head to head · open source
Kodi vs iptv
Kodi has 21,229 GitHub stars, 6,598 forks, 466 open issues and last shipped yesterday. iptv has 737 stars, 241 forks, 9 open issues and last shipped 3 days ago. Kodi leads on adoption by 2,780% (21,229 vs 737 stars). Kodi is written in C++ under a custom or non-standard licence; iptv is written in JavaScript under GPL-3.0. Kodi has attracted 31% as many forks as stars, iptv 33%. Kodi 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
| Kodi | iptv | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 21K | ★ 737 |
| License | Custom / other | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | C++ | JavaScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-15 |
| Forks | ⑂ 6.6K | ⑂ 241 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Kodi if
- You weight community size — 21K stars and counting
- You want the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches C++
- 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 Kodi
Kodi is a free and open source home theater and media center application, also described as an entertainment hub for digital media. It is written mainly in C++ and distributed as a native application for Android, BSD, Linux, macOS, iOS, tvOS, and Windows, with support for many common processor architectures. The project began in 2003 and is run by the XBMC Foundation, with development and support carried out by volunteers worldwide.
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 Kodi or iptv more popular?
Kodi has 21,229 GitHub stars and iptv has 737. Kodi has the larger community by that measure.
Are Kodi and iptv free?
Both are open source. Kodi has no licence declared in this registry, and iptv is licensed under GPL-3.0. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between Kodi and iptv?
Kodi is written in C++ 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, Kodi or iptv?
Choose Kodi if you want the larger community (21,229 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose iptv if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.