What are some common audio players?
Updated December 22, 2018
Many programs are available for playing audio files on Windows, Mac, and Linux-based systems. Since there are so many audio formats available, it is helpful to have more than one audio player on your computer. Below is a list of audio playback programs for the Windows, Macintosh, and Linux platforms.
Windows
| Company | Program | Extensions | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foobar2000 | Foobar2000 | n/a | Supports more than a dozen audio formats, gapless playback, and advanced tagging capabilities; includes tabbed playlists and customizable keyboard shortcuts; also known as "fb2k." |
| Microsoft | Windows Media Player | .WMA, .ASF | Microsoft media program that plays both audio and video files; included with the Windows operating system; plays Windows Media files and several other common formats. |
| MODPlug | MODPlug Player | .MOD | Audio module player for Windows that supports many module formats, including MOD, MDL, XM, S3M, 669, FAR, IT, NST, and PTM files as well as many others; also includes other features such as a graphic equalizer for adjusting the sound output. |
| MPC-HC Project | MPC-HC | n/a | Lightweight media player also known as "Media Player Classic - Home Cinema;" based on the Mplayer2 project; supports GPU-assisted decoding and plays all common audio and video formats. |
| Participatory Culture Foundation | Miro | n/a | Miro is a free open-source audio and video player that supports several audio file formats; it can be used to play both audio and video podcasts, as well as other types of streaming media. |
| VideoLAN | VLC Media Player | n/a | Compact multi-platform media player that plays audio and video files; supports nearly all uncompressed and compressed audio formats, including Ogg Vorbis files. |
Macintosh
| Company | Program | Extensions | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apple | iTunes | .MOV, .M4P | The most popular audio playback program for Mac; included with macOS and supports most major audio formats except for Windows Media and Real Media files; integrated with Apple Music and the iTunes music store. |
| Participatory Culture Foundation | Miro | n/a | Miro is a free open-source audio and video player that supports several audio file formats; it can be used to play both audio and video podcasts, as well as other types of streaming media. |
| VideoLAN | VLC Media Player | n/a | Compact multi-platform media player that plays audio and video files; supports nearly all uncompressed and compressed audio formats, including Ogg Vorbis files. |
Linux
| Company | Program | Extensions | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4Front Technologies | XMMS | n/a | Popular free audio player for Unix systems; plays MP3s, WAVs, MODs, and other audio file types using Input plugins; also supports Output, Effect, and Visualization plugins, as well as skins that customize the player's interface. |
| Amarok Project | Amarok | n/a | Audio player with a highly customizable interface that includes support for song lyrics; supports Last.fm radio streams, Ampache server connections, Librivox audio books, Magnatune music, and the OPLM Podcast Directory. |
| Banshee | Banshee Media Player | n/a | Music and video player that also supports podcasts; can sync media with multiple devices, including iPods, iPhones, and Android-based devices. |
| Kaffeine | Kaffeine - KDE Media Player | n/a | Media player for the K Desktop Environment (KDE); supports audio CD playback and several audio files types including MOD and STM files. |
| Participatory Culture Foundation | Miro | n/a | Miro is a free open-source audio and video player that supports several audio file formats; it can be used to play both audio and video podcasts, as well as other types of streaming media. |
| VideoLAN | VLC Media Player | n/a | Compact multi-platform media player that plays audio and video files; supports nearly all uncompressed and compressed audio formats, including Ogg Vorbis files. |