Open Source Alternatives to QuickTime Player

Switching from QuickTime Player to an open source alternative gives you far wider format support — playing MKV, FLAC, and other formats QuickTime cannot handle — on macOS, Windows, and Linux. Open source media players like VLC and mpv are free of cost, free of vendor lock-in, and receive active community updates without being tied to Apple’s release cycle. Since QuickTime Player is macOS-only, IINA is the most directly comparable option: it’s a Mac-native app, built with Swift and AppKit specifically for macOS conventions like Touch Bar, Force Touch, and Picture-in-Picture, while running mpv’s decoding engine underneath for the same broad format support. It’s a better fit than mpv itself for users who want a graphical, native interface rather than a config-file-driven player, though — unlike VLC or mpv — it won’t help if you also need a player on Windows or Linux.