or brightness, etc.
Best of all, all of this is completely free. That's true of VLC as well, of course, but some of the best VLC alternatives like Elmedia hide features such as picture-in-picture mode behind a paid upgrade.
How to Get the Best From IINA
IINA is fast and lightweight, although it does seem a little bit heavier on the battery than some other video players. It isn't a big problem, though.
The app mostly works well out of the box with the default settings, but I made a few tweaks to improve my experience which you might benefit from. In the settings, I went to Video/Audio and disabled "Load ICC profile." This makes the videos brighter and more colorful, and more similar to what you will be used to through VLC.
Under Subtitle, I went to the online subtitle section and selected "Search online subtitles automatically." This pops up a list of available subtitles in videos that don't have any embedded. You can clear it easily if you don't need them.
Under Network, check the option labeled "Enable youtube-dl." This activates the YouTube integration. You won't need to apply this setting in future versions of IINA, as it will be built in.
And finally, in the UI section, you can adjust the On Screen Controller. This appears when you move your mouse pointer over the video and it includes space for five icons on a mini toolbar. I only use four: Subtitles, Picture-in-Picture, Playlist, and Quick Settings. This latter option gives you quick access to the video, audio, and subtitles settings, which open in a sidebar.
IINA Is the Best VLC Alternative for Mac
VLC has been around seemingly forever. It's a great app and is hugely reliable and powerful. But it doesn't look or feel like an app that was built for macOS, and that's because it wasn't. If you want the same functionality in a far nicer package, I recommend giving IINA a try.