Kodi is free, open-source media center software that runs on the device you actually watch on: a Windows PC, a Mac Mini under the TV, an old laptop, or a Raspberry Pi. Point it at a folder of your own video, music, or photo files, local or on the network, and it builds a browsable, remote-friendly library around them. That’s the part that trips people up: unlike Jellyfin, Plex, or Emby, Kodi isn’t a server. It plays what’s already local to it, or connects out to a server, like Jellyfin, through an add-on. This page covers what Kodi is actually for, the platforms it officially supports, and how to pair it with a Jellyfin server if you’re already running one.
Quick facts: Kodi is built by the nonprofit Kodi Foundation and licensed under GPL-2.0. It ships with zero content of its own: everything you see inside it comes from files you already own or a server you point it at. Everything on this page assumes your own, legally acquired media library.
What is Kodi, and how is it different from a media server?
“Media center” and “media server” get used interchangeably a lot, and that’s exactly where the confusion starts. Jellyfin, Plex, and Emby are servers: install one copy on a single always-on machine, point it at your library, and it streams out to whatever app you open elsewhere, a phone, a browser, a smart TV. Kodi is a frontend. It runs on the device sitting in front of you and either reads media directly, no server required at all, or acts as a client to a server running somewhere else on the network. Plenty of people run nothing but Kodi: one living-room box, a folder of files on an attached drive, and never touch a server.
Kodi started in 2002 as an Xbox media player, went by XBMC for a decade, and became Kodi in 2014 when the Kodi Foundation took over. Development happens fully in the open on GitHub, under the GPL-2.0 license, maintained by volunteers rather than a company.
| Kodi | Jellyfin / Plex / Emby | |
|---|---|---|
| Role | Media player, frontend | Media server |
| Runs on | The screen you’re watching on | One always-on machine, NAS, or VM |
| Needs a separate server | No, works standalone with local or network files | N/A, it is the server |
| Streams to several devices at once | Only when paired with a server | Built in |
| License | Open source (GPL-2.0) | Varies by app |
What Kodi is actually good for
A few different setups fall under “using Kodi,” and most of them don’t involve a server at all.
- Playing a personal movie, TV, or music collection from a local drive or USB disk, no extra setup beyond pointing Kodi at the folder
- Browsing and playing files on a NAS or another computer over the network (SMB, NFS, or UPnP/DLNA), with nothing extra to install
- Running as a dedicated HTPC on a Raspberry Pi or an old PC hooked up to a TV, controlled with a remote
- Connecting to a Jellyfin server you already run, using Kodi’s interface on top of Jellyfin’s library
- Live TV and recording through a supported PVR backend like Tvheadend, if you already have a tuner
Installing Kodi
Kodi’s own download page lists eight officially supported platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, tvOS, webOS, and Raspberry Pi. Desktop installs work like installing any other app: grab the installer and run it. Android and iOS both have official builds too, available straight from kodi.tv or through the Google Play Store and Apple App Store.
Raspberry Pi gets two realistic paths, and both come from Kodi’s own ecosystem rather than a third party.
- Native build: download Kodi’s own Raspberry Pi image from kodi.tv/download/raspberry-pi and follow the install guide on the official Kodi wiki.
- LibreELEC: flash the LibreELEC image instead, a minimal Linux distribution built specifically to boot straight into Kodi and nothing else. It’s listed as an official “friend” project on kodi.tv, and it’s the simpler path if you want a dedicated, appliance-like box you never have to think of as a general-purpose computer.
Hardware: a Raspberry Pi 4 with at least 2GB of RAM handles Kodi and 1080p playback without trouble. 4K playback leans on the Pi’s hardware video decoder more than raw CPU power, so a Pi 4 or newer, paired with a fast microSD card or a USB SSD as the boot drive, is worth the small extra cost if that’s the plan. Our homelab setup guide covers picking hardware for a first Raspberry Pi project in more depth.
Connecting Kodi to a Jellyfin server
If you already run a Jellyfin server, you don’t have to choose between Jellyfin’s own apps and Kodi’s interface. Jellyfin publishes an official add-on, Jellyfin for Kodi, that syncs your library into Kodi’s native database. Browsing then looks and feels like a normal Kodi library, same skins, same fast local navigation, while the files, metadata, and transcoding stay on the Jellyfin server. Watched status and resume points sync both ways, so starting an episode on your phone and finishing it on the Kodi box works the way you’d expect.
- Open Kodi and go to Add-ons, then Download, or the official add-on repository.
- Search for “Jellyfin” under Video add-ons, install it, and restart Kodi when prompted.
- Open the add-on’s settings and enter your Jellyfin server’s address.
- Sign in with your Jellyfin account and choose which libraries to sync.
The full walkthrough, including troubleshooting the sync, is documented on Jellyfin’s own site; our Jellyfin app page covers the server side if you haven’t installed it yet. Emby runs the same pattern with its own dedicated add-on, Emby for Kodi, if that’s the server you’re pairing with instead.
FAQ
Is Kodi legal?
Yes. Kodi is free, open-source software published by a nonprofit foundation, and it doesn’t ship with any media of its own. Using it to play files you own or connect to a personal server you run isn’t legally different from using any other media player.
Is Kodi a media server like Jellyfin or Plex?
No. Kodi is a frontend that runs on the device you’re watching on, either reading files directly or connecting to a separate server like Jellyfin. Jellyfin, Plex, and Emby are the servers; Kodi is one of several ways to browse what they hold.
Do I need powerful hardware to run Kodi?
Not for local playback. Most computers from the last decade handle Kodi comfortably, and a Raspberry Pi 4 covers 1080p fine. 4K is the one case where hardware matters, mainly the video decoder rather than raw processing power.
Can I run Kodi on a Raspberry Pi?
Yes, two ways: Kodi’s own native Raspberry Pi build, or LibreELEC, a minimal OS built to boot straight into Kodi. Both are covered above.
Does Kodi work without an internet connection?
For local files, yes. Kodi doesn’t need a network connection to play something already on its drive or an attached disk. Connecting to a Jellyfin server or fetching metadata obviously does.
Can Kodi connect to Jellyfin or Emby?
Yes. Both publish their own dedicated Kodi add-ons that sync the server’s library into Kodi’s interface. The section above covers installing the Jellyfin one.
For more, browse our Kodi coverage or the media server hub, or set up the server side first on the Jellyfin app page if you don’t already have one running.