NOVA beside the players you know
VLC, mpv and MPC-HC are mature, widely used players; NOVA has just had its first release. This table compares what can be stated from each project's own pages, and nothing it can't.
Facts about other players were taken from their official pages on 2026-10-16 and are numbered to their source. Cells we did not check say so. NOVA's cells carry their test status. NOVA is not affiliated with any of these projects, and it is built on mpv's library.
| Criterion | NOVA | VLC | mpv | MPC-HC |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Availability | Released: 0.1.0 for Windows, 2026-10-16. Tested on one machine.Partial | Released; current version 3.0.24 for Windows.[1] | Released; developed in public on GitHub.[4] | Maintained fork since 2017; not accepting feature requests for now.[6] |
| Platforms | Windows only, by design. x64; tested on Windows 11.Partial | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Apple TV, ChromeOS, BSDs and more.[1] | Linux, Windows 10 1607+, macOS 10.15+.[4] | Windows 7 to 11.[6] |
| Licence | Code: MIT OR Apache-2.0, source on GitHub. The 0.1.0 installer is GPL because of its bundled engine.Decided | Free and open source; most VideoLAN software is GPLv2.[2] | GPLv2 or later; LGPLv2.1 or later with -Dgpl=false.[4] | GPLv3.[6] |
| Playback engine | libmpv (mpv's library) with FFmpeg decoders.Verified | VLC's own engine.[1] | mpv; usable as a library through its C API.[3] | DirectShow player with internal codecs from LAV Filters.[6] |
| Interface | A full app: Home, Library, player deck, Settings, Daylight and Night.Verified | A full graphical interface.[1] | No full GUI; a small on-screen controller, command line and scripts.[3] | A classic Windows interface.[6] |
| Resume playback | Automatic for titles over 60 seconds, across restarts; moved files keep progress.Verified | Not checked for this page. | Off by default; --save-position-on-quit or Shift+Q.[5] | Not checked for this page. |
| Tracking statement | No account, telemetry or analytics code. Network traffic has not been captured to prove it.Partial | “No spyware, no ads and no user tracking.”[1] | Not stated on the pages checked. | Not stated on the pages checked. |
Choose something else if…
You need something proven.
NOVA 0.1.0 is a first release, tested on one machine. VLC, mpv and MPC-HC have years of releases behind them.
You're not on Windows.
NOVA is made for Windows only, by design. VLC runs on nearly everything; mpv runs on Linux, Windows and macOS.
You stream from the network.
NOVA plays local files. The engine's web fetching is switched off, and network sources are not part of this version.
You want scripts and config files.
NOVA runs its engine with user scripts and outside config files switched off. mpv itself is built for exactly that kind of control.
Where NOVA aims to be different: a calm library and player for local files that remembers where you were, says exactly what the engine decoded, and explains files it can't play, with every claim on this site tied to a test.See the evidence