What Are Mac Media Apps?
Media apps cover audio and video playback, editing, conversion, recording and streaming. Mac is a popular platform for music production and podcasting.
How to Choose a Media App
Check format support first, then performance on Apple silicon. Free and open-source options are strong in this category, especially for playback and conversion.
Media Apps
Adapter
Free audio, video and image conversion software.
Free audio, video and image conversion software.
Aegisub
Open-source subtitle editor with timing and styling tools.
Open-source subtitle editor with timing and styling tools.
Ardour
Cross-platform audio software for multi-track recording and editing.
Cross-platform audio software for multi-track recording and editing.
Audacity
Free, open-source, cross-platform audio software for multi-track recording and editing.
Free, open-source, cross-platform audio software for multi-track recording and editing.
Audio Hijack
Record any application's audio, including VoIP calls from Skype, web streams from Safari, and much more.
Record any application's audio, including VoIP calls from Skype, web streams from Safari, and much more.
Audio Profile Manager
Audio device manager for saving input and output setups.
Audio device manager for saving input and output setups.
BeMyEars
Live captioning tool with on-device transcription and multilingual support.
Live captioning tool with on-device transcription and multilingual support.
BlackHole
Freemium, open-source virtual output/input audio driver for recording/routing internal audio.
Freemium, open-source virtual output/input audio driver for recording/routing internal audio.
Camera Preview
Preview your webcam, take photos, and use it as a mirror.
Preview your webcam, take photos, and use it as a mirror.
CapSoftware
An open-source alternative to Loom.
An open-source alternative to Loom. Beautiful, shareable screen recording tool.
Carol
A minimal and beautiful lyrics app for macOS.
A minimal and beautiful lyrics app for macOS.
ChessCafe
Animated 3D chess with three AI levels, multiple armies, and hot-seat multiplayer.
Animated 3D chess with three AI levels, multiple armies, and hot-seat multiplayer.
Cog
Free, open-source audio player.
Free, open-source audio player.
ConsoleMini
Controller-first big-picture launcher that turns a Mac mini into a PS1-PS4 + retro console (wraps DuckStation, PCSX2, RPCS3, shadPS4, PPSSP…
Controller-first big-picture launcher that turns a Mac mini into a PS1-PS4 + retro console (wraps DuckStation, PCSX2, RPCS3, shadPS4, PPSSPP, RetroArch, mGBA, Flycast).
Cronica
Cronica is a minimalistic watchlist app for all of your Apple devices.
Cronica is a minimalistic watchlist app for all of your Apple devices.
DaVinci Resolve
Editing, colour, VFX and audio post in one app, with a free version.
Professional video editing, colour grading, visual effects, motion graphics and audio post production in one application, free for 8-bit work up to Ultra HD with a $295 Studio upgrade for 10-bit, AI tools and higher frame rates.
Elmedia Player
Mac media player with wide codec support and one-click casting.
Mac media player that plays most video and audio formats without extra codecs and streams to AirPlay, DLNA and Chromecast devices.
Fader
Menu bar volume mixer with per-app volume, one-click output switching, and Bluetooth headphone control.
Menu bar volume mixer with per-app volume, one-click output switching, and Bluetooth headphone control.
ffWorks
Comprehensive Media Tool for macOS.
Comprehensive Media Tool for macOS. Making High Quality Video Encoding Accessible for Everyone.
FineTune
Per-app volume controller with multi-device output and 10-band EQ.
Per-app volume controller with multi-device output and 10-band EQ.
Fmusic
A fmusic is a open source music player on SwiftUI.
A fmusic is a open source music player on SwiftUI.
FreeTube
Open source desktop YouTube client built with privacy in mind.
Open source desktop YouTube client built with privacy in mind.
GarageBand
Digital audio workstation for recording and music production.
Digital audio workstation for recording and music production.
Gifski
Convert videos to high-quality GIFs.
Convert videos to high-quality GIFs.
HandBrake
Video transcoder for converting media to modern formats.
Video transcoder for converting media to modern formats.
Highball
Run Windows games on Apple Silicon through Wine, with the graphics layer (DXMT, DXVK or D3DMetal) chosen per game from an open compatibilit…
Run Windows games on Apple Silicon through Wine, with the graphics layer (DXMT, DXVK or D3DMetal) chosen per game from an open compatibility database.
Hydrogen
Professional yet simple and intuitive pattern-based drum programming for GNU/Linux.
Professional yet simple and intuitive pattern-based drum programming for GNU/Linux.
IINA
Native macOS video player built on mpv.
A native macOS video player built on mpv, with trackpad gestures, Picture in Picture, Live Text and a plugin system.
Jellyfin
The Free Software Media System.
The Free Software Media System.
JukeBox
A macOS app to view the currently playing song in the menu bar
A macOS app to view the currently playing song in the menu bar
Kaset
Native YouTube Music client for macOS.
Native YouTube Music client for macOS.
Kodi
Open-source media center for video, music, pictures, and more.
Open-source media center for video, music, pictures, and more.
LMMS
Open-source digital audio workstation for music production.
Open-source digital audio workstation for music production.
Logic Pro X
Professional digital audio workstation for music and audio production.
Professional digital audio workstation for music and audio production.
LosslessCut
Cross platform tool for quick and lossless video and audio trimming using ffmpeg.
Cross platform tool for quick and lossless video and audio trimming using ffmpeg.
LyricGlow
Synced lyrics player with word-by-word glow effects.
Synced lyrics player with word-by-word glow effects.
LyricsX
Lyrics for iTunes, Spotify and Vox.
Lyrics for iTunes, Spotify and Vox.
Lyrimuse
Word-synced desktop lyrics for Apple Music, Spotify, QQ Music, NetEase Cloud Music, Kugou and YouTube Music / Spotify Web in the browser.
Word-synced desktop lyrics for Apple Music, Spotify, QQ Music, NetEase Cloud Music, Kugou and YouTube Music / Spotify Web in the browser.
MacMusicPlayer
A clean, lightweight music player for macOS users.
A clean, lightweight music player for macOS users.
MacYTDL
A macOS GUI front-end for the youtube-dl video downloader.
A macOS GUI front-end for the youtube-dl video downloader.
Marker Data
The avant-garde Marker extraction application crafted for Final Cut Pro.
The avant-garde Marker extraction application crafted for Final Cut Pro.
Metadatics
Advanced Audio Metadata Editor.
Advanced Audio Metadata Editor.
Mixxx
The most advanced free DJ software.
The most advanced free DJ software.
Movie Catcher
Tool for finding, streaming, and offline downloading movies.
Tool for finding, streaming, and offline downloading movies.
Mp3tag
A powerful and easy-to-use tool to edit metadata of audio files.
A powerful and easy-to-use tool to edit metadata of audio files.
mpv
Free, open-source, and cross-platform media player.
Free, open-source, and cross-platform media player.
Museeks
A simple, clean and cross-platform music player.
A simple, clean and cross-platform music player.
MuseScore
Free, open-source music notation software.
Free, open-source music notation software.
MusicBrainz Picard
Cross-platform music tagger written in Python.
Cross-platform music tagger written in Python.
Musicer
A retro local music player that supports multiple formats and AI control.
A retro local music player that supports multiple formats and AI control.
Muxie
Last.fm scrobbler for Apple Music, Spotify Desktop, iPod Classic, Rockbox devices and some others.
Last.fm scrobbler for Apple Music, Spotify Desktop, iPod Classic, Rockbox devices and some others.
MyMedia
Display and watch your local movie and TV show library.
Display and watch your local movie and TV show library.
Natron
Open-source node-based compositing software.
Open-source node-based compositing software.
Nuclear
Streaming music player that finds free music for you.
Streaming music player that finds free music for you.
Omniplayer
Best media player on Mac, support almost all format.
Best media player on Mac, support almost all format.
OpenEmu
Retro game emulator frontend for multiple console systems.
Retro game emulator frontend for multiple console systems.
OpenShot
OpenShot Video Editor is an award-winning free and open-source video editor for Linux, Mac, and Windows, and is dedicated to delivering…
OpenShot Video Editor is an award-winning free and open-source video editor for Linux, Mac, and Windows, and is dedicated to delivering high quality video editing and animation solutions to the world.
Perian
(**No longer under active development**) ~~Let QuickTime play all the common formats of free plug-ins~~.
(**No longer under active development**) ~~Let QuickTime play all the common formats of free plug-ins~~.
Petrichor
Offline music player with broad format support, lyrics, playlists, and queue management.
Offline music player with broad format support, lyrics, playlists, and queue management.
Playback
Experimental video player.
Experimental video player.
PlayCover
Run iOS apps and games on Apple Silicon Macs with mouse, keyboard and controller support.
Run iOS apps and games on Apple Silicon Macs with mouse, keyboard and controller support.
Plug
Discover and listen to music from Hype Machine.
Discover and listen to music from Hype Machine.
Popcorn Time
Streaming app for browsing and watching torrent-based movies.
Streaming app for browsing and watching torrent-based movies.
Porting Kit
Install Windows® Games inside your Mac.
Install Windows® Games inside your Mac.
Potplayer X
a Video Audio Player.
a Video Audio Player.
PPSSPP
A awesome PSP emulator for any OS you can dream of!
A awesome PSP emulator for any OS you can dream of!
Pulp
Audio sample manager.
Audio sample manager.
Recordia
Record audio directly from the menu bar or with a global keyboard shortcut.
Record audio directly from the menu bar or with a global keyboard shortcut.
RPCS3
The Open-source PlayStation 3 Emulator
The Open-source PlayStation 3 Emulator
Ryubing
A fork of the discontinued Switch emulator, Ryujinx.
A fork of the discontinued Switch emulator, Ryujinx.
Sangeet
A beautiful audiophile music player with 10-band EQ, karaoke mode, and time-synced lyrics.
A beautiful audiophile music player with 10-band EQ, karaoke mode, and time-synced lyrics.
ScreenFlow
Screencasting and video editing software.
Screencasting and video editing software.
Segue
Broadcast audio playout with crossfade, trim, ramp timers, and pause beds for live radio and podcasts.
Broadcast audio playout with crossfade, trim, ramp timers, and pause beds for live radio and podcasts.
Shotcut
Free open-source video editor with 4K, 8K, HDR and 10-bit support.
Free, open-source cross-platform video editor for macOS, Windows and Linux, with 4K and 8K support, HDR, 10-bit colour, GPU image processing, subtitles and a large filter set.
Spotifly
Lightweight Spotify player focused on fast playback control.
Lightweight Spotify player focused on fast playback control.
SpotMenu
Spotify and iTunes in your menu bar.
Spotify and iTunes in your menu bar.
Stargate DAW
An all-in-one digital audio workstation (DAW) and plugin suite.
An all-in-one digital audio workstation (DAW) and plugin suite.
Stremio
Media center for movies, TV, live channels, and streaming sources.
Media center for movies, TV, live channels, and streaming sources.
Stringed 2
Music practice software designed to help users learn how to play their favorite songs.
Music practice software designed to help users learn how to play their favorite songs.
Suyu
A familiar, open source, and powerful Nintendo Switch emulator.
A familiar, open source, and powerful Nintendo Switch emulator.
Synfig Studio
Synfig Studio is free, open-source 2D animation software.
Synfig Studio is free, open-source 2D animation software.
SystemEQ for Mac
Free, open-source system-wide parametric equalizer with AutoEQ presets, hearing calibration, and real-time visualization.
Free, open-source system-wide parametric equalizer with AutoEQ presets, hearing calibration, and real-time visualization.
TickPlay
An offline music and video player for Apple Watch that stores your own files on the watch.
TickPlay is a standalone offline audio and video player for Apple Watch that keeps your own files on the watch, plays lossless FLAC, OGG and Opus alongside MP3 and M4A, and scrolls synchronized LRC lyrics — with no account, no cloud and no iPhone needed while you listen.
Tiny Player
As the name suggests, a tiny player.
As the name suggests, a tiny player.
trax
Music library manager with audio conversion and tag editing.
Music library manager with audio conversion and tag editing.
Tuneful
Controller for Spotify and Apple Music from the menu bar or mini player.
Controller for Spotify and Apple Music from the menu bar or mini player.
VidCrop
A simple video cropping tool that supports multiple formats and precise trimming.
A simple video cropping tool that supports multiple formats and precise trimming.
Vista Player
A local 4K video player for macOS with wide format and subtitle support.
Vista Player is a macOS video player that opens MKV, MP4, AVI, WebM, TS, FLV and MOV files with hardware-accelerated 4K HDR playback, M3U playlists and external subtitle support.
VLC
Free open-source player for most media formats.
A free, open-source media player from VideoLAN that plays most audio, video and streaming formats without extra codec packs.
VOX Player
High-definition audio player for Mac and iPhone.
High-definition audio player for Mac and iPhone. Music just sounds better!
Whisky
A tool for running Windows apps on macOS, built with SwiftUI and supporting D3DMetal and DXVK backends.
A tool for running Windows apps on macOS, built with SwiftUI and supporting D3DMetal and DXVK backends.
XLD
Tool to decode, convert and play various 'lossless' audio files.
Tool to decode, convert and play various 'lossless' audio files.
YouTube Music
Desktop player for YouTube Music with plugin support.
Desktop player for YouTube Music with plugin support.
YouTube Music Desktop
Free cross platform Desktop Player for YouTube Music.
Free cross platform Desktop Player for YouTube Music.
YPlayer
A multifunctional app for live captions, audio/video transcription, and subtitle translation.
A multifunctional app for live captions, audio/video transcription, and subtitle translation.