“Best when the screen is across the room and your media library is under your control.”
At a glance
| Replaces | Apple TV app, Windows Media Center |
|---|---|
| Open-source license | GPL-2.0+ |
| Privacy | Local library management without a required content account. |
| Lightweight signal | Can turn inexpensive hardware into a complete living-room player. |
| Community health | Very mature foundation-backed project |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, Raspberry Pi |
Local library management without a required content account.
Can turn inexpensive hardware into a complete living-room player.
Very mature foundation-backed project. Verify current releases and open issues in the source repository before critical deployment.
Should you switch to Kodi?
Best when the screen is across the room and your media library is under your control. A successful migration starts with a small real project, not a feature checklist. Test the files, integrations, shortcuts, and collaboration steps you use every week before removing the existing tool.
Open source gives you inspectable code and a path away from vendor lock-in, but it does not eliminate tradeoffs. Support may be community-led, some commercial file formats may be imperfect, and self-hosted options require security updates and backups. Use the official website and source repository above to confirm current compatibility.