11 Best & Free Media Player Apps 2023 (Android & iOS)

In the space of a huge number of applications, there are many services that can help you work with different formats. One of the main functions of any smartphone is to play videos, movies, music and view images.
Obviously, we don’t always use a smartphone to watch movies, but if we want to do that, we need to be prepared in advance.
You need, of course, the movie itself or a series downloaded to your device. There are so many services for movies on the Internet that you won’t have any problem with that.
But finding an application that will help you playback the video is much harder. Every smartphone has a built-in default player, but it’s not always convenient to use. We’ve also found 11 best and free media playback apps for Android and iOS for 2023.
PlayerXtreme Media Player
PlayerXtreme Media Player runs files in almost any format, from 3gp to mts. Downloaded a non-standard file? In this case, this service will be perfect for you.
Of course, PlayerXtreme Media Player also supports audio formats. And the quality of music and sound will be great.
In addition to movies, you can watch serials and listen to albums of your favorite artists, which can be stored on your Wi-Fi hard drives, cloud storage, and other network devices.
You can watch them not only on Android and iOS devices but also on larger screens. For example, use Apple AirPlay and Google Cast to stream videos to your TV or another device.
Subtitles can be transmitted in real-time or by downloading files. You can add them in multiple languages at once – the main thing is to keep them from overlapping the screen for your convenience.
Since PlayerXtreme Media Player works perfectly with any video format, you won’t have any difficulty watching it. The application will become your main video player, replacing your previous utilities.
BSPlayer FREE
The main feature that distinguishes BSPlayer from other applications with similar functionality is its hardware acceleration.
You can easily speed up videos while reducing your battery consumption. This is especially important on long flights and trips because you need to keep your smartphone charged for as long as possible.
If you forgot to download the movie subtitles, it won’t be a problem: if you can connect to the Internet, BSPlayer will enable auto subtitle search, which will greatly simplify your viewing.
While you’re watching a movie or video, you’ll be able to adjust the technical parameters yourself – such as screen brightness, volume, playback speed, and even create a playlist of multiple clips.
You can play videos directly via Wi-Fi, so you don’t have to copy the video to your smartphone or convert it. By the way, you can also reduce the screen size if needed.
The only disadvantage of BSPlayer is the presence of advertising. Unfortunately, ads are only turned off when you purchase the full version of the application.
MX Player
Advanced hardware acceleration, intuitive interface, subtitle support, and good audio support – all these advantages only increase the confidence of users in their choice.
MX Player is especially popular with people who often watch movies in foreign languages or are just used to subtitles. The application supports almost all formats that produce video text support, such as DVD, Ruby, PJS, and others.
There are separate control gestures for all subtitles. So, for example, if the text is a bit out of step with the picture or you would like to re-read it, then you can easily flip through the line you need.
The image itself can also be scaled up, zoomed in and out. You just need to use your 2 fingers and a little magic will start on the device screen.
Video continues to play, and your screen reacts to all multi-touch gestures. So you won’t miss a single moment in the movie – even the smallest detail.
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FX Player – video player, cast, Chromecast, stream
The interface of the app is perfectly optimized, so it quickly adapts to the screen size and format of your device.
One interesting feature that FX Player supports is the Chromecast broadcast. With it, you can send videos from the app directly to your TV screen and the quality will not change. It can even send subtitles – even if the file is in your smartphone memory.
FX Player works great with video and audio formats and supports FullHD, 4K and Blu-ray video.
Thanks to the floating screen function, you can even keep working or chatting without interrupting your work, because a third-party application can be easily displayed over the video.
FX Player will find all the videos in your memory and ask you to play them – you don’t even have to open the file manager.
VLC
The player can play most formats of multi-media files for you, and can also work on several platforms at once.
Do not think that the application has more limited functionality on smartphones compared to computers. VLC is a full-fledged way to view videos via network resources or images.
Here you can play all the rarest and weirdest audio and video formats without watching ads or shopping inside the application. Yes, VLC is a completely free service and was developed by volunteers.
You need to allow VLC to view a directory of files on your device. This way you will be able to view everything you have already downloaded. The app automatically reacts to your actions – for example, it automatically changes orientation or reduces the brightness.
In order to play videos using network streams or find subtitles, you will need an internet connection – only then VLC can give you what you want. For voice search, you will need full access to the microphone.
GOM Player
With this application, you can fully control playback with your fingertips. For example, you can change the position of subtitles, increase the brightness, or even speed up or slow down videos.
The screen settings are intuitive to any user, so you can quickly navigate. More advanced settings can be opened in a separate window. You can change all the settings individually for each video.
Often we watch the video before going to bed or we only have a certain amount of time to watch it. You can set a timer in GOM Player. When the time expires, the app will automatically turn off the video and remember the moment you stopped.
This is especially useful when you decide to watch your favorite program before you go to sleep, but realize that you’ll fall asleep after a while and don’t want to waste any battery power.
Play your favorite shows and playlists by connecting to your Dropbox and OneDrive.
Video Player All Format – XPlayer
In this case, XPlayer, which is designed to work with high definition video files, is perfect. Probably, you can call this utility one of the best ways to watch movies or TV series.
Most importantly, XPlayer does not distribute and copy your files. All your videos are stored in a personal folder, and no one else can see what you’re watching at the moment.
XPlayer will also automatically find out how many videos are in your device’s memory and help you start watching them.
You control the volume and other video parameters yourself. You can even adjust the aspect ratio! If you enable subtitles, XPlayer can synchronize the audio track and subtitles so that you can watch them comfortably.
With it, you can travel without having to stop watching your favorite shows and broadcasts. Looking for convenience and ease of use? Then you should definitely be interested in XPlayer.
GPlayer
GPlayer can play your videos anywhere on the screen, even in multiple windows at once. You can customize a theme yourself or even create it from scratch.
In the app itself, you can quickly figure out how to search for videos or view other media files. In order to have quick access to the service or just launch videos in a shorter time, you can take out GPlayer or a certain video as a separate widget.
By the way, the application supports playback not only from device memory but also from a service like YouTube. In this case, you will need to play everything via URL or HTML 5.
Floating windows allow you to change the position of the active window, as well as always be aware of system notifications. Of course, you can turn this off if you want, and then no notifications will disturb your viewing.
The maximum number of windows supported by GPlayer is 6, which means you can start 6 different videos at the same time and watch them (although we are not sure if you should do so). Add to your list of favorites those files that you review most often or would like to watch soon.
Media Player by Ellen Sweet Inc
Media Player easily plays any video or movie, processing any music or visual formats. The application will automatically find all your videos so you can view them right here and now.
The video you want to watch needs to be downloaded to your device or a URL. You can even download and watch videos in parallel via Wi-Fi transmission. The download works via a wireless connection, and the Media Player app will show you the file right away.
It automatically detects all the video files you have on your smartphone. The video will be optimized and shown to the user after high definition optimization. Playback will not stop until you do it yourself or until you run out of files on your smartphone.
Before watching everything, you can even see sketches of the video by “looking through” some screenshots of it. If you need subtitles, your media player will automatically upload them by identifying the video’s title.
WMA Music Player
This application is the WMA Music Player, which works perfectly with music files. You have a huge amount of music in your device’s memory, but you don’t know how to listen to it? Then you will definitely need this application.
WMA Music Player, as you could understand, supports a rare format of WMA audio files. A lot of music players and developers ignore it, but some people use it!
In order to help music lovers to listen to their favorite tracks, the developers have made this service. The application may seem simple to someone, but at the same time, it is incredibly powerful. Besides WMA, of course, it’s easy to play other formats.
You can play tracks not only by folder but also by album, artist or even music genre. The playback criteria, as well as the order, are up to you. A bright equalizer guides you through the entire listening experience. Open your music even with its URL – WMA Music Player supports this kind of playback.
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Lua Player
Of course, it is not as popular as its more famous competitors, but functionality is not inferior to them. Most importantly, Lua Player is a free application that allows you to work in streaming mode.
The service will adjust the screen size to the pop-up window. This way, you will not miss out on what is happening on your screen and will not lose some subtitles. By the way, subtitles can be both online and built-in.
In addition to the fact that you will enjoy the video, you will be able to do something else in parallel with watching it. You can also change the position of the window and the video at your discretion – just drag it to the right place.
Lua Player will play videos in the best quality that your device supports. The audio format works in the same way – Lua Player also works perfectly with songs.
In the free version, you can also change the playback speed from 0.7x to 1.5x. In paid format, the range is increased from 0.3x to 4.0x.
Look for all the files that are in your device with Lua Player – and the application will help you play them correctly and in the mode that is convenient for you.
Each of the presented applications has its own design, interface, features and even an operating system with which it can work. Some are a bit more versatile and support more formats, some a bit worse.
In any case, each of them does a great job and will help you play your video. Are you planning a long flight or just not having access to a computer? Then we suggest you download one of these applications to your smartphone, and then you won’t have any problems with viewing photos and videos.