IINA

IINA is what most people install after their third argument with VLC. Underneath it is mpv, which is why it opens whatever you throw at it — odd containers, unusual codecs, half-downloaded files, a stream URL — and the front end is an actual Mac app rather than a port: proper full-screen behaviour, picture-in-picture, trackpad scrubbing, dark mode, a playlist sidebar that looks like it belongs. It will fetch subtitles for a file that arrived without them, and remember where you stopped.

Nothing is withheld behind a tier, because there is no tier. It is GPLv3, the source is on GitHub, and the catch is the usual one for volunteer software: releases come when contributors have time, so a bug can outlive your patience, and the deeper mpv settings still want a text file rather than a checkbox.

It is the wrong choice if what you actually want is a library. IINA plays a file you hand it; it will not browse your NAS, fetch artwork, or sync progress to an Apple TV. And if you already live in mpv's command line, the window is the only thing being added here. For everyone else with a folder of video and no wish to pay anyone, this is the default answer.