Do you find Kodi’s complexity, add-on issues, or constant buffering frustrating you? You’ll find many excellent Kodi alternatives on the US market that offer a smoother, faster, and more reliable streaming experience for free.
Kodi is absolutely free to use and allows you to stream free online content to Kodi-supported devices. It offers thousands of movies, TV shows, news, sports, live TV, music, and podcasts for you through its best Kodi addons.
Kodi doesn’t officially support Roku, Firestick, and other streaming devices. Let’s say you want to cast Kodi on Roku, but it doesn’t support it. What do you do? To cast content to a Roku device through Kodi, you need to enable Roku Screen Mirroring.
Here are the 10 best Kodi alternatives of 2025, specifically selected for local media and major streaming services in the US:
Without enabling screen mirroring mode, you will not be able to install Kodi. To do this, follow these steps: Roku Home Page > Settings > Systems > Screen Mirroring > Screen Mirroring Mode > Enable Screen Mode (Prompt). Leave it, let’s talk about Kodi alternatives.
Top 10 Best Kodi Alternatives
Here, you will read about 10 alternatives to Kodi that you might not miss after downloading. We also know that no one can take the place of Kodi, but if you don’t want to use it, there are many Kodi alternative applications in which you can stream all your favorite programs. You may also have to pay here.
- Stremio: Add-on Simplicity
If you want to avoid the hassle of setting up Kodi add-ons, Stremio is a great Kodi alternative. It manages add-ons in the cloud, making installation a one-click task.
- Stremio is one of the best choices for watching all video entertainment on one screen. It is a media Center that helps us to bring all the content easily on our compatible device, like Chromecast.
- It supports many Android-based devices and operating systems, including Nvidia Shield, Amazon Fire TV Stick, Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, and iOS. But it doesn’t officially support all.
- They basically support Chromecast, and you can easily cast it from a Desktop, Smartphone, and iOS. After installing Stremio on your device, you need to create an account, and then you can install the best add-on for you.
- It has plenty of entertaining content for you, including a lot of Movies, TV Shows, Live TV Channels, Sports, News, Music, Anime, Podcasts, and more.
Advantage for the US: Its interface is similar to Netflix, which is very popular in the US. It can manage streaming add-ons as well as your local files.
If you asked about its legality or safety? Then we can say it is 100% safe and legal because it is open-source software. It doesn’t provide any content itself. But by installing Streamio Add-ons, you can able to find more content. It can also play torrent files and HTTP links.
Knowing its best features and 50+ addons, we can say Stremio is a good alternative to Kodi.
- Plex: The Most Popular Kodi Alternative
Plex is undoubtedly the biggest and most popular alternative to Kodi. It operates on a server-client model, which means you can easily stream your local media library (movies, TV shows, photos) to any device (phone, smart TV, Roku, FireStick).
- Plex.tv is one of the best alternatives to Kodi. This is not only for Premium Subscribers, but it also works for free content. Anytime you can stream Free Live TV, Free Movies, and TV Shows by installing Plex TV on your Android Device.
- You can subscribe to the premium service anytime to watch Live TV and DVR. You can choose the plan according to your budget. Go with a monthly plan for $6.99, a Yearly plan for $69.99, and a Lifetime plan for $249.99.
- You can start with Plex TV for 80+ free Live TV channels. It also included the option of on-demand movies, TV shows, podcasts, web series, and news.
- It is compatible with multiple devices and apps, including Android, Amazon Fire TV, Amazon Alexa, Android Auto, Apple TV, Chromecast, Google Daydream, iOS, Kodi, Lenovo Mirage Solo VR, Mac, Nvidia Shield, Oculus Go, Roku, PlayStation, Samsung Gear VR, Smart TVs, Sonos, TiVo, Windows, and Xbox One.
- Watch 14000+ on-demand videos and your own collection for free with a free sign-up on Plex.
Benefits for the USA: Plex also offers over 300 free live TV channels and on-demand movies and TV shows in the USA, making it much more than just a media server.
- Myth TV: Alternative for Recording and Live TV
- Myth TV is an open-source digital video recorder designed to turn your computer into a complete home media center. It acts as Kodi’s PVR (Personal Video Recorder) client, while MythTV acts as a backend server, handling recording, scheduling, and signal tuning.
- Stream all your favorite videos, music, pictures, and more. You can watch free Live TV with pause, skip, and rewind options.
- This is a good way to bring all the entertainment to your compatible device. You can watch free TV Channels, a lot of movies, and TV Shows, anytime, anywhere.
- It supports to Nvidia Shield and is optimized for this device. It can play 4k videos easily. It does not fully support the Amazon Fire TV Stick; we can say fair support. Video buffering issues, but some people ignore them. It doesn’t support 4K. You must have an Amazon.com account.
- MythTV has good support for Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K. But 4k doesn’t support this time, and you have to log in Amazon.com account.
Advantages for the US: This is the best Kodi alternative for cord-cutters who want to record live TV via an over-the-air (OTA) antenna or a subscribed cable card. It’s a powerful, customizable, and free alternative to expensive DVRs like TiVo.
Platforms: Linux (primarily), Windows, macOS. (A separate MythTV server must be installed to use a Kodi add-on.)
- Emby: An Alternative for Better Control
Emby is another powerful media server that offers similar features to Plex, but is a bit more customizable. It’s especially good for users who prioritize premium features like parental controls and live TV/DVR.
- This is one of the best options to access your home videos, music, and pictures anytime, anywhere. It works for Android, iPad, iPhone, Windows Tablets, and Windows Phone.
- Your Emby Server streams your media on any device very easily. It is also compatible with multiple devices, including Android TV, Amazon Fire TV, Roku, Chromecast, Xbox, computers, laptops, and more.
- We can say this is an amazing tool to drive your content everywhere. You can download it in 3 ways for many devices and operating systems. You can read about them below.
- Emby Server for Windows, Linux, NAS Devices, Mac, Docker, FreeBSD, and Shield Android TV.
- Emby TV APPS for Android TV, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, Samsung Smart TV, PS4, Xbox One, Kodi, PS3, Xbox 360, and more.
- Emby Mobile Apps for Android, HTML5, Windows Phone, Windows 10, iOS, and more. Yes, you can set the Parental Control option to away your child away from harmful content.
- Universal Media Server (UMS)
Universal is a DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) server that streams your local media to any compatible device on your home network, such as Smart TVs, PlayStation, or Xbox.
- Universal Media Server performs your video content, audio, and photos on any device through DLNA and HTTP[s]. This is a DLNA, UPnP, and HTTP/S server based on the PS3 media server by Shagrath.
- It supports many operating systems with versions for Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X.
- It supports a wide range of media formats, including FFmpeg, MEncoder, tsMuxeR, Mediainfo, OpenSubtitles, and more.
- UMS is free, and its regular updates bring more features than other free and paid media servers.
- It is available on various devices, including Sony PlayStation 4 [PS4], PlayStation 3 [PS3], Xbox One, Xbox 360, iPhone, Samsung Android, Samsung TV, Panasonic TV, LG TV, Vizio TV, Sony TV, Philips TV, Sharp TV, Blu-ray players, and more. After knowing everything, we can say that it is also counted as a good alternative to Kodi.
Advantages: It can convert (transcode) various video and audio formats on the fly, reducing buffering issues on your US-based home theater setup.
- MediaPortal: Alternative for Windows PCs
MediaPortal is a free, open-source media center designed especially for Windows PCs. It transforms your PCs into a complete media hub.
- It brings your favorite videos, movies, series, music, news, weather forecast, and more to your big screen. You can also play a DVD or Blu-ray disc. People who are fond of playing games can also play games.
- It has two versions, MP1 and MP2. The MP1 has been around for a long time. There are currently more plugins available to use. It is considered constant. Yet, efforts are being made to maintain and develop it.
- MP started development almost 4 years ago. They were put together and began to create a new and improved version of the media portal. We can say it is supporting and constant. But there is a need to develop and improve it further.
- Both have almost the same features. Nevertheless, we will describe something here. MediaPortal 1 and 2 both use the same TVE3 engine.
- Record/Playback, Pause/Timeshift, Advanced EPG, CI/CAM support, Music, Radio, Movies, Pictures, are the same.
Advantages: If you’re a Windows user, this is a great alternative to Kodi for watching, scheduling, and recording live TV.
Platform: Windows.
- OSMC (Open Source Media Center)
OSMC is a minimalist, Linux-based operating system that runs on top of Kodi. It offers a clean, simple interface and is perfect for low-power devices like the Raspberry Pi.
We also count OSMC in the list of the top 10 best Kodi alternatives because of its amazing features:
- It is very simple to use and is based on Debian Linux and Kodi Media Center.
- It is a free and open-source media player like Kodi. You can stream your video, photos, music, TV shows, and more.
- You can find and bring your favorite content from its different categories, like Movies, TV Shows, Videos, Music, Pictures, and My OSMC.
- There is an option to select everything you want, like including all the TV episodes from start to end, old movies, latest movies, etc.
- It supports all the devices that can run OSMC, such as Windows, Linux, and Mac OS. Kodi-addons can also work with OSMC. Its monthly updates bring the latest features, improvements in performance, and bug fixes. To know more about it.
Advantages: It supports Kodi’s add-ons, but with a simpler interface. It works quickly on Raspberry Pi and Vero devices, making it an effective Kodi alternative for tech-savvy US users.
Platforms: Raspberry Pi, Vero, Apple TV (Gen 1).
- Jellyfin: 100% Free and Open-Source Alternative
Jellyfin is an excellent Kodi alternative for those who want a completely free, open-source, and private solution. It’s a free fork of Plex and Emby, with no subscription fees or tracking.
- Jellyfin is also the best and free software that allows you to stream anything you want.
- Enjoy your favorite movies, TV shows, Music, Live TV & DVR for free from any device.
- You can save your favorite TV shows and watch them anytime by episode. With Live TV, you can set automatic recording.
- Jellyfin supports multiple devices and operating systems, including Roku, Fire TV, Chromecast, Android TV, Xbox One, Kodi, PS4, Infuse, Google Cast, Airplay, Geli, iOS, Windows 10, Jellyfin Theatre, Mopidy, and more.
Pros: It values your privacy. For users in the US who want complete control over their media, this is the best Kodi alternative.
- Infuse (Alternative for the Apple Ecosystem)
Infuse is a great Kodi alternative primarily for Apple TV, iPhone, and iPad users. It displays your local media and network shares in a beautiful interface.
- Infuse is a great source to stream any content you want on your device or operating system.
- It supports different video formats, including MP4, M4V, MOV, MKV, AVI, MTS, WMV, ISO, Video_TS, FLV, OGM, OGV, ASF, 3GP, DVR-MS, WebM, and WTV.
- You can stream videos from Mac, PC, NAC, Wi-Fi hard drive, Plex, Emby, Jellyfin, Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, and Box. You can install it on any supported streaming device.
- Suppose you have an Amazon Fire TV Stick and you want to download Infuse. Before installing it, you need to jailbreak your Firestick.
Pros: It has an excellent interface and supports almost all video formats (MKV, AVI) without any transcoding, which is a significant advantage over Kodi on Apple devices.
Platform: iOS, Apple TV.
- The Roku Channel (Alternative for Simplicity)
As all users know, Roku is one of the most popular streaming platforms in the US, and then comes Firestick. The Roku channel is a highly popular free, ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) service, widely used by users seeking maximum free streaming.
Pros: US users who prefer simplicity over a Kodi-like setup can enjoy a full stream of free movies, TV shows, and live news simply by installing The Roku Channel.
Platforms: Roku devices, web, mobile.
To keep your streaming experience safe and private, it’s important to use a good VPN (Virtual Private Network) when using any Kodi alternative, especially in the United States, where online privacy is highly valued.
Final Words:
Above, we’ve shared information about the 10 best Kodi alternatives.
Kodi has already captured the hearts of people for its customization and add-on capabilities, but alternatives like Plex, Emby, and Jellyfin are slowly gaining popularity and replacing Kodi with others due to their easy setup, improved UI, and features like remote streaming.
If You:
- If you’re just looking for easy streaming and library management, Plex or Emby is best for you.
- If you’re looking for complete freedom and an open-source solution, consider Jellyfin or MythTV.
Ultimately, the “best” option is the one that best meets your needs and runs the smoothest on your device. The wait is over-choose your favorite Kodi alternative and enjoy your media without buffering!
