VLC
videolan/vlc
An open-source alternative to Windows media player.
VLC media player - plays everything, runs anywhere. Code here: https://code.videolan.org/videolan/vlc (from the repository)
- Stars
- 20,130
- Licence
- GPL-2.0
- Last push
- 2026-10-18
- Written in
- C
Is it alive?
Four readings from the repository, each with the rule behind it. No blended score.
Activity
Active
Last push 10 days ago
Active: pushed within 90 days. Slowing: within a year. Quiet: longer.
Releases
Ships untagged
No tagged release
Recent: a tagged release within six months. Some projects ship from the main branch and never tag.
Issues
Too few to say
0 open · 0 closed
Share of all issues ever filed that are now closed. Under 20 issues is too few to read.
Momentum
+131 in 9 days
20,130 stars
Change in stars across our daily readings, over up to 30 days. Needs a week of readings.
What a business may do with it
CopyleftGPL-2.0
Free to run in-house. Distribute it, or software built on it, and that source must be released under the GPL too.
This describes the licence family GitHub identified, not legal advice about this project. The repository’s own LICENSE file is what binds you.
Run it yourself
VLC’s README does not show a docker run, docker compose up or helm install in a code block, so this page will not guess one. It may be a desktop app, a library, or documented on its website.
VLC against the other open-source options
Every project offered against Windows media player, most-starred first.
| Project | Stars | Activity | Licence | Self-host | Language |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 MPV | 37,462 | Active | Not identified | ○ | C |
 VLC (this page) | 20,130 | Active | Copyleft | ○ | C |
Where this page comes from
- Stars, licence, activity, issues, releases and the self-host command are read from the repository. 2026-10-19
- The pairing with Windows media player and the category come from opensourcealternative.to, a community directory of open-source alternatives. We re-read it weekly.
- Star momentum comes from our own daily readings of the repository. How we collect data