Free Open Source Player Recommendations
There are many excellent free open source M3U8 players to choose from, suitable for different use cases and platforms.
Web Players
video.js is the most popular open source video player, supporting the HLS protocol. hls.js is a JavaScript library specifically for HLS that provides support for browsers that don't natively support HLS.
Desktop Players
VLC Media Player is a free open source desktop player supporting almost all video formats, including M3U8. PotPlayer is another excellent choice with rich features.
Mobile Players
VLC and MX Player on Android, and Infuse and nPlayer on iOS all support M3U8 playback, with some requiring payment for full functionality.