5 Excellent Movie Player Apps for Android

The stock video player installed in Android is pretty good and can play most formats but part of the fun of Android is having choice. More of us are using our phones to consume media and that includes movies and TV shows. If we want to make the most of faster devices and larger screens, we need movie player apps for Android that can make best use of that hardware.

Movie player apps come in all shapes and sizes. Some prioritize compatibility while others will concentrate more on playback or video quality. Finding an app that balances both of those is harder than it should be, which is why I have done the hard work for you. I have tried and tested all five of these movie player apps so you don’t have to.

Here is what I consider are five excellent movie player apps for Android.

VLC for Android

Not only is VLC the go-to video player for PC and Mac, it is also available on Android too. It plays almost every mainstream video format in use, is light on resources, free and also plays MP3 files at no extra cost. If you have used VLC on desktop, you will be instantly familiar with the layout and controls, making it a matter of seconds before you can begin consuming content.

VLC for Android will play locally stored content, streamed network content or internet streamed content. It’s all the same to this versatile little player. The UI is simple and uncluttered and offers easy access to main controls and features. It is a well-designed app.

Get VLC for Android here.

MX Player

MX Player is second to VLC in terms of quality, simplicity and compatibility with file formats. It can play most movie files at a high quality and works very well once installed. It supports pinch, zoom and a few more screen controls, includes a child lock for extra safety and even supports multi-core devices.

The UI is slick and keeps all the main controls front and center. It works well and usability is good. Where it falls down is in the lack of DTS and AC3 compatibility. This won’t matter if you use device speakers, but if you watch your media using good quality surround sound headphones, you may have an issue. Otherwise MX Player is a solid movie player for Android. There is also a Pro option but this costs $7 which is a little steep.

Get MX Player for Android here.

PlayerXtreme

PlayerXtreme is another movie player for Android that works right out of the box. It began life as an Apple movie player but made its way across to Android a while ago. It is small, light on resources and can work with the majority of common movie formats. It also plays nicely with subtitles and includes hardware acceleration capabilities.

PlayerXtreme is a powerful little app with lots of features and settings you can tweak to make it your own. It can play locally stored content, network streams or internet streams too. The UI is simple but effective, keeping all the most-used controls close to hand. Everything else is only a menu or two away.

Get PlayerXtreme for Android here.

MoboPlayer

MoboPlayer is another free movie player for Android that delivers on every count. It is light, installs and works well, playback quality is excellent and it is natively compatible with most common video formats. It does depend on software decoders rather than hardware but this does not seem to impact performance.

Like the other players in this list, MoboPlayer works with stored content and network or internet streamed content too. It has quite a few features and good audio quality. The UI is nice and usable. All controls are only every a tap or two away and everything is laid out logically. Overall, considering it is free, this is a fully featured player.

Get MoboPlayer for Android here.

KMPlayer

KMPlayer is our final video player for Android but last is definitely not least. This app is light on resources, works flawlessly, is compatible with most video formats, works with subtitles and all the usual features you would expect. KMPlayer is provided by Pandora and the quality shows.

KMPlayer plays locally stored media, network and internet streams. It also plays nicely with cloud storage for a little extra benefit. The UI is tidy and well laid out. Menus are fluid and easy to use and overall, the experience is a good one.

Get KMPlayer for Android here.

Those are five excellent movie player apps for Android. Got any others you like to use? Tell us about them below!