saasrankedSoftware, ranked on the facts

media player · SMPlayer project

SMPlayer

Free, open-source video player with built-in codecs, DVD playback and subtitle search.

43/100

#7 of 12 media players
Facts checked 9 Oct 2026

In short

SMPlayer suits people who want a free, open-source player on Windows, macOS or Linux, with DVD playback and built-in subtitle search1,2,6. The catch: the vendor's pages do not name HDR or hardware decoding on Windows1,10, and its privacy policy covers only the website9.

Best for: People who want a free player for Windows, macOS and Linux with subtitle search.

Where the points come from

Systems6 of 12
Video13 of 31
Streams, audio and library4 of 25
Ads and privacy8 of 20
Price12 of 12

Systems 6 of 12 points

RuleWhat is publishedPoints
Other systemsmacOS, LinuxThe vendor's site has macOS disk images (Intel and Apple Silicon) and Linux packages. It offers no Android or iOS download2,4,5.6 / 12

Video 13 of 31 points

RuleWhat is publishedPoints
Disc playbackYesThe supported-formats page lists DVD, including encrypted DVD, as input6.5 / 5
No codec pack neededYesThe home page says SMPlayer has built-in codecs and needs no external codecs1.6 / 6
Hardware video decodingNot publishedNot published for Windows. The mpv page names hardware decoding only as VAAPI, VDA and VDPAU10.0 / 7
HDR playbackNot publishedNot published on the vendor's home page or mpv page1,10.0 / 5
Subtitle featuresSubtitle search in the playerThe home page says SMPlayer searches and downloads subtitles from opensubtitles.org. External files, embedded tracks and ASS are not named1.2 / 8

Streams, audio and library 4 of 25 points

RuleWhat is publishedPoints
Network streamsHTTP or HTTPS URLs, RTSP or RTMPThe formats page lists streaming via HTTP/FTP and RTP/RTSP. It names no HTTPS, HLS or DLNA; counted HTTP as the URL line6.4 / 8
Audio featuresNot publishedNot published on the vendor's home or mpv pages; only a video equaliser is named1,10.0 / 8
Media libraryNot publishedNot published on the vendor's home page, which says only that it remembers settings per file1.0 / 6
Plugins or add-onsNot publishedThe home page names only an optional YouTube search plugin and skins, not a way to add plugins1.0 / 3

Ads and privacy 8 of 20 points

RuleWhat is publishedPoints
Open-source appsYesThe GitHub repository lists the GPL-2.0 licence, and the home page says SMPlayer is free and open source1,7.8 / 8
No ads or bundled offersNot publishedNot published on the vendor's download and installer pages3,8.0 / 8
States no trackingNot publishedNot published for the player. The privacy policy covers only the website9.0 / 4

Price 12 of 12 points

RuleWhat is publishedPoints
Price of the player$0The home page offers SMPlayer as a free download; donations are optional1,11.12 / 12

The rule behind each line: how we score media players.

Plans and prices

As the vendor lists them, before tax. Prices are in US dollars unless the plan shows euros; the points use US dollars, with euros converted at the ECB rate.

PlanPrice as listedPer monthNotes
SMPlayer1 personFree1,11$0Free software; donations are optional

Strengths

  • Free software under GPL-2.0, with the source on GitHub1,7.
  • Plays DVDs, including encrypted discs6.
  • Built-in codecs, so no codec pack is needed1.
  • Downloads for Windows, macOS (Intel and Apple Silicon) and Linux3,4,5.

Limits

  • No Android or iOS download is offered2.
  • The vendor's pages do not name HDR playback or hardware decoding on Windows1,10.
  • Subtitle formats and embedded tracks are not described; only subtitle search is named1.
  • The privacy policy covers the website only and says nothing about the player9.

Other media players

  1. 1
    VLC media playerPeople who want one free player for any file, with no ads
    86/100
    $0price of the player
  2. 2
    KodiPeople who want a free, open-source player with a library and add-ons
    76/100
    $0price of the player
  3. 3
    mpvPeople who want a free, scriptable player and are fine without a built-in library
    67/100
    $0price of the player
  4. 4
    PotPlayerWindows users who want many playback settings in a free player
    60/100
    $0price of the player

All 12 media players

Sources

  1. SMPlayer: Free Media Player with built-in codecs, SMPlayer. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
  2. SMPlayer downloads, SMPlayer. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
  3. Download SMPlayer for Windows, SMPlayer. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
  4. Download SMPlayer for macOS, SMPlayer. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
  5. Download SMPlayer for Linux, SMPlayer. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
  6. Supported formats and codecs, SMPlayer. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
  7. smplayer-dev/smplayer, GitHub. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
  8. SMPlayer Windows installer, SMPlayer. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
  9. SMPlayer privacy policy, SMPlayer. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
  10. SMPlayer and mpv, SMPlayer. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
  11. Contribute to SMPlayer, SMPlayer. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
  12. SMPlayer v26.8.29 release, GitHub. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.

Website: www.smplayer.info · Markdown version · We are not affiliated with SMPlayer project.