Best AVI Player for Mac: 5 Greatest Players

Nataliia Paraskeva Sep 16, 2021

Playing AVI on Mac is difficult due to the fact that QuickTime doesn’t support the format. This problem is easily solved - the following 5 Mac video players excel at AVI playback. They offer even more - countless features, settings and their own unique UI. With this many different options, it’s easy to select the one you want.

Top choice

Elmedia Player Free

4.5 Rank based on 119503+ users, Reviews(11950)

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1. Top Mac AVI Player - Elmedia Player

Elmedia is the best Mac AVI Player. All the codecs, subtitles, playlists, screenshots, playback controls - this AVI player for Mac has so much to offer. And it doesn’t stop at AVI - FLV, MOV, MKV and SWF are also playable in Elmedia. And you can expect full compatibility with external tracks, with audio and subtitle delay adjustment.

But that’s not all you’ll find in this AVI player for Mac. If you purchase Elmedia PRO, you’ll gain unlimited DLNA, AirPlay 2 and Chromecast streaming, a video tuner feature and a customizable 10-band equalizer.

Top Features of Elmedia Player

Universal format compatibility
Options to customize video, audio, subtitles and playback
Streaming that’s easy to use
External audio and subtitle support
Playlist saving and bookmark creation

Pros

Easy to use with a convenient UI
Will play almost anything
Offers countless customization options
Streams to DLNA, AirPlay 2, Chromecast

Cons

Mac exclusive
Pro upgrade needed to unlock every feature

2. Free Mac AVI Player

When it comes to completely free players, this is possibly the best Mac video player out there. It’s simple - just playback controls and a limited number of settings - but it can open nearly anything, including Blu-ray and DVD. And it is also fully capable of HD playback, which often causes issues in other free players.

Top Features of FMAP

Supports AVI, Blu-ray, DVD
Can play HD video

Pros

Simple and compact
Works flawlessly

Cons

Very few features

3. Cisdem AVI Player for Mac

Cisdem is the best video player for Mac when it comes to secondary features, since it’s capable of file conversion and YouTube downloads. Otherwise unremarkable, this player is very stable, and it will definitely handle high-fidelity media, including Ultra HD and 5K. It has a nice user interface, and only uses a small amount of system resources.

Top Features of Cisdem

Plays AVI, even in Ultra HD
Converts media files
Downloads from YouTube

Pros

Unique mix of functions
Capable of high-resolution playback

Cons

Audio, video and subtitles are not customizable enough

4. Omni Player - AVI Video Player for Mac

True to its name, Omni Player is compatible with most media formats, including AVI. With its capabilities to configure audio, video and subtitles while the track is playing, it’s a nice way to open AVI file on Mac. It also allows you to compose playlists, with the ability to shuffle or repeat them if you wish.

Top Features of Omni Player

Fully configurable video and audio
Playback options, such as shuffle and repeat
Playlist support

Pros

Many formats supported
All necessary settings available
Also has a browser extension

Cons

In-App purchases required to access the whole app

5. VLC - Play AVI on Mac for Free

It’s hard to beat this Mac AVI player. It can do pretty much anything - as long as you know where to find the setting. At the same time, this is its main issue - so many settings and menus, it’s hard to find the thing you need. Nonetheless, VLC is a very versatile player, and completely free to use.

Top Features of VLC

Full playback control
Network streaming
Countless settings

Pros

Completely free
Broad functionality
Most codecs supported

Cons

Hard to use
Documentation not always available

What is an AVI?

The Audio Video Interleave format is an old proprietary Microsoft container format, which suffers from many limitations - primarily, from the lack of subtitle support. It has largely been superseded by modern formats like MP4, WMV or MKV, which offer reduced file overhead and more features. AVI support is only necessary for old files, which you may want to preserve in their original form.

Advantages:

It’s worth keeping your old files in AVI, since conversion can cause corruption or quality loss.

Disadvantages:

Large file overhead;
Doesn’t support subtitles or variable bit rate;
Limited metadata overall;
Restrictive license;
Many superior formats available.

Comparing the Players

Still in doubt on what to use as your AVI viewer Mac app? The above-mentioned players are compared side-by-side in the following table. See all their features in the context of other apps!

Scroll to view more


Features	VideoDuke	Elmedia	Free AVI Player	Cisdem	OmniPlayer	VLC
Supports popular video formats	Supports popular video formats	yes (AVI, FLV, MKV, MP4, WMV, MOV, DAT, M4V, MPG.)	yes (AVI,MP4,MOV)	yes (MKV, AVI, FLV, AVCHD, WMV, etc.)	yes ( AVI, MP4, FLV, SWF, WMV, MKV, M4V, etc. )	yes (MKV, MP4, VOB, WMV, MPG AVI, etc.)
Supports popular audio formats	Supports popular audio formats	yes (MP3, WMA, FLAC, MKA, OGG, AAC)	yes (MP3, M4A)	yes (MP3, OGG, ACC, WMA, AIFF)	yes (AAC,FLAC, MP3, WAV, WMA, etc.)	yes (AAC, AC-3, FLAC, MP3, ALAC)
Streams local files to TV	Streams local files to TV	yes (PRO)	no	no	yes (PRO)	yes
Video format conversion option	Video format conversion option	no	no	yes (PRO)	no	yes
Audio Equalizer	Audio Equalizer	yes	no	no	yes	yes
Screen recording feature	Screen recording feature	no	no	no	yes (PRO)	yes
Allows AVI chapter navigation	Allows AVI chapter navigation	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes
Free versions	Free versions	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes

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How do I play AVI files on my Mac?

Elmedia Player allows you to play AVI on Mac for free.

Download Elmedia Player from thе website.
Install Elmedia Player. Open the app.
Locate your file in Finder, drag it over to the Elmedia icon in the Dock.
You can now watch the AVI file.

Why can't I play AVI files on my Mac?

Playing AVI in QuickTime is impossible, since it lacks the codecs. More compatibility can be found in other media players, such as Elmedia, or you can make the files compatible by converting them to MP4.

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Elmedia Player Free

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Requirements

Requirements: OS X 10.12+

Latest version

Latest version: v8.17(3393), released 29 Nov, 2023 Release notes