What is Winamp. Uses, Features, Opinions, Prices

Winamp It was the most popular media player in its time, until a few years ago, when it disappeared from the market, for reasons unknown. But in 2018, a new version came out, and with it, the promise of regaining lost popularity spots.

In this rebirth, Winamp attempts to become a one-stop application solution for all your media needs. You can play all types of audio and video files. This version is known as Winamp 5.8.

Winamp is one of the lightest and most powerful media players in the world. It is owned by Nullsoft and is available for free.

This software is mainly famous for its graphical displays, with many features, and has become a feature-rich media player for computer, with which you can also play videos.

What is Winamp

Winamp is a solid app, allowing you to play different types of files, be it audio or video. It has a built-in Shoutcast radio, which is very nice, and a Wi-Fi sync feature which may be one of its biggest selling points.

Winamp It also has one of the best media library features and skin options. It can be highly customized with extensions, features, and skins.

Winamp It can also associate all the files it supports, to itself if the user so desires. The best feature of Winamp is its customization, you can install plugins, skins and also album arts of your choice.

What can Winamp be used for?

The golden days of Winamp are over, it was even off the market since 2014, completely discontinued. It was in 2018 that its version 5.8 came out, which is currently available from its website.

However, this version of Winamp, the last one officially released, is full of bugs and has not received any updates since then, which clearly indicates that Winamp is not going through a good moment.

This version of Winamp works on any WindowsIt has the same customization features as its predecessors, and its own controls for music playback, with which it became famous in the 90s and 2000s.

With Winamp you can play audio files in format MP3, MP4, AAC, OGG and listen to all the music you have stored on your PC.

Well, in these times of Streaming, Spotify and similar services, it seems that Winamp doesn't have much to do. And maybe that's why they haven't bothered to update their version since 2018.

Winamp Features

Winamp was a very nice player among the players available. Winamp player has many features and is very good at what it does, music playback.

Among its main features, we can name:

• Winamp supports the following file types: MP3, MIDI, MOD, MPEG-1, AAC, M4A, FLAC, WAV and WMA.
• It is considered one of the best media libraries at the beginning of the 2000s.
• You can add album art and track tags without any problems.
• You can add plugins.
• It has a high level of customization.

The main part of the Winamp player is that we can add the theme that we are interested in having. This player offers a very simple and easy-to-use interface.

You can use any style and any skin that interests you. Winamp player is able to display the playlist editor and also shows album art and details of the songs that are downloaded and used. It is worth noting that this feature was a boom when it came out, as no player could do it.

Winamp player provides good support for audio playback than video playback option. It is great to use as audio player than video player.

If Winamp player does not support any particular type of video file, we can also easily download the additional components and use it in the player.

It is certainly a functional media player with very good features. There is a display option that opens a video screen with patterns and colors that move to the beat of the song.

One of the most important features of Winamp is its Wi-Fi synchronization, which makes it possible to send content from your PC to your device. Android, using a common Wi-Fi connection.

The process of syncing music between PC and mobile device is easy to understand, but not always reliable, as it is often interrupted. Also, uploaded copies are not delivered in full, and when you resend, files are duplicated.

This is one of the errors that Winamp still has since 2018 with its version 5.8 and that has not been updated to date.

You may also like The 7 Best Programs to Play Videos.

Advantages

• Personalization. Winamp is highly customizable through audio, video, and visualization plugins. These plugins include surround sound enhancements and 3D beat visualization software. It should be noted that this used to be a great advantage but the plugins are no longer available on the site.
• Different Skins. The most popular customization feature is the ability to create and apply custom skin interfaces. Many skins are based on common elements such as sports teams or music groups. This feature was groundbreaking at the time of the original release, as most media players had a standard interface, with no additional features. Version 5.8 has several pre-loaded skins, but you won't be able to scale up from there.
• Is light. Winamp is lightweight, weighing only a few megabytes, and installs quickly for immediate use. This program also takes up very little RAM.
• Is freeWinamp is a free program, and is available on its official site, version 5.8.

Disadvantages

• Lack of support. Winamp is very outdated as this version 5.8 was released in 2018, and only after being discontinued in 2014. Don't expect customer support if the software crashes.
• Limited resources. Nullsoft, the company behind Winamp, ceased operations in 2014. However, a European group has acquired Winamp and is currently looking to reinvent the product. Meanwhile, many of the resources that were available on the Winamp website are no longer available, such as plugins.
• Terrible video player. The video player leaves a lot to be desired.
• Worst timing. Various failures in connection and synchronization with other devices. This is understandable due to the lack of update.
• Poor audio quality. The reason for Winamp's lower audio quality compared to other modern audio players is that it uses outdated audio output interfaces (APIs). In fact, from Windows Vista onwards, the APIs that Winamp uses, such as DirectSound, WaveOut, are emulated in the software mixer for compatibility purposes, further moving the audio path away from the hardware.

Plans and prices

Winamp It is completely free and a version is available on their official website: Winamp.

It does not offer payment plans of any kind.

How and where to download Winamp

• Go to the official site of Winamp.
• Click on the orange button “Download".
• The installer download is very fast. After the file is downloaded to your computer, double-click to open it.
• This will open the installer. You can choose either the custom installation or the standard installation. There is no bloatware or additional programs, so choosing the standard installation is a safe option. Click “Next" to continue.
• This is where you can choose which skin or design you want as your default appearance. Choose the option you like and click “Next".
• In the next window you can choose the file types you want to associate with Winamp. When you are done, click “Finish”.
• Once the settings are saved, Winamp will start automatically.

How to set up a playlist in Winamp

After installing Winamp, you will be able to set up playlists for audio and video formats. The process is easy to follow.

• When you open the program for the first time, a pop-up window will open asking you to “Add media to the library”. Click it.
• This will open a folder tree. Find the folder where your music or movies are located and click “Add”. Using this method, you will add the entire folder to your playlist.
• You can also add individual files by simply dragging and dropping the file from the folder to the Winamp player.
• Once you have created your library, you can create as many playlists as you want and organize them as you like.

How to uninstall Winamp from Windows

If you are not enjoying Winamp, or want to try some more up-to-date Winamp alternatives, you can easily uninstall the program from your computer.

• Click on Menu, in the lower left corner of your screen, where the Windows logo is.
• In the window that appears, click on “Settings”, it has a gear symbol.
• A new window will open, click on the “Applications” section.
• In the next window, you will see a list of all the programs installed on your PC. Look for Winamp.
• Once you get it, click on Winamp, and the “Uninstall” button will appear just below it. Click on it.
• Done, Winamp is uninstalled.

After Winamp is removed, a final window will open to inform you that some folders were not deleted. You can choose to open and delete them as well. This is recommended.

Opinions from users who have used Winamp

Let's see some opinions from people who have tried Winamp.

• Vineeth Mathew:

“I have tried almost all other MP3 players but I was not happy with them all. Then I installed Winamp, it is great. It is easy to use and has all the options I am looking for.”

• Anonymous:

“I use it almost exclusively to play Shoutcast internet radio stations in the background.

Winamp itself uses almost no resources and doesn't conflict with anything. The sound quality and sound quality control are excellent. Winamp really redefines the meaning of “Beating the Llama!”

• Winamp 5666:

I love classic Winamp. I'm glad to see that Winamp is still available to install on my new PC. I enjoy its classic, clean format with its simple features. It contains all the information I want to know about the tracks in the top panel, an easy-to-use equalizer, and the playlist all on one screen.

The sound quality is very good, but perhaps a little less complete than that of Windows Media Player.”

• DD1999:

“Don’t download it! It’s a waste of time. It’s an outdated player, with many bugs and poor audio quality. It will only serve as a half-baked player.

I imagine the good reviews are very old, because this player is not worth it at the moment. If I could, I would give it zero stars.

Winamp Alternatives. The 5 Best of This Year

Are you looking for Winamp alternatives for Windows 10? Nowadays, users generally choose mobile phones to listen to music. However, there are many users who listen to music from PC.

On a mobile operating system like Android or iOSThere are many music player apps available in the store, which can significantly enhance the music listening experience. However, on Windows, there are limited options available.

Winamp seems to be a good option. Also, Winamp is one of the oldest music player programs available for the Windows operating system. However, it is very outdated so we present you some alternatives for you to download and compare.

1. Audacious

Like Winamp, Audacious It also supports a wide range of audio file formats like AAC, WAV, FLAC, etc. Audacious also supports plugins.

Using its plug-in support, the features of Audacious can be simplified to make it better. This feature makes it one of the best Windows media players that you should consider.

Its simple interface, lightness, and ease of use are important features when deciding to download it.

2.VLC

If you have been using the Windows operating system for a while, you probably know the media player well. VLCIt is a media player application that plays video or audio files.

The best thing about VLC is that it supports almost all popular media formats like MP3, MKV, AVI, etc. Moreover, it is available for Windows, MacOS, Linux and Android and iOS mobile platforms.

This player is simple, powerful, easy to use, customizable and you can download extensions if you need them. VLC is completely free, which is amazing in this day and age.

It is so popular that many have tried to take advantage of its name to spread malware. Therefore, it is recommended that you download it directly from its official website.

3 Spotify

Well, Spotify It needs no introduction as everyone probably knows it. It is one of the best music player apps available for Android, desktop and iOS.

Spotify Spotify is certainly an independent music streaming app that provides plenty of songs in its database. However, the free Spotify is very limited, and users need to subscribe to a Premium package to conveniently access the service.

Spotify is the reference platform for music playback worldwide today.

4.MediaMonkey

MediaMonkey MediaMonkey is another music player tool that is available for Windows operating system. If we compare it with any other music player for Windows PC, MediaMonkey offers a lot of features.

It uses some advanced algorithms to organize audio files based on Series, Artists, Albums, etc. If we talk about file compatibility, MediaMonkey supports a wide range of music file formats like WMA, OGG, FLAC, MP3, AAC, etc.

MediaMonkey is Available for Windows on its official website, and for mobile systems Android en Google Play. It is completely free.

5. Clementines

Clementine is another amazing or top-rated Winamp option on the list that you can consider. The best thing about Clementine is that it supports different services storage in the cloud like Spotify, Dropbox, Google drive etc.

Therefore, you need to play music files stored on those cloud platforms. Clementine can be used to listen to streaming music or podcasts.

FAQs

Let's look at some frequently asked questions regarding Winamp.

Is Winamp dead?

I'm not sure what the future holds for Winamp, but the latest version 5.8 was last updated in 2018. It's not dead yet, but it's unclear if we can expect any updates or improvements to this great media player.

Is Winamp safe?

It is safe as long as you download the software directly from the official Winamp website. Another important thing is that you do not use their browser, since this very outdatedness makes it unsafe.

Can Winamp 5.8 play FLAC files?

Yes, since the early days of Winamp, you can play FLAC files without any special plugins.

Does Winamp 5.8 allow multiple playlists?

Of course. You can create playlists for workouts, relaxation, entertainment, and more. There is no limit to the number of playlists.

Conclusion

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Winamp It was the gold standard in its time, and the one everyone wanted to beat in the world of playback software. Its popularity was impressive, and many even remember it with nostalgia, in the 90s and 2000s.

Today, Winamp is still available in its 5.8 version 2018. It is outdated, but many people download it believing that it will allow them to unearth those glory days.

However, in today's market, there are much more advanced, up-to-date and technology-compatible player softwares, and when comparing, we notice that Winamp is no longer competing.