Kodi is a free, open-source media player developed by the Kodi Foundation, a non-profit technology consortium. It has a “10-foot” interface designed for televisions and remote controls, and plays videos, music, podcasts and photos from local and network storage. The current stable release is Kodi v21.3 “Omega”; v22 “Piers” is in beta.
Important: Kodi has no content
The Kodi Foundation states that the official Kodi version does not contain any content. You add your own media, from local or network storage, discs you own, or third-party add-ons that give access to content freely available from the provider’s own website. Team Kodi does not endorse or approve consuming pirated content. Anything sold or shared pre-loaded with content is not the official Kodi.
Get the official version
- Windows: kodi.tv/download/windows offers 64-bit and 32-bit installers, and links to the Microsoft Store version.
- Android: Google Play, or ARMv7 (32-bit) and ARMv8 (64-bit) APKs from kodi.tv.
- Mac: Intel and Apple silicon .dmg files on kodi.tv/download/macos.
- Linux: Flathub, or the install guide linked from kodi.tv/download/linux.
- Raspberry Pi, tvOS and webOS have their own pages on kodi.tv.
iPhone and iPad
Kodi is not published on the App Store. kodi.tv offers only a .deb package for iOS 11 and later, intended for jailbroken devices. The Kodi Foundation’s App Store app is the “Official Kodi Remote”, which controls Kodi on another device. An App Store app simply called “Kodi” is published by a different company (Encima BV), not the Kodi Foundation.
Price
Kodi is free and maintained by volunteers. The foundation accepts donations and sells merchandise.
System requirements
kodi.tv states that the Mac version needs an Intel or Apple silicon Mac running macOS 10.14 or higher, and that the iOS package runs on iOS 11 and later. The Windows and Android pages do not list minimum versions.
Questions
Is Kodi itself legitimate software?
Yes. It is open-source software under GPL-2.0-or-later from a non-profit foundation. The Kodi Foundation does not endorse using it for pirated content.
Should I install the v22 beta?
Kodi recommends stable releases for normal users. Development of v20 “Nexus” has ended.
Can I install Kodi with winget?
Yes: winget install XBMCFoundation.Kodi downloads the installer from mirrors.kodi.tv.
