Best External Player Apps

250+ iOS apps curated and reviewed

4.5 avg rating
20 free apps
Updated September 2026

From beginner-friendly picks to power-user tools, our external player list covers 250+ iPhone apps updated through September 2026. Compare ratings, prices, and screenshots in one place.

Compare top External Player Apps (September 2026)

#AppPriceRatingAdsIn-App PurchasesUpdated
1VLC media playerVLC media playerFree3.7★ (5.8K)NoNoSep 2026
2MX Player- Video Player*MX Player- Video Player*Free4.5★ (4.3K)NoYesSep 2026
3Video Player : All-in-OneVideo Player : All-in-OneFree4.5★ (734)YesYesSep 2026
4Smarters Player LiteSmarters Player LiteFree4.8★ (440K)YesYesSep 2026
5QS Media PlayerQS Media PlayerFreeNoNoMay 2026
6MX Video Player HDMX Video Player HDFree4.5★ (30K)NoYesSep 2026
7Mira PlayerMira PlayerFreeNoNoSep 2026
813e player13e playerFreeNoNoJun 2026

Top Picks for External Player

3.7😐(5.8K ratings)
FreeIn-App Purchases
#36in Photo & Video
VLC media player screenshot 1
VLC media player screenshot 2
VLC media player screenshot 3
VLC media player screenshot 4

Play virtually any video or audio file directly without conversion. Stream media from cloud services, network servers, or the web. Offers advanced subtitle support and playback controls.

What We Love

  • 🚀 Plays everything
  • 👍 Great for offline media
  • 🔒 No ads or subscriptions
  • 🚀 Convenient file transfer
  • 👍 Customizable playback

Room to Improve

  • 🐛 Buggy after updates
  • 🔋 Drains battery
  • 👎 Confusing UI/UX
  • 🐛 Unreliable network streaming
  • 👎 Lacks basic features
MX Player- Video Player*#2

MX Player- Video Player* by Sakib Musharraf

Fast Player - Media Manager
Strong Contender
📷 Photo & Video
4.5😞(4.3K ratings)
FreeIn-App Purchases
MX Player- Video Player* screenshot 1
MX Player- Video Player* screenshot 2
MX Player- Video Player* screenshot 3
MX Player- Video Player* screenshot 4
MX Player- Video Player* screenshot 5
MX Player- Video Player* screenshot 6

This app is a versatile media player and manager that supports a wide range of video and audio formats. It offers features like subtitle support, multi-audio playback, and a secure media library with passcode protection. Easily play all your mobile and gallery content with an optimized user interface.

What We Love

  • 👍 Ease of use
  • 🚀 Fast download and playback

Room to Improve

  • 🐛 Speed control issues
  • 🐛 Crashes on certain devices
  • 🐛 Limited features
  • 🐛 Ads interrupting playback
4.5😐(734 ratings)
FreeAdsIn-App Purchases
Video Player : All-in-One screenshot 1
Video Player : All-in-One screenshot 2
Video Player : All-in-One screenshot 3
Video Player : All-in-One screenshot 4
Video Player : All-in-One screenshot 5
Video Player : All-in-One screenshot 6

This app is a comprehensive media player supporting all major video and audio formats, including 4K playback. It offers advanced features like subtitle support, picture-in-picture mode, gesture controls, a built-in music player, and smart video editing tools. Additionally, it includes a video downloader and manager for seamless media handling.

What We Love

  • 👍 User-friendly
  • 🚀 Plays various video formats
  • 💡 Good video playback options
  • 👍 Convenient file transfer

Room to Improve

  • 🐛 Crashes and bugs
  • 🔍 Lack of folder management
  • 📺 Aspect ratio issues on external displays
  • 💸 Too many ads

More External Player apps to explore

FAQ about External Player

What are the best external player apps for iPhone?
VLC media player tops our external player apps ranking as of September 2026, with a 3.7-star average from 5.8K App Store ratings, and it's free to download.
Yes — 20 of the top external player apps we rank are free to download, including VLC media player and MX Player- Video Player*.
VLC media player has no ads and has no in-app purchases, according to its App Store listing as of September 2026.
We track 250+ external player apps on the iOS App Store as of September 2026, ranked by rating, recency, and analysis of real user reviews.
VLC media player is a free and open-source application that can play virtually all video and audio files directly without requiring conversion. It also supports streaming from various cloud services, network servers, and the web, along with advanced subtitle features and playback controls.
Key features include the ability to play all media formats without conversion, file synchronization with popular cloud services like Dropbox and Google Drive, streaming from network servers (SMB, FTP, UPnP/DLNA), advanced subtitle support with full SSA compatibility, multi-track audio, playback speed control, and Chromecast rendering.