Thank you for your response.

You’ve got a valid point here. Currently, macOS has a few famous media player apps. IINA, VLC, and GOM (still beta).

Neither of those apps exists on the AppStore. Some host their download link on GitHub, while the rest rely on their hosting solutions.

While I’d like to believe the website that hosts its app is safe and doesn’t use any trackers or invasive cookies, unfortunately, most of them rely on your data. At a minimum, they record your telemetry data.

I believe any form of data collection, whether they’re linked to you or not, is wrong.

If those corporations truly value Mac users, they’d host their apps on the AppStore. The regulations of the AppStore are harsh, and it makes me feel safer to get their apps from there.

Granted, the AppStore isn’t perfect, and it has scam apps, but when you compare it to the other places, it’s far safer than the rest. By the way, a quick look at an app’s page shows what information they collect about you.

I’d believe that VLC, IINA, and the rest of the self-hosted media players are safe once they can be downloaded from the AppStore.