Below are several free programs that could be your perfect Windows Media Player replacement. The number of formats that it supports is impressive. In addition to playing audio, video, and DVDs, VLC Media Player allows you to do advanced things that aren’t possible with Windows Media Player. For example, you can extract audio from video, convert between formats, and set up your computer as a streaming media server. VLC Media Player is available for Windows, Linux, Mac OS X, and other operating systems. Audio format support is excellent, and it can convert between formats using optional plug-ins. The program doesn’t need much memory compared to Windows Media Player, which can be a real RAM hog. Foobar2000 comes with advanced music tagging, which uses the Freedb service to add metadata automatically. The program has a built-in CD ripper for transferring your originals to digital music files. Foobar2000 is available for Windows 10, 8.1, 8, 7, Vista, XP (SP2 or newer), and iOS and Android devices. The free version has a robust set of built-in tools for playing and managing audio and video. Format support is exceptional, too, providing you have the correct codecs installed on your system. You can use MediaMonkey Free to automatically tag music files, add album art, rip CDs, burn media to disc, and convert audio files. There’s also a handy set of podcast options that allow you to subscribe and update your favorites. Media Money is compatible with Windows 10, 8, 7 Vista, and XP, Linux, macOS, iOS 11, and Android 8. The interface is user-friendly and, in some ways, it feels similar to Windows Media Player. The left pane gives you a quick way to choose music, podcasts, audiobooks, and radio. Another nice feature about the MusicBee GUI is that you can have multiple screens via menu tabs. It’s almost like using a web browser. MusicBee’s rich selection of audio options includes extensive data tagging, a podcast directory, an audio format converter, the ability to stream music from internet radio stations, and more. MusicBee comes with a CD ripper/burner, which is useful if you need to import music or archive to disc. With the Auto-DJ function, it’s possible to discover and create playlists based on your listening preferences. Overall, MusicBee is an excellent alternative to Microsoft’s WMP. It has more features and is user-friendly. MusicBee is available for Windows 10, 8, 7, and Android devices. Kodi excels when combined with some of the vast collection of compatible add-ons. These extensions add support for extra services such as games, lyrics, subtitles, and streaming sites. The number of add-ons is overwhelming, and it may take a while to configure them in the best way to work for you. Kodi is compatible with most virtual private networks that secure devices and prevent hacking. Kodi is available for Windows, Linux, macOS, Android, iOS, Raspberry Pi, and other operating systems. GOM Player’s unique claim to fame is its support for 360-degree VR videos. Use it to watch from up, down, left and right, and 360 degrees around using the keyboard or mouse. Other advanced features include screen capture, playback speed control, and video effects. The player can be customized with skins and advanced filter controls. GOM Player is available for Windows 10, 8.1, 8, 7, Vista, Android, and iOS. There’s also a beta version for macOS.
