Kodi

A media center for the living room that turns a computer, TV box or phone into a remote-friendly player for your films, music and photos.

21.4k stars, 6.7k forks C++ On GitHub since January 2011

Visit website View on GitHub How to run it

What is Kodi?

Kodi, started in 2003 as XBMC, plays almost any audio and video format from local drives, network shares or the internet. Point it at your folders and it builds a library with covers, descriptions and fan art, plus playlists, slideshows, a weather feature and music visualizations. The ten-foot interface is made for a remote control, can be reskinned, and is extended with add-ons. Native apps exist for Android, Linux, BSD, macOS, iOS, tvOS and Windows, and translators have localized it into 58 languages.

Good fit if

  • You want a home theater PC or TV box that plays your own media without a subscription.
  • You like customizing skins and add-ons.

Look elsewhere if

  • You need a server that streams your library to many devices and users: Jellyfin.
  • You mainly listen to music from your own collection on the go: Navidrome.

Before you adopt it

Kodi is GPL-2.0 and run as a non-profit by the XBMC Foundation with volunteer developers. The default weather icon add-on ships under its own separate license, but none of the code is proprietary or paid. Work is very active across many contributors, and the latest stable release, 21.3 Omega, dates from October 2025. Download ready builds from the official site rather than compiling.

Drafted with AI from the project's README and repository data, then checked against that data on 31 October 2026. Report a correction

Kodi health: is it still maintained?

71 of 100, actively developed

  • Activity
    2,167 commits in the last 90 days, the latest on 3 November 2026.
    30 / 30
  • Contributors
    12 people wrote the latest 100 commits; the most active wrote 29% of them.
    15 / 20
  • Releases
    0 releases in the last 12 months; the latest, 21.3-Omega, on 31 October 2025.
    1 / 20
  • Replies to issues
    Maintainers answered 100% of recent issues, with a median first reply after 16 hours.
    20 / 20
  • Security practices
    OpenSSF Scorecard 4.9 of 10.
    5 / 10

Read from GitHub on 3 November 2026. How the score works

Kodi license: is it open source?

Kodi uses GPL-2.0, an open-source license approved by the OSI. Some features sit under a separate paid license inside the same repository.

  1. January 2011First published on GitHub.
  2. TodayGPL-2.0, with paid parts: separate license addons/resource.images.weathericons.default/License.txt.

How to run Kodi yourself

Docker
No Docker files in the repository
Compose file
None in the repository
Setup effort
Not rated: no compose file to judge from
Kubernetes
No Helm chart in the repository
Desktop and mobile
No app builds in GitHub releases
Interface languages
58 languages

Install instructions: kodi.tv or the README on GitHub.

Alternatives to Kodi

  • SRSSRS is a simple, high-performance, AI-driven real-time media server supporting RTMP, WebRTC, HLS, HTTP-FLV,… 74 health · MIT · 29.4k stars
  • JellyfinThe Free Software Media System - Server Backend & API 94 health · GPL-2.0 · 59k stars
  • InvidiousInvidious is an alternative front-end to YouTube 76 health · AGPL-3.0 · 25.8k stars
  • MediaMTXReady-to-use Media-over-QUIC / SRT / WebRTC / RTSP / RTMP / LL-HLS / MPEG-TS / RTP live media server and… 80 health · MIT · 20.6k stars
  • NavidromeYour Personal Streaming Service 85 health · GPL-3.0 · 24.5k stars

All 8 projects in Media servers & streaming

Questions about Kodi

Is Kodi open source?

Yes. Kodi is published under GPL-2.0, an OSI-approved open-source license. Some features are kept under a separate paid license in the same repository.

Is Kodi still maintained?

Its health score is 71 of 100 (actively developed). It had 2,167 commits in the last 90 days, the latest on 3 November 2026, and its latest release came out on 31 October 2025.

How do I run Kodi?

The repository has no Docker files or app builds, so you build it from source. The README on GitHub has the steps.

What are the alternatives to Kodi?

Close alternatives in the Media servers & streaming category include SRS, Jellyfin, Invidious.