After doing exhaustive online research, we have listed and reviewed 10 Kodi alternatives here. These media players allow you to play and view videos, photos, music, and podcasts from your local and online storage seamlessly. Before moving to the list of similar apps to Kodi, you should know a few important things about Kodi home theater software.
What is Kodi?
Kodi (formerly known as XBMC) is one of the most popular free streaming software and media players in the market. This free open-source home theater software is compatible with many OS and devices like Raspberry Pi, Windows, Android, Linux, OSX, and iOS.
Kodi has numerous features with an easy-to-use beautiful interface that breathes life into your media. You can tweak and customize its giant add-on catalog according to your preference.
But does Kodi still work? Yes, it does.
Should I Use Kodi?
Yes! However, there have been some legal issues with Kodi third-party add-ons because they allow users to access copyrighted content and that’s why you can go for Kodi alternatives and similar apps.
IMPORTANT: During the research, we found that the official Kodi add-on repository has all the trusted and safe add-ons.
Here Are the 10 Kodi Alternatives (Better than Kodi) in 2023:
1. Emby
Reach features make Emby a better replacement for Kodi and it is the best free alternative to Kodi. It lets you stream your locally stored media, easy access to files, Multi-platform support, mobile sync, DLNA detection, and a lot more.
One of the best features of Emby is that it allows you to put parental control. This is one of the best Kodi alternatives because it is easy to customize and has a beautiful user-friendly interface.
Irrespective of the place you are, you can access all your media in any part of the world. Unlike other apps like Kodi, Emby comes with a Kodi add-on providing it with a Kodi-like Interface.
Emby supports all the devices like Windows Phone, iPad, iPhone, Windows Tablet, Android, Amazon TV, etc.
2. Stremio
Stremio is one of the top choices when it comes to picking Kodi alternatives. This modern media center is a one-stop solution for your entertainment.
It has easy-to-install add-ons that help you discover, organize, and watch video content from a single screen and many different platforms. Its casting and subtitle support make it one of the best Kodi alternatives by providing an excellent watching experience.
You can also create your own personal library of your favorite movies and shows and sync it across all your devices. Its Linvo Database arranges the data properly on each device.
With this Kodi replacement, you will not need any other video platform like Netflix, YouTube, etc. for watching your favorite web series, TV shows, or movies.
Stremio’s advanced option notifies you when new episodes arrive and recommends videos. Its intuitive interface makes it easy to use.
3. Plex
Plex is one of the best Kodi alternatives available in the market. It is not just a Kodi alternative but also one of the biggest competitors to Kodi. Users’ positive reviews show that Plex is better than Kodi for many reasons.
Plex media player is rich in features and that makes it the best and most popular media player in the market. It offers parental control, offline file syncing ability, multiple file type support, a sophisticated file management system, multiple add-ons, support for multiple devices, etc.
Also, the Plex media player server is secure and trusted by thousands of active users. Above all of it, you can stream your media content from a single device to many devices. It also has unlimited storage limits, very powerful file management, media optimizer, among other features.
4. Serviio
Serviio, as it seems, is inspired by Plex where you can stream movies, music, games, and videos to devices like mobile phones, Blu-ray, gaming consoles, TV, etc.
When it comes to multi-device compatibility, Serviio is one of the best alternatives to Kodi. With Serviio, you can even stream to your Xbox 360 and create individual profiles for each device to play the best quality for each device.
Serviio is one of the best Kodi alternatives because it functions well with almost all devices like Mac, Linux, and Windows as it is built with Java Technology.
You can also choose between Standard Definition and HD while streaming media. You can also stream online content like RSS feed, video, audio, and even a web page and that’s why Serviio is better than Kodi.
5. JRiver
JRiver is a must-try Kodi alternative as it comes with excellent features. It is a media player that lets you view movies, images, TV, audio, music, and everything else in HD. It works on Windows, Mac, or Linux-supported devices.
You can access your media from anywhere in the world and on all the devices on your local network. The audio and video quality is better than Kodi and there are several other features that make it one of the best Kodi alternatives.
JRiver comes with advanced features and it’s fast when it comes to streaming online videos. Also, it handles your large collection of media elegantly.
You can also record TV in HD, runs with a remote, and supports most devices. JRiver also has a large community where users exchange knowledge when needed.
The only drawback is that JRiver is not free. You can purchase its master license for $79.98 which is valid for Mac, Linux, and Windows or you can buy the license for a specific OS for $59.98.
But every penny is worth it.
6. OSMC
Among many worth mentioning apps like Kodi, OSMC is one of them. It is an open-source alternative to Kodi with which you can play anything from anywhere.
OSMC has an appealing, beautiful, and simple user interface and is easy-to-use. It is free to use and you can alter its coding, its something that appeals to the developers.
And it is easy to install and update OSMC. It keeps updating itself almost every month which keeps making it better than Kodi.
Also, if you have any queries regarding it, OSMC has community forums where you can expect to get help by connecting to many like-minded people and experts.
7. Universal Media Server
The next one on the Kodi alternatives list is Universal Media Player. It comes with an intuitive web interface and design. With its web interface, it supports even devices that are without DLNA support.
Along with basic features, Universal Media Server also offers some amazing ones that make it one of the best Kodi alternatives. If you have slow internet, its Automatic bitrate adjustment will come in handy so that you can enjoy video streaming flawlessly.
Some other features like iTunes support, DVD support, Automatic plugin download and install, Automatic maximum quality, High-quality video thumbnails, Archive support, etc make it better than Kodi.
The best feature Universal Media Server offers is instant access to your media files so you can quickly watch your favorite content.
8. TVersity Media Server
TVersity Media Server is a decent yet very powerful Kodi alternative with a simple user interface and easy navigation. It houses advanced features like screen mirroring and media sharing.
This media player beats all other apps like Kodi in steaming your personal media from phone to TV. It also allows its users to display web media on TV and mobile. You can access only limited features in its free version.
For advanced features, you will have to buy the premium version. The pro license is available for $24.99 – $39.99 and the screen server license is available for $14.99 – $29.99.
In short, this Kodi replacement works as an advanced home theater so that you can enjoy your favorite media to the fullest.
9. MediaPortal
MediaPortal is one alternative to Kodi that you must try. It is an open-source media portal similar to Kodi. With it, you can record live TV and play media files from DVDs, Blu-Rays, and hard drives.
It works well even on basic hardware and that is its most attractive feature. Inside of the home network, you can listen to all the music and radio.
Also, you can stream your media on Home Theatre, PC, or any other device and it has a wonderful user-friendly interface that makes this Kodi replacement even better than Kodi itself.
Another unique feature of the Media Portal is that you can access it from the web and mobile devices as well. It comes with many add-ons and plugins that make it one very handy media management tool available.
10. Splash 2.0
Splash is a free Kodi alternative with which you can enjoy HD videos and still save the battery. It provides the best and most optimized video quality across every social media platform with amazing conversion quality.
The latest version of this Kodi replacement comes with all the trending technologies to make your media experience better like Intel® Quick Sync Video, NVIDIA® NVENC, and AMD APP.
You can customize the user interface with its predefined themes and that makes Splash 2.0 better than all the apps similar to Kodi.
Additionally, its new feature Smart Seek allows you to choose a particular clip from your favorite movie without interfering with the current playback. However, Splash is available only for Windows devices. You can use it on your PC having Windows Vista, 7, 8, 8.1, and 10.
Note: Splash 2.0 does not support the Mac operating system.
Screenshots of Splash 2.0 dashboard
See Also:
Final Thoughts
These are the top 10 Kodi alternatives in 2023 that you must try. This comprehensive and seamless media player software is even better than Kodi when it comes to advanced features for managing and playing your digital media files.
You can install and use these free and paid software solutions on your devices running on Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, Raspberry PI, and other operating systems.
If you liked the list, please leave a comment below. Let us know how we are doing.
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July 14, 2021 at 9:12 am
OSMC an alternative to Kodi?
OSMC is based on Kodi!