react-native-video vs react-native-video-player
React Native Video Libraries Comparison
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react-native-videoreact-native-video-playerSimilar Packages:
What's React Native Video Libraries?

React Native video libraries are essential tools for integrating video playback capabilities into mobile applications built with React Native. These libraries provide developers with the functionality to play, pause, and control video content, enhancing user engagement and experience. They support various video formats and streaming protocols, allowing for seamless playback across different devices. The choice between these libraries often depends on specific project requirements, such as customization needs, ease of use, and additional features like controls and overlays.

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react-native-video260,5477,411906 kB171a month agoMIT
react-native-video-player7,148598215 kB112 months agoMIT
Feature Comparison: react-native-video vs react-native-video-player

Customization

  • react-native-video:

    react-native-video offers extensive customization options, allowing developers to create a tailored video playback experience. You can customize controls, overlays, and even the video rendering process, making it suitable for complex applications that require specific functionalities.

  • react-native-video-player:

    react-native-video-player provides a more limited set of customization options. It comes with pre-defined controls and a simple interface, making it easier to implement but less flexible for advanced use cases.

Ease of Use

  • react-native-video:

    While react-native-video is powerful, it has a steeper learning curve due to its extensive features and customization capabilities. Developers may need to spend more time understanding its API and configuration options.

  • react-native-video-player:

    react-native-video-player is designed for ease of use, with a straightforward API that allows developers to quickly integrate video playback into their applications. This makes it an excellent choice for rapid development and prototyping.

Performance

  • react-native-video:

    react-native-video is optimized for performance and can handle high-resolution videos and streaming efficiently. It provides features like buffering and adaptive bitrate streaming to enhance playback quality under varying network conditions.

  • react-native-video-player:

    react-native-video-player is also performant for standard video playback but may not handle high-resolution or adaptive streaming as effectively as react-native-video. It is suitable for basic use cases where performance demands are moderate.

Community and Support

  • react-native-video:

    react-native-video has a larger community and more extensive documentation, which can be beneficial for troubleshooting and finding examples. The active community contributes to regular updates and improvements, ensuring the library stays relevant with new React Native versions.

  • react-native-video-player:

    react-native-video-player has a smaller community and less extensive documentation. While it is still supported, developers may find fewer resources and examples available for troubleshooting.

Feature Set

  • react-native-video:

    react-native-video boasts a comprehensive feature set, including support for various video formats, advanced playback controls, and integration with other libraries for enhanced functionality, such as analytics and event tracking.

  • react-native-video-player:

    react-native-video-player offers a more basic feature set, focusing on essential playback functionalities. It is suitable for applications that do not require advanced features or extensive customization.

How to Choose: react-native-video vs react-native-video-player
  • react-native-video:

    Choose react-native-video if you need a robust and highly customizable video player that supports a wide range of video formats and offers extensive features like buffering, seeking, and full-screen support. It is ideal for applications that require detailed control over video playback and integration with other components.

  • react-native-video-player:

    Choose react-native-video-player if you prefer a simpler, more straightforward implementation for basic video playback needs. This package provides a ready-to-use video player with built-in controls, making it suitable for projects that require quick setup and minimal configuration.

Similar Npm Packages to react-native-video

react-native-video is a popular library for playing videos in React Native applications. It provides a comprehensive set of features for video playback, including support for various video formats, customizable controls, and the ability to handle streaming content. With its robust API, developers can easily integrate video playback functionality into their mobile applications, making it a go-to choice for many React Native projects.

One alternative to react-native-video is react-native-video-player. This library builds on top of react-native-video and provides a more user-friendly interface with enhanced features such as built-in controls, full-screen support, and customizable styling options. If you are looking for a solution that simplifies the implementation of video playback while offering a polished user experience, react-native-video-player is an excellent choice. It is particularly useful for developers who want to quickly set up video playback without diving deep into the complexities of the underlying video player.

For a detailed comparison of these two packages, you can visit: Comparing react-native-video vs react-native-video-player.

Similar Npm Packages to react-native-video-player

react-native-video-player is a customizable video player component for React Native applications. It provides a simple interface for playing videos, along with built-in controls, making it easy to integrate video playback functionality into mobile apps. While react-native-video-player is a great option for video playback, there are other libraries in the React Native ecosystem that offer similar capabilities. Here are a few alternatives:

  • react-native-video is a widely-used video player component for React Native that supports a variety of video formats and streaming protocols. It offers extensive customization options, allowing developers to create a tailored video playback experience. With support for features like fullscreen mode, playback controls, and event listeners, react-native-video is suitable for applications that require robust video playback capabilities. If you need a flexible and powerful video player that can handle different video sources, react-native-video is an excellent choice.
  • react-native-video-controls is a library that builds on top of react-native-video, providing a set of customizable video controls. This library allows developers to easily add playback controls such as play, pause, seek, and volume adjustments to their video players. If you are already using react-native-video and want to enhance the user experience with intuitive controls, react-native-video-controls is a great addition to your project.

To see how react-native-video-player compares with react-native-video and react-native-video-controls, check out the comparison: Comparing react-native-video vs react-native-video-controls vs react-native-video-player.

README for react-native-video

React Native Video Component

The most battle-tested open-source video player component for React Native with support for DRM, offline playback, HLS/DASH streaming, and more.

🔍 Features

  • 📱 Plays all video formats natively supported by iOS/Android
  • ▶️ Local and remote playback
  • 🔁 Streaming: HLS • DASH • SmoothStreaming
  • 🔐 DRM: Widevine & FairPlay (See free DRM stream example)
  • 📴 Offline playback, video download, support for side-tracks and side-captions (via optional SDK)
  • 🎚️ Fine-grained control over tracks, buffering & events
  • 🧩 Expo plugin support
  • 🌐 Basic Web Support
  • 📱 Picture in Picture
  • 📺 TV Support

✨ Project Status

| Version | State | Architecture | |---------|-------|--------------| | v5 and lower | ❌ End-of-life Commercial Support Available | Old Architecture | | v6 | 🛠 Maintained (community + TWG) | Old + New (Interop Layer) | | v7 | 🚀 Active Development | Old + New (Full Support) |

react-native-video v7 introduces full support for the new React Native architecture, unlocking better performance, improved consistency, and modern native modules.

📚 Documentation & Examples

🚀 Quick Start

Install

# Install dependencies
yarn add react-native-video

# Install pods
cd ios && pod install

Usage

import Video from 'react-native-video';

export default () => (
  <Video
    source={{ uri: 'https://www.w3schools.com/html/mov_bbb.mp4' }}
    style={{ width: '100%', aspectRatio: 16 / 9 }}
    controls
  />
);

🧩 Plugins

Offline SDK Preview

1 · 📥 Offline SDK

Enable offline streaming with full control over downloads, license lifecycle, secure storage, and media access.

  • Track selection (bitrate, audio, subtitles)
  • Pause / resume & background queueing
  • Expiration & auto-cleanup
  • Built for Android & iOS
  • → Read the SDK Docs

2 · 🧪 Architecture

Write your own plugins to extend library logic, attach analytics or add custom workflows - without forking the core SDK.
→ Plugin documentation

💼 TWG Services & Products

| Offering | Description | |----------|-------------| | Professional Support Packages | Priority bug-fixes, guaranteed SLAs, roadmap influence | | Issue Booster | Fast-track urgent fixes with a pay‑per‑issue model | | Offline Video SDK | Plug‑and‑play secure download solution for iOS & Android | | Integration Support | Hands‑on help integrating video, DRM & offline into your app | | Free DRM Token Generator | Generate Widevine / FairPlay tokens for testing | | Ready Boilerplates | Ready-to-use apps with offline HLS/DASH DRM, video frame scrubbing, TikTok-style video feed, background uploads, Skia-based frame processor (R&D phase), and more | | React Native Video Upgrade Guide | Common upgrade pitfalls & how to solve them |

See how TWG helped Learnn ship a world‑class player in record time - case study.

Contact us at hi@thewidlarzgroup.com

🌍 Social

📰 Community & Media

  • 🗽 React Summit US – How TWG helped Learnn boost video performance on React Native.
    Watch the talk »

  • 🧨 v7 deep dive – Why we’re building v7 with Nitro Modules Watch on X »

  • 🛠️ Well-maintained open-source library - What does it truly mean? - Bart's talk for React Native Warsaw Watch here »

  • 📺 “Over the Top” Panel - Building Streaming Apps for Mobile, Web, and Smart TVs - Bart giving his insights on the industry Watch here »

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