IINA - Free and Open-Source Video Player, a Modern Alternative to VLC

We’ve relied on VLC for years – it’s been our go-to for handling any video file thrown at it, especially in schools. So when we first came across IINA, a free, open-source media player, we were skeptical. But it didn’t take long to appreciate its modern, sleek macOS interface – far more polished than VLC’s dated look.
Under the hood, IINA is powered by ffmpeg and mpv, giving it the same rock-solid playback capabilities as VLC. It’s clean, customizable, and can handle nearly everything VLC can while looking much better doing it.
IINA fits effortlessly into a variety of use cases. For home media enthusiasts, it offers a more enjoyable viewing experience with support for subtitles and online video playback through URLs. Media professionals benefit from features like video rotation, aspect ratio adjustment, and deinterlacing, making it a solid choice for quick previews. For students juggling coursework and video presentations, IINA’s Picture-in-Picture mode allows multitasking, while Mac power users will appreciate the native macOS feel, complete with gesture controls and Touch Bar support.
Other IINA features
- IINA is easy to customize. You can control playback speed, video rotation, aspect ratio, and deinterlacing.
- IINA plays online videos via URL support and offers extensive subtitle management (search, timing, size, language).
- With youtube-dl integration and browser extensions, streaming online videos is just one click away.
- Ideal as a Quicktime alternative, though it doesn’t support editing.
- Extensive format support via mpv, handling local files, online streams, and YouTube playlists.
- Supports picture in picture mode for multi-tasking.
- Customizable UI with music mode, trackpad gestures, and thumbnail previews.
- Supports online subtitles and has a plugin system.
IINA is open-source, written in Swift, and actively developed. You can find more details on their official site or on GitHub.