List of the Top 25 Media Players for Linux in 2025

Clementine operates as a modern music player and an effective organizer for your music library. This adaptable application is accessible on various platforms and takes cues from Amarok 1.4, focusing on a user-friendly design that makes finding and playing music straightforward. Users have the opportunity to delve into their own local music collections while also enjoying a wide array of internet radio stations, including well-known platforms like Spotify and Soundcloud, among others. Furthermore, Clementine supports the playback of tracks stored in cloud services such as Box, Dropbox, Google Drive, and OneDrive, enhancing its versatility. The application allows for the creation of smart and dynamic playlists, which improves the overall listening experience. It also boasts features like tabbed playlists and the ability to import and export different playlist formats such as M3U and XSPF, adding to its comprehensive capabilities. Users can take advantage of CUE sheet support, playback audio CDs, and experience visualizations through projectM, further enhancing their musical journey. Additionally, Clementine offers access to lyrics, artist biographies, and photos, along with options for transcoding music into various formats, including MP3 and FLAC. The software also provides tools for editing tags on MP3 and OGG files, which helps keep a well-organized music library, and can automatically retrieve missing tags from MusicBrainz. Users can explore new podcasts and download album cover art that may be missing from Last.fm and Amazon, making it an all-encompassing tool for music lovers. With its extensive features and capabilities, Clementine truly excels as an essential companion for managing and relishing a diverse music collection. The application not only meets the needs of casual listeners but also caters to audiophiles with its rich set of functionalities.

VLC is a versatile and free multimedia player and framework that functions on multiple platforms, enabling playback of an extensive array of multimedia formats, including DVDs, Audio CDs, VCDs, and various streaming protocols. Developed under the VideoLAN project, this software is open-source, encouraging individuals with the right expertise and enthusiasm to make contributions that improve and innovate its features. This collaborative spirit not only enhances the software but also nurtures a dynamic community committed to its ongoing development and enhancement. As a result, users benefit from regular updates and new functionalities that keep the player relevant in an ever-evolving digital landscape.

JRiver specializes in creating cutting-edge media solutions that cater to both personal users and corporate enterprises. Their comprehensive range of services includes options for streaming, downloading, and subscriptions for audio and video content, along with outstanding support for portable devices, P2P networking, DLNA compatibility, and DRM features. Moreover, JRiver offers software that enhances network connectivity between Windows and Unix/Linux systems, proudly serving over two million users in more than 50 countries worldwide. The company actively promotes its ICE product line through a vast network of global distribution channels, making their offerings accessible to a wide array of clients. This well-thought-out strategy has empowered JRiver to maintain a robust foothold in the intensely competitive media solutions sector, continually adapting to the evolving needs of their customers. As a result, their innovative approach not only enhances user experience but also solidifies their reputation as a leader in the industry.

Deepin Movie boasts an intuitive interface that is complemented by a rich array of keyboard shortcuts, enabling users to navigate efficiently without the need for a mouse. This versatile video player accommodates numerous file formats, allowing for smooth playback of both local files and online streaming content. Created by Deepin Technology, it comes packed with various features designed to elevate the overall viewing experience. Users benefit from easy access to a vast selection of online video resources, as well as the capability to play an assortment of media formats stored locally on their devices. The most recent beta version, which is generated from git code and constructed through an automated process, may present some instability, yet it also brings forth a host of new features for users to enjoy. Consequently, those who have a penchant for cutting-edge software may find that experimenting with this latest iteration is not only beneficial but also quite enjoyable. With each update, the potential for enhanced performance and new functionalities continues to entice users to stay engaged with the evolving platform.

Parole is a modern and user-friendly media player built on the GStreamer framework, specifically designed for optimal compatibility with the Xfce desktop environment. It facilitates playback of a wide range of media formats, including local files, DVDs/CDs, and live streams. Additionally, Parole's functionality can be expanded through its plugin system, with comprehensive instructions found in the Plugins API documentation alongside practical examples in the plugins directory. Prioritizing ease of use, performance, and minimal resource consumption, Parole enables users to enjoy their local media files, offering subtitle support for videos and compatibility with audio CDs, DVDs, and live broadcasts. The application is completely free to use, distribute, and modify under the GNU General Public License. Essential for its core functions are the GStreamer Base plugins, while the GStreamer Good plugins provide a selection of high-quality enhancements available under the LGPL license, further augmenting Parole's features. With its combination of versatility and efficiency, Parole stands out as an excellent option for users in search of a lightweight media player solution. Moreover, its continuous development and community support ensure that users can expect ongoing improvements and new features over time.

Kaffeine stands out as a flexible media player, noted for its exceptional ability to seamlessly manage digital television (DVB). With a user-friendly interface, it enables even beginners to easily engage with a variety of media formats, including DVDs—complete with menus, titles, and chapters—as well as VCDs and other file types. Its support for multiple digital television standards, such as DVB-C/S/S2/T, ATSC, and CI/CAM, further enhances its overall functionality. Furthermore, Kaffeine can now be initiated directly from Docker, thus removing the necessity for standard installation on a local device, assuming Docker is correctly configured. By default, Kaffeine employs libVLC, which is designed to take advantage of hardware acceleration for improved performance. Recent updates have also incorporated support for xmltv files, allowing Kaffeine to successfully align channels acquired by the grabber with its pre-stored channel names. This impressive array of features positions Kaffeine as an attractive option for users seeking a thorough media playback experience. Additionally, the ability to operate without traditional installation makes it even more appealing in today's fast-paced digital landscape.

Music Player Daemon (MPD) serves as a powerful and flexible server-side application tailored for playing music. It employs various plugins and libraries to accommodate a wide array of audio file formats and can be controlled through its network protocol. An experimental Android version is available on Google Play, which, upon installation and first use, will promptly scan your specified music folder, enabling interaction through any compatible MPD client. Each plugin typically requires its own codec library, so it is wise to refer to the plugin documentation for the necessary library specifications. Although MPD may not replicate the experience of conventional Windows applications, it functions efficiently on Windows platforms. The build process follows a "Linux style," which might pose challenges for Windows users unfamiliar with compiling software. Furthermore, audio outputs are the devices that facilitate sound playback generated by MPD, and while you can set up multiple audio output devices, at least one must be configured for the software to work properly. This adaptability renders MPD an attractive option for those in search of a tailored music playback experience, making it a standout choice for audiophiles and tech enthusiasts alike. Ultimately, MPD's design ensures that users can enjoy their music seamlessly, regardless of their operating system preferences.

Rage is a multimedia playback application built using the Enlightenment Foundation Libraries (EFL) that boasts a variety of exciting features. Designed to be intuitive, this audio and video player is both elegant and user-friendly, drawing comparisons to Mplayer. Users can control Rage via the command line to access their media files, or they can simply drag and drop files into the interface to add them seamlessly to their playlist. Upon starting Rage without any command-line arguments, users are greeted with a video browsing mode. In this mode, pressing the / key or moving the mouse to the right side of the window reveals a visual overview of the entire playlist. Rage includes an array of keyboard shortcuts, facilitating effortless navigation throughout the application. While playing music, it automatically searches for and displays album artwork, unless the images are already cached. Furthermore, it creates thumbnails for video timelines, allowing users to hover over the position bar at the bottom of the screen to preview clips. Any album covers that Rage downloads are saved for future use, enhancing the overall user experience. With its captivating interface and practical features, Rage proves itself to be a compelling choice for anyone seeking efficient media playback solutions and elevates the enjoyment of digital content.

Snappy is a media player that is open-source and merges the powerful features of GStreamer with a streamlined, minimalist interface, resulting in a tool that is both effective and easy to navigate. By focusing on a clean design, it guarantees a pleasurable experience for users during media playback. Furthermore, its versatility allows it to cater to a wide range of audio and video formats, enhancing its appeal to various users.

Switching from iTunes to Miro is a seamless process that requires no additional file duplication; all you need to do is point Miro to your music and video folders, and it will automatically list those files for you. In the unlikely event that Miro falls short of your expectations, your original setup remains intact and untouched. It's unwise to opt for a music player that lacks syncing capabilities with your phone. Miro is the premier option for playing music and videos on Android devices, whether they are smartphones or tablets. When two Miro instances are connected to the same Wi-Fi network, they can easily share and stream music and videos with one another, providing a hassle-free way to enjoy media throughout your home. Unlike many other media players, Miro does not impose unnecessary limitations on how you use it. Additionally, Miro is entirely free and open-source, created by a non-profit organization, meaning you can relish in a great media experience without being beholden to any corporate entity. This level of independence not only enriches your enjoyment but also allows you to delve into your media collection with complete freedom. With Miro, you can discover new content and engage with your media in a way that feels both liberating and enjoyable.

MPlayer is a highly adaptable movie playback application that works seamlessly across various operating systems. It supports a wide range of file formats, including but not limited to MPEG/VOB, AVI, Ogg/OGM, VIVO, ASF/WMA/WMV, QT/MOV/MP4, RealMedia, Matroska, NUT, NuppelVideo, FLI, YUV4MPEG, FILM, RoQ, and PVA, employing both native and third-party codecs such as those from XAnim and Win32 DLLs. Users can enjoy films in formats like VideoCD, SVCD, DVD, 3ivx, and DivX versions 3, 4, and 5, as well as WMV and H.264. Among its impressive features, MPlayer boasts a wide array of output drivers including X11, Xv, DGA, OpenGL, SVGAlib, fbdev, AAlib, and DirectFB. Additionally, it is compatible with GGI, SDL (and all their respective drivers), VESA (on any compatible hardware without needing X11), and numerous low-level drivers tailored for graphics cards from manufacturers like Matrox, 3Dfx, and ATI. Many of these output drivers facilitate both software and hardware scaling, giving viewers the option to watch movies in fullscreen. Furthermore, MPlayer can leverage hardware MPEG decoder boards, such as those created by Siemens DVB, DXR2, and DXR3/Hollywood+, which significantly enhances the viewing experience. All these features and extensive format support position MPlayer as an excellent choice for movie lovers seeking versatility and performance. The flexibility and range of options provided by MPlayer cater to a diverse audience, ensuring that everyone can find their preferred way to enjoy films.

The playlist is automatically created from the folder containing the currently playing file. Users can bring up the playlist by moving their mouse to the left or right side of the player, with the right side being the default option, or they can utilize the keyboard shortcut (P by default), or click a designated button if mouse activation is disabled. Moreover, the playlist can either overlay the video, push it, or resize it as needed. In Haruna, most functions can be performed using customizable keyboard shortcuts that users have the freedom to modify according to their liking. Additionally, users have the capability to assign a variety of actions to different mouse buttons, which includes single and double clicks for left, middle, and right buttons, as well as scrolling in both directions. This extensive customization not only enhances the user experience but also allows individuals to tailor their interactions to better suit their specific workflows and preferences. Such adaptability ensures that each user can create a setup that feels intuitive and efficient for their personal usage.

TagSpaces is a versatile, privacy-conscious file manager and browser that also offers note-taking features, enabling users to categorize their files and folders through the use of tags and colors. Available for platforms such as Windows, macOS, Linux, and Android, it provides a seamless way to manage digital content. The TagSpaces Web Clipper facilitates the gathering of web pages, bookmarks, geo-coordinates, and screenshots directly from the Internet. With its integrated Markdown editor, users can craft notes that incorporate various elements like tables, mathematical equations, to-do lists, and diagrams. TagSpaces allows for connection to any folder on your computer, making it easy to navigate through its contents, and you can label any file or folder with tags for better organization. In the Pro version, users gain the ability to add descriptions and geotags to their files and folders, with geo-tagged items being positioned on a digital map for easy reference. Additionally, this upgraded version permits the transformation of any folder into a Kanban board, facilitating process representation through the use of cards (files) and columns (folders). TagSpaces also supports cross-references via tags within the folder structure, and users can employ the built-in search function to find files using various tag combinations. Furthermore, it offers the ability to browse files stored on S3-compatible object storage, such as those from Wasabi or AWS S3, expanding its utility beyond local files. This comprehensive tool not only enhances file management but also streamlines the organization of digital information.

Explore your music library like never before with our stunning UltraBlur backgrounds, a wide array of captivating visualizers, and four unique themes tailored to your personal tastes. Craft custom radio stations featuring tracks from your own library as well as those of your most stylish friends. Travel through various decades, choose a specific genre or mood, or indulge in your favorite albums in their purest form. Use the Mix Builder to explore and create your perfect musical blend. Take a dive into your personal charts to reminisce about your beloved tracks from last Fall or to discover your favorite albums from the 1960s. With just a few taps, you can quickly access countless hours of your cherished playlists or radio channels. You can also download a personalized mix or artist-focused radio station for your journeys, ensuring you have entertainment on the go, even when you’re offline. Experience robust offline functionality for those times you find yourself in remote locations or when your cellular data is scarce. Benefit from features such as loudness leveling, true gapless playback, Sweet Fades™, smooth transitions, a customizable preamp, and tailored EQ profiles, all crafted to satisfy both audiophiles and casual listeners. Enjoy seamless music playback with pre-caching technology that guarantees your favorite tunes play without interruption. Now, immerse yourself in a soundscape that enhances your listening experience and brings the joy of music to new heights. Your auditory adventure awaits, ready to be explored at your convenience.

Clapper is a modern and stylish media player crafted for the GNOME desktop environment, built using GJS alongside the GTK4 framework. Serving as its backend, GStreamer facilitates the media playback while OpenGL handles the rendering process. The player is designed to work effortlessly on both Xorg and Wayland systems, ensuring a smooth experience in various setups. Additionally, Clapper leverages hardware acceleration capabilities, incorporating VA-API for AMD and Intel GPUs, NVDEC for NVIDIA graphics cards, and V4L2 specifically for mobile devices. Its graphical user interface (GUI) is adaptable, transitioning to a "windowed mode" that primarily utilizes standard GTK widgets to maintain consistency with the native appearance of the operating system. In "fullscreen mode," the GUI elements shift to exhibit darker, larger, and semi-transparent features, thereby enhancing the overall viewing experience. Furthermore, it includes a unique "floating mode," which keeps the video visible over other applications, akin to a picture-in-picture (PiP) setup. The transitions are fine-tuned for mobile devices, ensuring ease of use. Recent updates have optimized the automatic selection of the GL/GLES context, while the player also benefits from various patches that enhance performance or introduce exclusive features in the Flatpak version, thereby elevating the user experience. Clapper's ongoing development actively seeks to incorporate user feedback, promising continuous improvements and new features for upcoming releases. This commitment to user satisfaction emphasizes the importance of community engagement in shaping the application’s future.

Bomi, formerly recognized as CMPlayer, is an impressive multimedia player that prioritizes user experience while providing a host of powerful features and handy tools. Installing the application allows you to immediately engage with its functionalities, which are designed to be both accessible and efficient. If certain features do not align with your preferences, you have the flexibility to customize nearly every aspect to better fit your needs. Built on the MPV framework for Linux, Bomi combines the robust capabilities of MPV with a user-friendly graphical user interface (GUI), offering a plethora of options at your fingertips. Users can conveniently navigate all available functionalities via the context menu, with a detailed preferences dialog facilitating any necessary adjustments. By default, Bomi tracks your playback history, enabling you to pick up right where you left off, while also monitoring playback settings such as selected audio tracks and subtitles to enhance your viewing experience. Furthermore, Bomi can generate playlists based on filenames and ensures that your last playlist is automatically saved and restored for easy access. With its straightforward design and rich feature set, Bomi makes an exceptional choice for those seeking a versatile multimedia playback solution on Linux, catering to both novice and experienced users alike.

Audacious is a free and open-source audio player that has its roots in XMMS, providing an enjoyable music experience without hindering your computer's performance. Users can easily drag and drop folders or individual songs, which allows for seamless navigation through their music libraries to locate specific artists or albums, and to create or edit personalized playlists. In addition to playing audio CDs and streaming online, it offers features like a graphical equalizer and various audio effects that enrich your listening experience. The player boasts a contemporary interface designed with Qt while also giving users the option to switch to classic Winamp skins, evoking a sense of nostalgia. Audacious includes plugins that can retrieve song lyrics, display a VU meter, and provide additional functionalities for enhanced enjoyment. The latest update has brought minor improvements within the past year, such as integrating the Qt UI for Windows and highlighting various contributions from its community. It supports multiple operating systems, including Linux, BSD variants, and Microsoft Windows, which makes it an adaptable choice for music enthusiasts everywhere. Whether you enjoy music casually or are an avid audiophile, Audacious equips you with an array of tools and features designed to meet all your audio requirements while continually evolving with user feedback.

Kodi revolutionizes the smart TV experience by exceeding typical media playback capabilities, offering support for almost every media format while presenting an attractive interface. It elevates your music library with an engaging visual experience, accommodating a multitude of formats, playlists, and party mixes, rendering it far more advantageous than conventional DVD collections. By enriching your movie library with vibrant artwork, comprehensive cast details, and genre classifications, Kodi proves to be perfect for both marathon viewing sessions and revisiting cherished series. Furthermore, it stands out in its ability to efficiently manage and organize your television shows, making it a leading choice among streaming platforms. With an intuitive user interface, Kodi simplifies the process of watching and recording live television, seamlessly integrating with various popular backends like MediaPortal, MythTV, NextPVR, and Tvheadend. In addition to its impressive streaming capabilities, Kodi introduces a gaming component, providing access to an extensive range of emulators and stand-alone games, all while offering extensive support for different game controllers. Overall, Kodi not only significantly enhances your entertainment experience but also redefines your entire multimedia environment into a multipurpose hub that caters to all your viewing and gaming needs. Whether you're a casual viewer or a dedicated gamer, Kodi has something to offer everyone, ensuring endless hours of entertainment.

Amarok is a versatile music player tailored for Linux, Unix, and Windows, featuring an intuitive interface that enhances user experience. It not only simplifies the process of enjoying your preferred tracks but also helps in finding new music, all wrapped in a visually pleasing design. A key area of focus in the development of Amarok 2 has been the integration of web services, which allows the player to connect with various online platforms, thereby widening the selection of songs accessible to users. The robust API facilitates the easy addition of new services, ensuring that users can expand their musical horizons with little effort. Enjoy seamless scrobbling and stream any Last.fm radio station thanks to its thorough integration with Last.fm. You can also buy music directly from the integrated Magnatune store, thus supporting independent artists and music labels. Furthermore, Amarok allows you to connect to an Ampache music server remotely, giving you the ability to explore, search, and play your media files effortlessly. Dive into a vast selection of audio and video podcasts by discovering, subscribing to, and downloading from an extensive podcast directory. Moreover, the experience is further enriched as you can listen to streaming audiobooks directly from the Librivox catalog, making Amarok an all-encompassing audio hub. With such a wide range of features, Amarok truly caters to the diverse needs of music lovers everywhere.

Baka MPlayer is a free and open-source multimedia player that operates on the libmpv framework, offering compatibility across multiple platforms. With its clean and intuitive interface, it aims to provide a pleasant viewing experience for television shows. This player boasts a variety of features, including gesture seeking, smart playlists, desktop dimming, and support for hardware-accelerated playback options such as vdpau, vaapi, and vda. Additionally, it facilitates playback from YouTube and other streaming platforms while ensuring multilingual support by inviting contributions from translators. The design incorporates the Noto Sans font, selected for its open-source origins and comprehensive Unicode character support, allowing users to view content as intended. By default, Baka MPlayer will use English if no specific language is specified during compilation. Users looking to customize their experience can explore the configuration source file or consult the manual for further insights. Ultimately, Baka MPlayer is committed to providing an enjoyable viewing experience through its thoughtful features and adaptable design, making it a versatile choice for multimedia consumption. Its dedication to user engagement and accessibility further solidifies its position as a favored multimedia player among enthusiasts.

mpv is a free and open-source command-line media player that supports a wide variety of media formats, including different video and audio codecs as well as subtitle options. Its robust video output capabilities, which include support for OpenGL, Vulkan, and D3D11, provide features that are particularly attractive to video enthusiasts, such as advanced video scaling with high-quality algorithms, color management, accurate frame timing, interpolation, and HDR support. Additionally, mpv's ability to employ various hardware decoding APIs on all operating systems enables it to activate hardware decoding when necessary during playback. Furthermore, the thoughtfully designed C API allows for easy integration of mpv into other software applications, enhancing its utility not only as a media player but also as a powerful resource for developers aiming to incorporate advanced media features into their own projects. This combination of user-friendliness and technical sophistication makes mpv a standout choice in the media playback landscape.

SMPlayer is a complimentary media player available for both Windows and Linux platforms, equipped with built-in codecs that enable it to effortlessly manage nearly all audio and video file types. Users won't have to worry about installing separate codec packs, as downloading SMPlayer means you can enjoy any media format without the hassle of locating and setting up additional codecs. A particularly impressive aspect of SMPlayer is its ability to remember your preferences for each file played; if you pause a movie to attend to something else, it will pick up right where you left off upon your return, maintaining your selected audio, subtitles, and volume settings. As a graphical user interface (GUI) for the well-regarded MPlayer, SMPlayer is proficient in handling nearly all known audio and video formats. In addition to providing access to MPlayer’s key features, SMPlayer boasts a variety of exciting functionalities, including the capability to stream videos from YouTube and directly download subtitles. This remarkable combination of features not only enhances the user experience but also solidifies SMPlayer's reputation as an incredibly adaptable media consumption tool. Additionally, its user-friendly interface and extensive format support make it a popular choice among those who appreciate seamless media playback.

Videos, commonly known as Totem, serves as a dedicated media player for the GNOME desktop environment and is designed to accommodate various plugins. Since its inclusion as a core application starting from the GNOME 2.10 release, it systematically organizes all your video files for seamless access, allowing you to simply choose a file to watch. The application also provides easy access to numerous video channels directly through its interface, making entertainment more accessible. With a user-friendly design, it emphasizes the importance of enhancing the viewing experience, ensuring that users can focus on their content without unnecessary distractions. Furthermore, Fluendo has played a pivotal role in sponsoring the work of Ronald Bultje and Tim-Philipp Müller for the development of the GStreamer backend, while Collabora has also lent its support to Müller’s contributions. This collaboration not only highlights the dedication of the community towards advancing multimedia playback on GNOME but also fosters a spirit of innovation and improvement in the software ecosystem. As a result, the ongoing development efforts contribute significantly to the overall user experience in multimedia applications.

Strawberry functions as a dedicated music player and organizer tailored for music lovers and collectors, enabling them to enjoy their digital music collections while also providing an avenue to stream favorite radio stations. This software was launched under the GPL license, making it open-source and available for public access on GitHub. Strawberry is a derivative of Clementine and is crafted in C++ with the integration of both the Qt framework and GStreamer for enhanced functionality. It is compatible with both Qt versions 5 and 6, which allows it to cater to a variety of user preferences. Completely free in terms of cost and user autonomy, Strawberry does rely on donations from users to ensure its ongoing sustainability. Despite attracting a notable user base in recent years, the development team remains small, with much of the workload falling on a single developer. The responsibilities of maintaining the application, running different services, rolling out updates, and resolving bugs and technical issues demand a considerable amount of time and dedication. As Strawberry evolves, the developer is committed to continually improving user experience, striving to meet the needs and expectations of its growing community. In addition to these efforts, the developer actively engages with users to gather feedback, which plays a crucial role in shaping future updates and features.

Dragon Player is a user-friendly multimedia application that focuses on simplicity rather than a multitude of complex features. Its primary function is to effectively play multimedia files, ensuring that users can easily access and enjoy their media. The application's straightforward design minimizes distractions, allowing for a smooth user experience. Furthermore, Dragon Player's integration with Solid and Phonon enhances its adaptability, enabling it to operate without reliance on any specific multimedia framework or hardware. This independence not only contributes to its versatility but also ensures a consistent, seamless experience across different operating systems, appealing to users who value straightforward functionality in their media players. Overall, Dragon Player stands out as a dependable option for those who prioritize ease of use in their multimedia applications.