VLC (VideoLAN Client) is the free, open-source cross-platform media player. Learn its history, features, and how it compares to alternatives.
VLC is a free, open-source, cross-platform multimedia player and framework that plays most audio and video formats, discs, devices, and streams without requiring additional codec installations. It is developed and maintained by VideoLAN, a nonprofit organization under French law.
The project began in 1996 as a student initiative at the Ecole Centrale Paris engineering school to build a video-streaming system for the campus network. It was released as open-source software under the GPL in 2001, which allowed outside developers to contribute and quickly led to ports for Windows and macOS.
Developer Jean-Baptiste Kempf joined the project in 2003 and took over its leadership around 2006, and VideoLAN was formally incorporated as a nonprofit association on April 21, 2009, giving the project a legal and financial structure funded by user donations rather than advertising or data collection.
VLC plays nearly all video and audio codecs out of the box, including MPEG-2, MPEG-4, H.264, H.265, MKV, and many others, without needing separate codec packs.
It supports playback of DVDs, Audio CDs, VCDs, and various streaming protocols, along with network streaming, format conversion, and screen recording capabilities.
VLC is available on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS, and its underlying libVLC library is used by many other applications and devices.
VLC is entirely free to download and use, with no premium tier, subscription, or in-app purchases. VideoLAN funds its operations through user donations, and the organization has repeatedly turned down offers to monetize VLC through ads or bundled software.
Yes, VLC is completely free to download and use on all supported platforms, with no premium version or subscription.
VLC is developed by VideoLAN, a nonprofit organization under French law, led by Jean-Baptiste Kempf.
The underlying project began in 1996 as a student project at Ecole Centrale Paris and was released as open-source software in 2001.
VLC runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS, among other systems.
No, VLC is explicitly free of advertising, spyware, and user tracking as a core project principle.
Yes, VLC can play DVDs, Audio CDs, VCDs, and various other disc formats natively.
No, VideoLAN is a nonprofit association formed under French law in 2009, funded by donations rather than being a commercial company.
Beyond VLC, VideoLAN develops projects like the x264 and x265 video encoders and the libVLC library used by other applications.