Kodi review
A free, flexible choice for organizing and playing media across five platforms.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Kodi is a free, open-source media player and entertainment hub for people who want one interface for video, music, photos, podcasts, games, and other media. It runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android. For home theater and media-library users, its focus is broader than basic video playback: users can organize movies and TV shows with metadata, artwork, episode views, and watched status, while playing content from local storage, network shares, discs, archives, and internet streams.
The standout area is media-library and playback depth. Kodi supports subtitle playback and subtitle search or download during playback, playback-speed control, and hardware-accelerated video decoding options. Its published codec support includes MPEG-1, MPEG-2, H.263, MPEG-4 SP/ASP, H.264, H.265, AAC, MP3, AC3, and DTS, among others. Subtitle support includes SRT, SAMI, SSA/ASS, WebVTT, VobSub, PGS, and SUP. Skins allow interface changes, while the JSON-RPC web interface and remote-control support suit dedicated entertainment setups.
Kodi also extends beyond a local library through community add-ons and an official add-on repository. Live TV, EPG, and PVR/DVR functions are available through supported integrations such as MediaPortal, MythTV, NextPVR, and Tvheadend, plus PVR client add-ons. That breadth makes Kodi a strong pick for users building a configurable media center around their own sources. It is less suitable for someone who wants a minimal player with no setup decisions: third-party services and content sources require configuration, and live-TV features depend on compatible backends and add-ons.
Kodi pros and cons
- Where it wins
- Movie and TV libraries include metadata, artwork, episode views, and watched status
- Plays local, network, disc, archive, and internet-streamed media
- Supports subtitles, add-ons, live TV/PVR, skins, and remote control
- Where it doesn't
- Third-party services and content sources require user configuration
- Live TV and PVR depend on supported backends and client add-ons
- Its many media features may be more than users seeking a simple player need
Kodi fact sheet, pricing and score →
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