VLC media player vs foobar2000
Both are free media players tools. Here is how they actually differ.
VLC media player and foobar2000 at a glance
| Feature | VLC media player | foobar2000 |
|---|---|---|
| Developer | VideoLAN | Peter Pawlowski |
| Licence | Open Source | Free |
| Cost | Free | Free |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | No |
| Mobile | Yes | No |
| Source code | Public | Closed |
VLC media player: what it's good at
VLC is the universal media player: it plays essentially every audio and video format in existence with its codecs built in, so you never install a codec pack again. It also handles network streams, DVDs, incomplete downloads and basic conversion.
- Plays almost every audio and video format
- No external codecs required
- Streams network and online media
- Completely free with no ads or spyware
foobar2000: what it's good at
foobar2000 is a famously efficient audio player favoured by people with large, carefully tagged music libraries. Its interface is austere by default but can be rebuilt almost completely, and its tagging and conversion tools are outstanding.
- Very low memory and CPU usage
- Powerful batch tagging and file conversion
- Fully customisable interface layout
- Gapless playback and ReplayGain
Which should you choose?
Both are free, so the honest answer is that you can install either and decide for yourself — that is the advantage of free software over a paid trial.
Both run on Windows, macOS. Only VLC media player supports Linux, Android, iOS. If open source matters to you, VLC media player publishes its source code and foobar2000 does not.
We deliberately do not publish a star rating for either. We have no way to verify a rating that would be honest at scale, and an invented one would be worse than none — so we give you the facts and let you decide.
Frequently asked questions
Is VLC media player better than foobar2000?
Neither is universally better. VLC media player plays virtually any media file, on any platform, with no codec packs, while foobar2000 extremely lightweight, endlessly configurable audio player. The right pick depends on your platform and workflow.
Are both really free?
VLC media player is open source and foobar2000 is free. Both can be downloaded without paying.
Can I install both?
Yes. Since neither costs anything, installing both and comparing them on your own files is usually the fastest way to decide.