Real Alternative 2.0.2

It bundles the RealMedia codecs, a DirectShow splitter and a copy of Media Player Classic so that .rm, .ra and .rmvb clips open instantly, without registration screens, background processes or upgrade nags.

It is important to be upfront before you download it. Real Alternative 2.0.2 was released in February 2010 and has not been updated since.

It is mature, stable software for a file format that has largely disappeared from the modern web, and the browser plugins it ships for Internet Explorer, Opera and Netscape no longer apply to any current browser.

If you are opening an old archive of .rmvb lectures, recorded streams or family videos, it still does exactly what it was built to do.

If you simply want a video player for everyday files in 2026, a maintained alternative will serve you far better, and the section below covers both paths.

What Real Alternative actually does

The whole point of Real Alternative was to decouple RealMedia playback from RealPlayer. Instead of installing RealPlayer with its advertising, account prompts and constant push toward a paid edition, you install a small set of codecs that let your existing player handle the format directly.

Once installed, Real Alternative plays RealAudio (.ra, .rpm), RealMedia (.rm, .ram, .rmvb, .rpx, .smi, .smil), RealPix (.rp) and RealText (.rt), as well as RealMedia content that was historically embedded in web pages.

The included DirectShow splitter and RealMedia codecs register system-wide, so any DirectShow-based player on the machine can read these files, not only the bundled one.

There are two editions. The standard package includes Media Player Classic so you have a working player immediately.

The Lite package omits the player for users who already run their own DirectShow player and only need the underlying codecs. The only difference between them is that bundled player - the decoding components are identical.

Known limitations (and why they matter less today)

Real Alternative carried a couple of long-standing limitations. Multi-part .smi and .smil clips only play their first segment in a standalone player, although they render correctly when embedded in a browser.

The RealMedia DirectShow splitter also has no support for streaming content, so live RealMedia streams require the bundled Media Player Classic rather than an arbitrary DirectShow player.

In 2026 these caveats are mostly academic. RealMedia streaming has been dead for many years, and almost everyone reaching this page has local files rather than live streams. For offline .rm and .rmvb playback, the package remains reliable.

What is inside Real Alternative 2.0.2

The 2.0.2 build contains a Media Player Classic 6.4.9.1 (revision 107) player, the RealMedia codecs (version 12.0.0.301), a RealMedia DirectShow splitter (1.3.1268.0) and the legacy RealMedia browser plugins.

Bear in mind that the player component here is the original 2010 Gabest build - the lineage has since moved on dramatically, which is exactly why the modern options below matter.

The better path for most users in 2026

If you genuinely have old RealMedia files, the most future-proof approach is not Real Alternative at all - it is a current, actively developed player that decodes RealMedia internally without any separate codec install:

• VLC Media Player plays .rm and .rmvb out of the box with nothing extra installed. It is open source, updated continuously and the single best recommendation for anyone with a handful of legacy Real files and no desire to touch system codecs.
• K-Lite Codec Pack is the maintained successor to the whole "alternative codec" concept. Its Mega edition historically integrated Real Alternative's functionality, and it ships a modern Media Player Classic - Home Cinema build plus LAV Filters that decode RealMedia alongside H.264, HEVC, AV1 and essentially everything else you will encounter.
• PotPlayer and KMPlayer are full-featured free players with built-in RealMedia support, suited to users who want a richer interface than Media Player Classic.
• MPC-BE is the actively developed continuation of the Media Player Classic line for users who specifically want that lightweight, no-nonsense player feel that Real Alternative originally delivered.

For the common scenario of "I have one strange file and I don't know what's in it", run it through the free Codec Finder first to confirm it is genuinely RealMedia before installing anything.

If you are weighing complete codec solutions against each other, the Codec Packs category page lays out the maintained options side by side.

Should you still download Real Alternative?

Download it if you specifically want the classic, self-contained Real Alternative behavior: a tiny 6.58 MB package, freeware, no adware, no background services, that registers RealMedia codecs and gives you a minimal player for an offline archive.

It has been downloaded over 37 million times and earned a 3.83 out of 5 rating across 154 reviews precisely because it did one job cleanly for over a decade.

Choose a maintained player instead if you want ongoing security updates, modern format support and a tool you will still trust five years from now.

For nearly all visitors that means VLC or the K-Lite Codec Pack; for fans of the original lightweight feel it means MPC-BE.

You can browse the full lineup on the Media Players page, and QuickTime Alternative is the natural companion download if you also keep old .mov files around.

Real Alternative 2.0.2 remains here, unchanged and virus-checked, for the users who still need it - with our honest recommendation that most people will be better served by something newer.