media player · Kodi Foundation

Kodi

Free, open-source media centre that plays video and music from local files, discs and network sources, with add-ons.

76/100

#2 of 12 media players
Facts checked 9 Oct 2026

In short

Kodi is free and its source code is under GPL-2.0-or-later^2,14.
The official release mirror has downloads for Windows, macOS, Android and iOS, and the README lists Linux^1,3,4,5,6.
A Windows setting turns on DXVA2 hardware decoding of video files⁷.
Settings cover DVD and Blu-ray playback, including region codes and a Blu-ray playback mode⁸.
Kodi's forum database was copied in February 2023; Kodi disclosed it on 12 April 2023¹⁶.

Kodi suits people who want a free, open-source player that builds a library, plays discs and takes add-ons^1,2,8. Subtitle search, DXVA2 decoding and tone-mapped HDR are all documented^7,9,10. The catch: it is built as a media centre rather than a simple player, it needs Windows 10 or later, and its forum was breached in 2023^15,16.

Best for: People who want a free, open-source player with a library and add-ons.

Where the points come from

Systems12 of 12

Video25 of 31

Streams, audio and library19 of 25

Ads and privacy8 of 20

Price12 of 12

Systems 12 of 12 points

Rule	What is published	Points
Other systems	macOS, Linux, Android, iOSRelease mirror has osx, android and iOS folders; the README says Kodi is a native Linux app and points to its downloads section^1,3,4,5,6.	12 / 12

Video 25 of 31 points

Rule	What is published	Points
Disc playback	YesSettings name DVD playback and Blu-ray region code and playback mode⁸.	5 / 5
No codec pack needed	Not publishedThe README says it plays almost all popular formats but does not say it has its own decoders¹.	0 / 6
Hardware video decoding	YesWindows setting: Allow hardware acceleration DXVA2, 'Enable DXVA2 hardware decoding of video files'⁷.	7 / 7
HDR playback	YesVideo settings describe tone mapping of HDR video to SDR, and control of the screen's HDR mode^7,9.	5 / 5
Subtitle features	External subtitle files, Embedded subtitle tracks, Styled ASS/SSA subtitles, Subtitle search in the playerWiki names stand-alone files, embedded subtitles, SSA/ASS format, and search and download from full-screen playback¹⁰.	8 / 8

Streams, audio and library 19 of 25 points

Rule	What is published	Points
Network streams	HTTP or HTTPS URLs, RTSP or RTMP, DLNA or UPnPStream page names http://, rtsp:// and UPnP shares. HTTPS counted with HTTP; HLS and RTMP not named¹³.	6 / 8
Audio features	ReplayGain or loudness levelling, Exclusive audio output (WASAPI or ASIO)ReplayGain levels in music settings; audio settings recommend WASAPI on Windows. Gapless and equaliser not named^11,12.	4 / 8
Media library	YesREADME says Kodi scans media into a personalised library with covers and descriptions¹.	6 / 6
Plugins or add-ons	YesREADME describes add-ons, mainly written in Python and XML¹.	3 / 3

Ads and privacy 8 of 20 points

Rule	What is published	Points
Open-source apps	YesSource code on GitHub under GPL-2.0-or-later².	8 / 8
No ads or bundled offers	Not publishedNot published in the repository README¹.	0 / 8
States no tracking	Not publishedNot published in the repository README¹.	0 / 4

Price 12 of 12 points

Rule	What is published	Points
Price of the player	$0The wiki FAQ calls Kodi free and open source; the README asks only for optional donations^1,14.	12 / 12

The rule behind each line: how we score media players.

Plans and prices

As the vendor lists them, before tax. Prices are in US dollars unless the plan shows euros; the points use US dollars, with euros converted at the ECB rate.

Plan	Price as listed	Per month	Notes
Kodi1 person	Free^1,14	$0	Free and open source; donations are optional

Strengths

Free, with source code under GPL-2.0-or-later^2,14.
Documents DVD and Blu-ray playback settings⁸.
Names both stand-alone and embedded subtitles, SSA/ASS, and search from full-screen playback¹⁰.
Opens HTTP, RTSP and UPnP streams, and supports add-ons^1,13.
Builds a personal library with covers and descriptions¹.

Limits

Needs Windows 10 or later; Windows 11 is recommended¹⁵.
Downloading subtitles requires configuring add-ons⁹.
Gapless playback and an equaliser are not named on the audio settings pages^11,12.
Attackers copied the forum database, including private messages, in February 2023¹⁶.

Concerns on record

Kodi said an attacker used an inactive forum admin's account on 16 and 21 February 2023 and copied forum backups with usernames, emails and hashed passwords. It disclosed this on 12 April 2023 and told the UK ICO¹⁶.

Other media players

1
VLC media playerPeople who want one free player for any file, with no ads
86/100
$0price of the player
3
mpvPeople who want a free, scriptable player and are fine without a built-in library
67/100
$0price of the player
4
PotPlayerWindows users who want many playback settings in a free player
60/100
$0price of the player
5
5KPlayerPeople who want a free player that also streams to and from Apple and DLNA devices
56/100
$0price of the player

Kodi vs VLC media player · Kodi vs mpv · All 12 media players

Sources

xbmc/xbmc README, GitHub. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
xbmc/xbmc LICENSE, GitHub. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
Kodi releases mirror, Kodi Foundation. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
Kodi releases: osx, Kodi Foundation. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
Kodi releases: android, Kodi Foundation. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
Kodi releases: darwin/ios-arm64, Kodi Foundation. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
Settings/Player/Videos, Kodi Wiki. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
Settings/Player/Discs, Kodi Wiki. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
Video playback, Kodi Wiki. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
Subtitles, Kodi Wiki. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
Settings/System/Audio, Kodi Wiki. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
Settings/Player/Music, Kodi Wiki. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
Internet video and audio streams, Kodi Wiki. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
FAQs, Kodi Wiki. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
Supported hardware, Kodi Wiki. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
Kodi forum breach: User data, encrypted passwords grabbed, Help Net Security. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.

Website: kodi.tv · Markdown version · We are not affiliated with Kodi Foundation.