If you’ve ever hit up the web to find an all-in-one player for your media collection, then you’ve probably heard of Kodi. Robust and flexible, Kodi offers an easy and efficient way to organize and view your entire media library on your computer, TV, phone, or tablet. With tons of customizable features and add-ons, it’s no surprise that this free, open-source software has become one of the most popular choices for streaming TV shows, movies, music and more.
Thinking of an alternative to Kodi, the first application that comes to mind is Plex. Plex is as good as Kodi in all terms. It is supported by almost all formats including Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, Nvidia Shield, Xbox, Amazon Fire Stick, ChromeCast, PlayStation etc. Plex is a media center similar to Kodi which organizes all your media contents like music, videos, movies and much more. Find the best programs like Kodi for Mac. More than 7 alternatives to choose: Plex, PS3 Media Server, Boxee and more.
So, if Kodi is so great, why would anyone look for Kodi alternatives? Well, no software is perfect, and Kodi certainly has its downfalls. For starters, some beginners struggle to get to grips with Kodi. Its user interface isn’t the most intuitive out there, and you may need to customize the software quite a lot to get it working how you want it to. On top of that, as Kodi grows ever popular, more and more of its add-ons are being targeted and shut down by the authorities. While the Kodi media center software is completely legal to use, many of the Kodi add-ons which allow users to access paid channels and free movies infringe on copyrights.
Since add-ons are one of Kodi’s most appealing features, these increasing court cases and prosecutions are a big downside. Thankfully, there’s no shortage of alternatives to Kodi out there. Whether you’re looking for Kodi alternatives for Firestick, PC, phone, or any other device, you’ll have plenty of options. Of course, with so many to choose from, it can be hard to figure out which one is right for your needs. That’s why we’ve put together a handy list of the best Kodi alternatives.
Take a look at our top choices below. Plex (for Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS) The first Kodi alternative on our list is also one of the most popular by far: Plex. At its core, Plex is very similar to Kodi. Both apps act as a media library for all your video, image, and audio files, allowing you to view them as and when you want to. However, while both Plex and Kodi serve similar purposes, they’re actually two very different media players. The main difference between Kodi and Plex is that Plex is a much better choice for users who want to be able to stream their media across multiple devices. With Plex, you can easily set up a server on your computer to host your media library, then access it from your mobile, tablet, or any other device with the Plex app.
![Kodi Alternatives For Mac Kodi Alternatives For Mac](/uploads/1/2/5/4/125407027/866554148.png)
While streaming between devices is possible on Kodi, it’s much more complicated to set up. Also, Kodi isn’t capable of transcoding media files, so you might run into compatibility errors if you try to stream certain videos or songs on your phone. Another benefit of Plex is that it’s very simple to use. As soon as you create your account, Plex will guide you in setting up a server with ease. However, one of the factors that make it easy to get to grips with is its lack of customization. There are no custom skins, for example, and no ways to organize your content by category like Kodi offers.
Whether you see this is a pro or a con depends on what you want out of a media player. Finally, if you have a lot of devices at home, one of the biggest benefits of Plex is that has apps for so many platforms.
![Mac Mac](/uploads/1/2/5/4/125407027/344792233.jpg)
This makes it one of the ideal Kodi alternatives for Roku and other set-top media players. In short, Plex is one of the best Kodi alternatives for Android, iOS, PC, and more if you’re a beginner, you’re looking for simplicity, or you want to access their media library from different devices or on the go. Stremio (for Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS) The next Kodi alternative on our list is Stremio. According to the Stremio developers, this software was inspired by both Kodi and Plex. However, despite being a popular alternative to Kodi, Stremio is quite different from these apps. While Kodi is designed to manage your whole media library, including home videos and personal photos, Stremio’s main purpose is entertainment.
Instead of trying to pack in as many features as Kodi offers, Stremio presents a more streamlined solution to watching TV shows and movies. All the app’s main features are centered on the video entertainment experience; you’ll find handy tools like trailers for each movie and even the ability to buy cinema tickets through the app. Aside from simplicity, one of the biggest benefits of using a more focused, stripped back app like Stremio is the lack of buffering. The more complex a media player is, the most slack occurs when streaming.
Stremio’s minimal features ensure that you can watch videos in smooth, crisp quality. Like Plex, Stremio is also simpler than Kodi in many ways. For example, installing Kodi add-ons can be complex for beginners who aren’t familiar with online repositories. With Stremio, on the other hand, you can quickly and easily install add-ons directly within the software. On top of that, Stremio add-ons are also far less likely to be shut down than Kodi add-ons. Since Kodi add-ons are all developed by small teams or individuals, it’s easy for copyright holders to take legal action against them.
Stremio add-ons, however, get their data directly from torrent websites. In order to take down a Stremio add-on, a copyright holder would need to win a court case against the entire website. So, if streaming your favorite TV shows and movies is what you’re looking for in a media player, Stremio could be right for you. It’s also one of the best Kodi alternatives for Firestick and other set-top media players, though you’ll need to put some work in to get it running. Emby (for Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS) Next up is Emby, a relative newcomer to the market.
First developed in 2013, Emby is more similar to Plex than Kodi. However, it’s still one of the best Kodi alternatives for Android, iOS, and computer. Emby’s library is its first strong point. Using the same server/client model as Plex, Emby allows you to set up a server on your computer and use it to access your media library from any other device.
The Emby library is very intuitive to understand, and it also has some good customizability options. For example, you can edit metadata (like artwork and descriptions) from inside the app for easier media organization.
Emby has tons more great features, but there’s one specific group of people who will benefit from it most: those looking to ‘cut the cord’ and escape from traditional cable subscriptions. That’s because it’s capable of streaming live TV as long as you have a digital antenna. While Plex is another Kodi alternative that supports live TV viewing, it doesn’t offer the feature for free. On Emby, you won’t have to pay to stream TV channels (although you will need a subscription to record broadcasts). Finally, one interesting thing to note about Emby is that it actually integrates seamlessly with Kodi. The Emby add-on for Kodi can import all your content from Emby if you ever decide to make the switch to Kodi or use the two apps simultaneously for the best of both worlds.
In short, Emby is a good middle ground between Kodi and some of its other alternatives. It’s great at managing media and makes organizing your movies, TV shows, and music a breeze, and it also offers some of the customisability options Kodi is loved for.
MediaPortal (for Windows) If you’re a Windows PC user, one Kodi alternative you might be interested in is MediaPortal. If you like Kodi’s user interface, you’ll probably like MediaPortal’s too. Both apps have similar navigation panels and clear controls. One advantage of MediaPortal, however, is that streaming your media library is more of an automatic experience. It’s much easier to find to your chosen audio, video, or photo files and play them on MediaPortal than it is on Kodi, where more manual work is needed. Like other Kodi alternatives on this list, MediaPortal can also be used to watch live television as well as your own collection of media. It’s a great choice for users who have a TV tuner for their computer and are looking to replace the insufficient software that came with it.
MediaPortal is definitely more than sufficient, and TV is where it really excels. With MediaPortal, you can pause and rewind live TV, view TV guides, and more right within the app.
Better yet, unlike some of the other suggestions on this list, MediaPortal also allows you to record your favorite shows. You can even save your favorite series regularly without any hard work that’s to the built-in record scheduling feature. All in all, if you were thinking of using Kodi to make your cord cutting dreams come true, you can’t go wrong with MediaPortal.
It’s a highly capable media player, and it’s less hands-on than Kodi. OSMC (for Vero, Raspberry Pi, Apple TV) We’ll close our list of Kodi alternatives with the last but not certainly least – OSMC. If your favorite thing about Kodi is the set-top media player “Kodi boxes” that plug straight into your TV and give you an instant home theatre platform, you’ll love OSMC.
The OSMC Vero 4K is one of best media player devices on the market. The cost runs higher than most Kodi boxes, but the Vero 4K makes up for its price with its features. It’s incredibly easy to use from the get-go, setting up your sources and importing our library in 10 minutes or less. Another area where OSMC excels over Kodi is add-ons. First of all, OSMC has its app store, which takes all the hassle and confusion out of installing add-ons. But better yet, on top of the OSMC apps, you’ll also be able to install any Kodi add-on you want to. OSMC runs on the Kodi framework, so all the community Kodi apps are compatible with it.
And, if you’re not keen on the Vero box, you can also run the OSMC system on your Raspberry Pi or AppleTV. All around, it makes a great Kodi alternative for people who want to stream media directly on their television. So, while Kodi is undoubtedly one of the strongest and most popular media centers out there, it’s clear that there are many other great competitors. When it comes to all-rounded solutions, the best Kodi alternatives combine Kodi’s best features (like its add-on library and customisability) with other benefits like easier setup and a more simple interface. While every Kodi alternative on our list is great, our recommendation is Plex. Anyone can get to grips with it, and it one-ups Kodi by allowing you to stream your media library on any device hassle-free.
It’s also one of the best Kodi alternatives for Roku, Firestick, and other set-top media players if you’re sick of the built-in operating systems. Of course, Plex isn’t perfect for everyone. If you have more specific needs in mind, don’t hesitate to try one of the more specialized options on this list, such as Stremio or OSMC.
That wraps up our list of Kodi alternative suggestions, but before we go, we’d like to leave you with one last tip: consider using a with your Kodi alternative. If you plan on using your media player to stream copyrighted media like TV shows and movies you didn’t pay for, you’re at risk of being caught and prosecuted by the authorities.
A VPN will reroute and encrypt all your internet traffic so your can’t see what you’re doing online, keeping you safe from trouble. The list of great VPNs is even longer than the list of great alternatives to Kodi, but we’d recommend trying., plus it has lightning-fast speeds that are capable of streaming your media library with no lag or buffering.
If you have experience with any of these Kodi alternatives, don’t forget to leave us a comment and share your verdict. Are there any options we’ve missed?
Feel free to share your favorite! Recommended reads.
Kodi-despite being amongst the more popular digital media players, Kodi has had its fair share of criticism. Its open source nature, customizability, and support for plugins had earned Kodi a lot of fans.
However, some users abused the freedom given by the developers and developed plugins to stream illegal content-like viewing pay per views, pirated movies, and other premium shows. The Kodi developers have not taken any action in derailing such activities, which has led to an isolation of sorts for the Kodi team. In this article, we will be looking at the best kodi alternatives and also understand the reason behind the immense popularity of Kodi. Kodi is an open source software supported on a wide range of operating systems like iOS, Linux, Mac OS X, Android, and Windows. Watching live TV, the latest Hollywood movies and TV shows are a few ways in which Kodi can be of service to you.
It basically allows users to watch most videos, music, podcasts, and other media files from your local and network storage media and also the internet. Another plus of Kodi is that it supports a wide variety of Audio and Video formats. There are lots of Add-ons available to enhance your Kodi experience.
You can also do a bit of customizing on the interface, to suit your taste. Thus Kodi has proven itself to be an incredibly versatile software. Still, if you are looking for what is better than kodi then you should check out below list of best kodi alternatives in 2018. Contents. Kodi Alternatives You Should Check Out Replacing a software as creative and versatile as Kodi is difficult, however, there are other applications which can serve a similar purpose. So let’s check out the list of the Kodi alternatives. (kodi alternative) Plex is the most popular kodi alternatives.
Both Plex and Kodi share similar roots, both being based on the XMBC. Plex enjoys robust community support similar to Kodi. Plex has a great user interface and is extremely user-friendly. While Plex may not suffocate you with its amount of features, it offers some killer features like remote and mobile sync, which lets you watch the content remotely on any device and sync the media for offline viewing. It also provides the option to share your library with others. Plex supports wide range of hardware and it offers a single database. Plex is available on popular gadgets like Apple TV, ChromeCast, Amazon Fire TV.
So unless you are into customizing and playing with features, Plex should serve you well. (Free) If the description is a Windows-based media-center with features similar to Kodi or better than kodi then MediaPortal is a perfect match.
You have the option of recording live tv and playing files available in your storage devices or disks. Media portal allows you to install plugins and has customization features akin to Kodi. By installing the proper add-ons you can stream media from the required services. The great user-interface is another reason why MediaPortal is so good at what it does. (better alternative to kodi) Just as the name hints, Stremio is an app where you stream content from your favorite services like Amazon, Netflix, Vudu, Youtube, Twitch etc.
Simply click play on the show you would like to watch and you are done. Stremio offers a torrent-streaming feature as well as live tv streaming. Stremio is easy to use and you can also build your custom library. You can sync the library on multiple devices which is another cool option Stremio provides. It is the most popular Kodi Alternatives.
Stremio users unfortunately can’t install the custom skins or builds which services like Kodi provide. Also the selection of add-ons is minimal. You May Like: 4. (Open Source) OSMC is a free and open source Linux based Kodi OS available on platforms like Raspberry Pi, Vero and Apple TV. All the Kodi add-ons are supported on OSMC. OSMC can play almost any media-format and the design is sleek and it’s fairly easy to use.
It supports Wi-Fi adapters and is compatible with a number of TV-tuners. However, the limited number of media-players supported by it is a drawback. Terrarium Tv (better than kodi) Terrarium Tv is an Android streaming app which lets you download and watch the latest TV shows and movies for free at full HD.
The interface is elegant and you can view the most popular shows on the menu. You also have the option to filter the shows and subtitles in your preferred language can be added. The parallel load mode can be used to load up source list even quicker by using parallel connections.
You can also change the video-quality to reduce data consumption. So you can add terrarium tv in the list of kodi alternatives. The content is streamed from Google Drive or Google Tv giving an extra layer of privacy.
You May Like: 6. Showbox (apps like kodi) Although not entirely in the mold of Kodi, Showbox is arguably the best streaming app available in Android. Showbox is also one of the best kodi alternatives. It allows you to watch the latest movies and TV shows for free and is quite similar to Netflix in terms of features. The library is huge and keeps getting updated regularly. You can download the media and watch them in offline mode as well.
The interface is easy and attractive. You also have the option to change the video resolutions. While it remains a native Android app, it can be used on Windows using the Bluestacks. Final Thoughts While Kodi has served us well for a long time, the controversy surrounding it and the arrival of other media-centers means it’s time to look beyond.
Each of the apps provided in the article has their own merits and demerits. However, in your quest to find the Kodi alternatives, these should suffice.