Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Windows Media Player VS foobar2000

Compare Windows Media Player VS foobar2000 and see what are their differences

Windows Media Player logo Windows Media Player

Get information about Windows Media Player and other Windows Media technologies.

foobar2000 logo foobar2000

An advanced freeware audio player for the Windows platform.
  • Windows Media Player Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-12-13
  • foobar2000 Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-13

Windows Media Player features and specs

  • User-Friendly Interface
    Windows Media Player is known for its simple and intuitive interface, making it easy for users to navigate and manage their media libraries.
  • Integration with Windows
    As a built-in application in Windows operating systems, it offers seamless integration and compatibility with other Windows features and services.
  • Wide Format Support
    The player supports a wide range of audio and video formats, ensuring that most media files can be played without the need for additional codecs.
  • Library Management
    It provides robust library management features, allowing users to organize, categorize, and tag their media files easily.
  • CD Burning and Ripping
    Windows Media Player includes built-in features for burning CDs and ripping tracks from CDs, making it convenient for users to manage physical media.

Possible disadvantages of Windows Media Player

  • Limited Format Support for Some Files
    Although it supports many formats, there are some less common or newer formats that it does not support natively without additional plugins.
  • No Longer Actively Developed
    Microsoft has shifted focus away from Windows Media Player to newer applications like Groove Music and the Movies & TV app, which means fewer updates and new features.
  • Resource Intensive
    On older systems, Windows Media Player can be resource intensive, potentially slowing down other processes and applications.
  • Basic Feature Set
    Compared to other modern media players, Windows Media Player lacks advanced features such as extensive customization, visualization plugins, and streaming capabilities.
  • Limited Cross-Platform Support
    Windows Media Player is primarily designed for Windows operating systems and does not offer support for other platforms such as macOS or Linux.

foobar2000 features and specs

  • High Customizability
    Foobar2000 allows for extensive customization through themes, plugins, and advanced settings, enabling users to tailor the interface and functionality to their specific needs.
  • Wide Format Support
    The player supports a broad range of audio formats including MP3, AAC, WMA, FLAC, WAV, and many others, ensuring compatibility with most audio files.
  • Lightweight and Efficient
    Foobar2000 is designed to be lightweight and efficient, consuming minimal system resources, which makes it a good choice for users with less powerful hardware.
  • Advanced Features
    The player includes advanced features such as gapless playback, ReplayGain, and customizable keyboard shortcuts, catering to power users and audiophiles.
  • Active Development and Community
    Foobar2000 has a strong, active development team and community, providing regular updates and a wealth of user-created plugins and themes.

Possible disadvantages of foobar2000

  • Steep Learning Curve
    New users may find the interface and extensive customization options overwhelming, leading to a steep learning curve.
  • Basic Default Interface
    The default interface is quite plain and may not be visually appealing to users seeking a more modern or advanced look without additional customization.
  • Limited Native Features
    While highly customizable through plugins, the out-of-the-box functionality may be limited compared to some other media players, requiring users to invest time in finding and installing plugins.
  • Windows-Centric
    Foobar2000 is primarily designed for Windows, with macOS and mobile versions lacking some of the advanced features available on the Windows platform.
  • No Built-in Streaming Services
    Unlike some modern media players, Foobar2000 does not natively support popular streaming services, which might be a drawback for users looking to integrate streaming within their media player.

Windows Media Player videos

Windows Media Player Review

More videos:

  • Review - Best Alternative to Windows Media Player
  • Review - Windows Media Player 7 review

foobar2000 videos

Z Review - My Foobar2000 Setup Video

More videos:

  • Review - Foobar2000 - The Best Music Player

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Windows Media Player and foobar2000)
Media Player
37 37%
63% 63
Audio Player
31 31%
69% 69
Music Player
20 20%
80% 80
Audio & Music
38 38%
62% 62

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Windows Media Player and foobar2000

Windows Media Player Reviews

Best VLC Alternative Media Players
This Windows media player allows users to move to the next and previous frame. If you wish to scrutinize some details on your video you can literally watch it frame by frame. This is also possible with VLC, but it does not support moving to the previous frame, just the next one.
The Best Top 5 Free Alternatives to Windows Media Player
Compared with some other free media players, obviously, Windows Media Player has seen better days. Now, there are many other free media players that have so many brilliant features to meet peoples' demands. So if you are tired of Windows Media Player, why not give other media players a run? In the following article, we will introduce to you the top 5 best alternatives to...
12 best free MPC-HC Alternatives in 2020
Gather and share the best music with friends and family using Windows Media Player to copy and distribute the content.

foobar2000 Reviews

10 Best Poweramp Alternatives for Android (FREE) 2023
Apart from that, Foobar2000 supports almost all of the music formats and codecs out there, which makes this app highly compatible.
Source: techonation.com
The best free music players 2021: organize, tag and enjoy your music collection
Rather than flashy skins, foobar2000 features a customizable modular interface that gives you the information you want in a format that's convenient for you. Modules include album art, search box, playlist manager and various visualizations, with optional tabs for easier navigation. Custom layouts can be saved as themes for future use, and you can experiment with different...
10 Best Winamp Alternatives for Windows 10
If you are searching for a lightweight and easy-to-use Winamp replacement for Windows 10, then foobar2000 might be the best pick for you. Guess what? foobar2000 supports a wide range of audio codecs like MP3, AAC, WMA, OGG, etc. Apart from that, it was the user-interface that makes the app stand out from the crowd.
Source: techviral.net
Best Windows 10 Music Player Apps for PCs in 2019
While Foobar2000 was pushing forwards with a Windows Store app to complement its existing Win32 offering, that project seems to have stalled thanks to low user count. The "proper" app is still very much alive and kicking and is both powerful and customizable.
The best free music players for Windows PCs
Don’t let the basic interface fool you into thinking this isn’t worth your time. You can customize its look however you want, and play anything from MP3s and WMA to Musepack, Speex, and even rarer formats with the right plug-ins. There are also extensive tagging abilities and full support for keyboard shortcuts, which makes Foobar2000 a great piece of software for managing...

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, foobar2000 seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 3 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Windows Media Player mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Windows Media Player yet. Tracking of Windows Media Player recommendations started around Mar 2021.

foobar2000 mentions (3)

  • For those who've recently switched from Windows to Mac, what's the one app you miss the most?
    Foobar2000. There is no macOS music player that comes close; QuodLibet almost hits the spot, but that's a very large "almost". Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Girl with blow up costume really whips the llama's ass
    Putting WinAmp nostalgia aside, have you heard of https://foobar2000.org? Source: over 2 years ago
  • This man thought opening a TXT file is fine, he thought wrong
    I would 100% agree if it weren't for the existence of the music player foobar2000. Both share similar design goals. But foobar takes it a step further by making the entire UI completely user customizable with a simple built in editor. All without sacrificing speed, compactness, or usability. Source: about 4 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Windows Media Player and foobar2000, you can also consider the following products

VLC Media Player - VLC is a free and open source cross-platform multimedia player and framework.

AIMP - AIMP : Free Audio Player : Официальный сайт программы

Winamp - Winamp is a media player that allows users to play multiple-file formats, arrange media in a varied file-management system, and play unique media with AAC encoding.

MusicBee - While iTunes might be the benchmark music organizer and player app, MusicBee is a strong alternative that many prefer.

Miro Player - Miro is a popular, free, and open internet TV application. It brings video channels from thousands of sources and has more free HD than any other platform.

KMPlayer - KMPlayer is a freeware and supporting 36 different languages with 300 million users globally. PCKMPlayer is a freeware and supporting 36 different . ConnectKMP Connect allows you to connect your.