Replacement for Adobe Flash Player for Mac

Flash SWF & FLV player was discontinued over a year ago. Since then, many apps have sprung up to fill the gap left by Adobe. That includes BlueMaxima’s Flashpoint and browsers like Photon or FlashFox. If you need a Flash Player for Mac, there are plenty of solutions that’ll let you launch SWF apps. HTML5 is also worth considering. In this article, you’ll find the best alternatives to Adobe Flash Player.

Adobe Flash Player replacement for Mac – Elmedia Player

Elmedia Player can open local Flash files

Elmedia: universal video player

Requirements: macOS 10.12+

Version: v8.9(3203), Released 21 Oct, 2022 Release notes

Category: Video

Elmedia Player is the ideal tool for anyone looking for an effective alternative to Adobe Flash Player. Elmedia can handle a wide range of different file types such as MPEG, guaranteeing that you can make use of it as an SWF player, as well as many other file formats such as MOV, FlV, MP4, M4V, MKV, and WMV.

As a desktop app, it offers far more security and privacy than you’d get with an extension. Elmedia has been designed as an efficient tool for HD viewing a wide range of different media types, letting you access your content in seconds. It also provides support for a range of different options such as subtitles and lets you compile screenshots to tag videos. Plus, it can broadcast playlists directly to your Chromecast device.

How to open Flash file on macOS using Elmedia

The list of other alternatives to Flash Player in 2022

HTML5

HTML5 has basically taken the place of Adobe Flash Player. Adobe actually had an opportunity to start working with HTML5 back in 2011, but as the technology was still fairly basic, they passed on the opportunity. Today, HTML5 has become the primary alternative to Adobe Flash Player for Firefox and other browsers. Adobe has caught up with their own Adobe Animate CC, which lets users publish in HTML5.

Pros

• Efficient, quick, less laggy
• Easy to learn
• No proprietary software needed to create applets.

Cons

• Limited selection of apps and games at the moment
• If used incorrectly, lag and long loading times are possible.

Supported browsers: Firefox, Chrome, Edge, Safari, most other modern browsers

Ruffle

Ruffle works in the form of an emulator and is an ideal Adobe Flash Player alternative. Again, it’s an open source program, meaning that a range of different developers have contributed to it, and it’s available to users completely free. It also benefits from letting you emulate a number of different browsers which, while not essential, can definitely be useful.

Pros

• Provides a Flash browsing experience in 2022
• Unaffected by the Adobe Kill Switch
• Works both for files and for web pages.

Cons

• Independently developed and supported
• Could shut down with insufficient funding or motivation.

Supported OS: Windows, macOS, Linux, a web client is also available

Lightspark

Lightspark is an open source program, meaning that you can make use of it without having to pay any fees. It was designed as an alternative to Adobe Flash Player or Android and other operating systems, making use of CessaryC+++, and supports most of the formats that have been developed by Adobe. It’s a reliable alternative player that benefits from the freedom provided by the open source format.

Pros

• Fully portable
• Works on any architecture (including x86, AMD64, ARM).

Cons

• No desktop client on Mac.

Supported OS: Windows, Linux, cross-platform browser plugin

SuperNova

SuperNova functions as an extension, meaning that you simply need to get it from the Chrome store and add it to your browser. It works as an alternative to Adobe Flash Player for Chrome, letting you view any files as well as playing Shockwave Flash games. It’s a simple choice, letting you carry out the basics with no difficulties.

Pros

• Easy to install, no setup required
• Works on most systems.

Cons

• Limited to a browser add-on
• Minimal features and options.

Supported browsers: Chrome

BlueMaxima’s Flashpoint

Flashpoint is another alternative to Flash Player that you may want to look into. It’s less of a player or emulator, and more of a database of popular Flash games. It holds over two thousand animations on 13 platforms, meaning that if you’re simply looking for a way of viewing some of your favorite Flash content, it could be a good option.

It doesn’t quite fall into the category of the other options we’ve looked at, but it’s still a good choice if your preferred content is in their list.

Pros

• Massive library of games and apps
• Many different versions of Flash Player
• Optimized for individual games, customizable
• Frequent updates, active community.

Cons

• Large download size
• Some learning may be necessary before use.

Supported OS: Windows, macOS, Linux (under Wine or in a VM)

FlashFox Browser App

Some mobile solutions excel so much that they are ported to desktops. And this Flash Player replacement is no exception. FlashFox can be launched on Windows and Mac in an Android wrapper. It has the downsides you’d expect from a Play Store app - ads and a lack of plugins. But it’s still useful, opening flash games in their default web environment, with tabs, logins, and cache.

Pros

• Freely available on Android, Windows and Mac
• Runs SWF without the need to download.

Cons

• Contains Google Ads
• Designed for mobile browsing, poorly adapted to desktop.

Supported OS: Android, Windows, macOS

Lunascape

This cross-platform browser has enough features out of the box to rival mainstream web apps with add-ons. For instance, ad blocking is a default option, and you don’t need to install ABP or uBlock Origin. Lunascape excels as an Adobe Flash Player alternative, providing on-page playback. The Mac version of Lunascape is an iPad port, but you won’t notice this due to its excellent quality.

Pros

• Fully free browser with a great feature set
• Flawless Flash support.

Cons

• No official plugin library.

Supported OS: iOS, Android, macOS, Windows

It’s a shame that Flash Player is set to be phased out. For decades it was one of the most popular and versatile multimedia players around, alongside others such as VLC. However, as we’ve pointed out, there’s no shortage of alternatives for Adobe Flash Player options out there.

We recommend Elmedia Player as the best of them. As it functions as a stand alone program, rather than an extension, and doesn’t require codecs, it benefits from updates and increased security. It’s also worth using for much more than just playing SWF or FLV files. Elmedia can handle a huge range of different audio and video files, making it the ideal player for just about anyone. Available in both free and PRO versions.