head to head · open source
Invidious vs iptv
Invidious has 24,469 GitHub stars, 2,746 forks, 480 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. iptv has 737 stars, 241 forks, 9 open issues and last shipped 3 days ago. Invidious leads on adoption by 3,220% (24,469 vs 737 stars). Invidious is written in Crystal under AGPL-3.0; iptv is written in JavaScript under GPL-3.0. Invidious has attracted 11% as many forks as stars, iptv 33%. Invidious was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| Invidious | iptv | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 24K | ★ 737 |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Crystal | JavaScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-16 | 2026-09-15 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.7K | ⑂ 241 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Invidious if
- You weight community size — 24K stars and counting
- You want the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Crystal
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick iptv if
- You want the iptv feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You evaluated both and iptv fits your workflow better
About Invidious
Invidious is an open source, AGPL 3.0 alternative front end to YouTube, written in Crystal, aimed at people who want to watch videos without ads, tracking, or a Google account.
read the full Invidious overview →
About iptv
iPTV is a self hosted, modular IPTV live source management and distribution system that aggregates more than 800 channels from sources such as 央视频, 咪咕, Bilibili, Huya, Douyu and regional broadcasters, then de duplicates and re publishes them as clean M3U/TXT playlists with an EPG guide; it is aimed at NAS owners and home theatre users who want a channel lineup they control.
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Frequently asked questions
Is Invidious or iptv more popular?
Invidious has 24,469 GitHub stars and iptv has 737. Invidious has the larger community by that measure.
Are Invidious and iptv free?
Both are open source. Invidious is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and iptv under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Invidious and iptv?
Invidious is written in Crystal and iptv in JavaScript. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, Invidious or iptv?
Choose Invidious if you want the larger community (24,469 stars) or its AGPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose iptv if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.