# IINA vs mpv Published January 1, 2026 · Updated August 10, 2026 IINA and mpv are both media players on a Mac, so the pick depends on workflow. Choose IINA for mpv power with a polished Mac-native interface. Choose mpv for the raw, minimal, fully scriptable cross-platform engine. As of September 2026, both install with brew install --cask iina and brew install --cask mpv. Re-verified August 2026: IINA 1.4.x and mpv 0.39.x are two interfaces to the same libmpv engine. IINA wins when you want mpv-grade playback with a native macOS shell that handles playlists, chapters, subtitles, PiP, and gestures out of the box. mpv wins when you want the engine itself: minimal, keyboard-driven, cross-platform, and scriptable without limits. Scores tie at 8.7/10 because each product is the best version of its own idea (polished Mac app versus composable reference player). Price is US$0 either way, so choose by workflow: hand IINA to anyone; live in mpv if you think in config files. ## Head to head | Factor | IINA | mpv | | --- | --- | --- | | Price | Free | Free | | Open Source | No | No | | Replaces | Movist Pro ($7.99) | Elmedia Player Pro ($20) | | Best for | video-player, media, mpv | video player, open source, media | | Install | brew install --cask iina | brew install --cask mpv | | Category | Media & Entertainment | Media & Entertainment | ## IINA Modern media player for macOS built with Swift Install: `brew install --cask iina` [IINA on Bundl](https://bundl.run/apps/iina) ## mpv Free, open-source, cross-platform media player with a minimalist interface and scripting support. Install: `brew install --cask mpv` [mpv on Bundl](https://bundl.run/apps/mpv) ## Features - **User Interface & Discoverability.** IINA wins for visual discoverability; mpv wins for distraction-free minimalism. - **Playback Engine & Format Support.** Identical engine lineage; mpv leads by hours-to-weeks, IINA follows via libmpv. - **Customization & Scripting.** mpv is the configurability ceiling; IINA trades a slice of that freedom for a polished shell. - **HDR, Tone-Mapping & Hardware Decoding.** Same engine capabilities; IINA surfaces them, mpv lets you tune every parameter. - **Playlist & Library Workflow.** IINA wins for queue-heavy viewing; mpv expects you to bring your own queue. - **Cross-Platform Parity.** mpv is the cross-platform pick; IINA is intentionally Mac-native. - **Pricing & Licensing (2026).** Both are free forever. Price does not decide this comparison. - **Apple Silicon & Tahoe 26.x Fit.** Both run on modern Macs; IINA feels more at home on macOS. ## FAQ ### Is IINA or mpv better on Mac in 2026? For most Mac users IINA is the better default: mpv's engine inside an Apple-native UI with a playlist drawer, HDR controls, PiP, and gestures, and no config file required on day one. Power users who live in the keyboard and terminal should take mpv for unrestricted config, Lua/JS scripting, and cross-platform parity. They share the same engine, so playback quality is the same. ### Does IINA use mpv under the hood? Yes. IINA embeds libmpv for decode, demux, and rendering (vo_gpu). That is why format support tracks mpv closely and why IINA can reuse mpv.conf, input.conf, and Lua scripts. mpv remains the upstream; IINA ships libmpv bumps via nightly/stable builds. ### How much do IINA and mpv cost? Both are free and open source with no paid tier. IINA is GPLv3 via GitHub/Homebrew cask; mpv is GPLv2+/LGPL via mpv.io/GitHub/Homebrew formula. Lifetime cost is US$0 either way. ### Do both support Apple Silicon and macOS Tahoe 26.x? Yes. IINA ships notarized Apple Silicon builds and tracks Tahoe 26.x fixes in nightly builds; mpv runs on Apple Silicon via VideoToolbox hardware paths and is functionally compatible with Tahoe 26.x. Install via Homebrew or direct download in either case. ### Which is better for HDR tone-mapping? Both expose mpv's vo_gpu tone-mapping. IINA puts it behind friendly toggles; mpv exposes every vo_gpu-next parameter for precise tuning plus user shaders. For most viewers IINA's defaults are correct; for videophiles mpv's configurability wins. ### Can I migrate my mpv config to IINA or vice versa? Yes. IINA reads mpv.conf, input.conf, and scripts natively, so migrating is largely copying files between ~/Library/Application Support/com.colliderli.iina and ~/.config/mpv. The migration guides in this page cover both directions. Expect to adapt PiP/gesture habits to keybinds when moving to naked mpv. ### When should I stick with VLC instead? If you need VLC's network streaming server features or its exhaustive compatibility edge cases beyond what ffmpeg/libmpv already covers, VLC still has a role. For local file playback on Mac, IINA or mpv now match or exceed VLC for HDR, scaling quality, and scripting, and many Mac users prefer IINA's native feel. ## Sources - [IINA, official site (macOS player on mpv)](https://iina.io/) - [IINA GitHub releases (iina/iina)](https://github.com/iina/iina/releases) - [Homebrew cask: iina](https://formulae.brew.sh/cask/iina) - [mpv.io, official mpv site](https://mpv.io/) - [mpv GitHub releases (mpv-player/mpv)](https://github.com/mpv-player/mpv/releases) - [Homebrew formula: mpv](https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/mpv) - [mpv manual, configuration, profiles, and scripting](https://mpv.io/manual/stable/) ## Related - [VLC vs IINA](https://bundl.run/compare/vlc-vs-iina) - [mpv vs VLC](https://bundl.run/compare/mpv-vs-vlc) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://bundl.run/#organization", "name": "Bundl.run", "url": "https://bundl.run", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://bundl.run/og-image.png", "width": 1200, "height": 630 }, "description": "The Ninite for Mac. 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