Best HEVC Players

As technology has evolved, there have been a lot of different file types in the world of video, including HEVC files. What is a HEVC video? This stands for High Efficiency Video Coding and to be able to play one of the HEVC files, you need a HEVC video player. We explore the best HEVC player options in this guide that can open and run the codec of the file and ensure the compatibility to watch HEVC videos.

VLC is one of the top media players in the world and can be found on millions of devices. Being a freeware option, many people download this app to handle their video files with different codecs and video file formats. Users who are looking to find out how to open HEVC files may look to download something that is specifically made for the file, but this isn’t always necessary. VLC is designed to be compatible with hundreds of different file types and reduces the need to convert files. In terms of HEVC, the software can play files up to 60 FPS since Version 2.1 when this compatibility was added.

VLC’s team are working voluntarily or relying on donations, so it doesn’t get as much work in terms of support and upgrades when compared to some paid software. Some people playing HEVC files have reported issues like dropped frames and lag.

MPV is a similar option to VLC designed to play a lot of different file types. Versions are available for Windows 10 and Windows 11 as well as Mac and Linux builds, so users can install this on a wide range of devices. Being free and open-source, it is popular for people who don’t want to spend money on a player or converter. It is also very lightweight and straightforward.

Some users have said that MPV may have problems with some of the decoding, and it fails at times when they are trying to play 4K videos as HEVC files, something that doesn’t seem to be a big problem in 1080p videos.

DivX is another player option that people may choose as their HEVC viewer. The software has had over one billion downloads, which shows that it is incredibly popular. It is able to play HEVC files on both Mac and Windows computers and is popular for HEVC decoding as it supports hardware acceleration.

It can quickly and easily render the videos and allow you to play it in high quality. The player has a smooth fast-forward and rewind and can slow down or speed up video playback. Also, you can easily add subtitles for your videos in HEVC if required. The paid Pro version provides extra features, like HD audio and surround sound, and also allows compatibility with Google Drive.

5KPlayer is another popular player option on our list that’s very easy to use since it offers a simple layout. This x265 player has lots of different functionality to play videos in HEVC sub codecs, including those that are Apple native or the files created on drones and some careers. It is pretty straightforward to use and can even play up to 8K videos. If you have a disc drive, it can also play specific DVDs.

PotPlayer is software that isn’t quite as well-known as options like VLC, but does a similar job in terms of playing files. It is a little more clunky to use and doesn’t have such intuitive controls, but it can play videos in HD. The player supports 3D content and Blu-ray movies as well as SD videos.

It does have some simple editing functions inbuilt, so if you want to change the video’s length or trim it to send to somebody else, this is also possible.

PowerDVD is designed to level up the viewing experience for people who care about having HD video experiences and using things like specific audio equipment. PowerDVD is paid software which has positives and negatives for users. With the paid version, users get a lot of features and functionality, and the software is also regularly updated. Plus, the player does have a free trial so users can work out how well they get on with it before choosing to pay.

Additionally, this app supports 8K resolution and Blu-ray playback as well as Dolby audio. It can also do some level of HDR upscaling in an aim to further enhance the watching experience for those who opt for PowerDVD. This software focuses on users who love video as well as audiophiles who want a full, immersive system. If you were to set up a home theater, this kind of software can be helpful, and the ability to view videos like HEVC videos can make a big difference to the functionality. However, if you’re just wanting to convert or watch a video, this could be overkill.

MPC-HC can offer an extremely lightweight and simple solution if you want to open a HEVC file but aren’t too fussed about advanced features. The software has good compatibility and unlike a lot of the free options on the market, it allows you to download and run it without having to put up with any adverts.

Unfortunately, as is the case with a lot of freeware, this is no longer being supported. This means if there is a problem or it crashes, there’s not much you can do about it. Developers aren’t working on updates or fixes for bugs in this software.

HEVC Video Player X is simple software that can be downloaded directly from the Microsoft Store. It only works on Windows devices but can be a good way to access files within a HEVC codec or wrapper file. It has very high reviews and many users report that some of the issues they have experienced with other players aren’t in place with this one, as it can recognize all kinds of HEVC files and variations (there are a few file types within the HEVC wrapper).

This software is totally free, which is a big plus point. No trial versions or ads to support it. Though focusing on HEVC, it is a multimedia player software tool and has a powerful video and audio codec library. So this software can play a lot of file types, including 4K and 8K HEVC videos, meaning people can even enjoy their files in UHD file types.

This is another HEVC player option that can be installed directly as a plugin within Chrome. H.265 / HEVC player is a video player that uses libde265 to play the HEVC content and does a decent job of playing files even when some other software types have struggled. Some users have reported some issues like frames dropping, which can get very frustrating. This is especially prevalent on older machines.

It may not be the top choice in terms of features and functions, this player is very limited. However, it is a good option to access videos that have been recorded in HEVC files. If you want to do things like edit the videos then this won’t give you the option to do so, but it is a simple Chrome add-on which means it is simple to use.

This HEVC media player is designed to help people to get the most out of the file type. As well as allowing people to open HEVC files, it also allows conversion of HEVC files. MP4 files can be turned into HEVCs or vice versa. There are limited options for other file formats and not a lot of support if you run into problems, but for a free solution it has fairly good features. The HEVC player also works as a media viewer so that users know how to play HEVC files on their device with ease.

In terms of compatibility, the HEVC Player & Converter only really works with MP4 and HEVC files, and it only works on Android devices. This means that it is only a solution for users with a very specific set of criteria. However, Android users who want a free way to convert and play videos on their devices, can try this app out.

One of the options to avoid compatibility issues is to convert your files instead. Movavi Video Converter allows users to convert a wide range of different video types. This means that instead of having to find a specific player for a file type, it is possible to simply convert it and retain the quality in the process. Movavi Video Converter not only allows converting a huge number of different files, but it also has some basic editing functions.