Jellyfin vs Kodi
Learn how Jellyfin and Kodi differ in their key features, development activity, technology
stack and community adoption, so you can decide which of these media servers is best for you.
Learn how Jellyfin and Kodi differ in their key features, development activity, technology stack and community adoption, so you can decide which of these media servers is best for you.
Jellyfin
Last 30 days
Last commit
13 hours agoRepository age
8 yearsVersion
v12.3License
GPL-2.0Self-hosted
YesRepository
jellyfin/jellyfin
Kodi
Last 30 days
Detailed Comparison
Jellyfin appears to have several advantages over Kodi, particularly in popularity, growth and licensing. Consider your specific needs regarding popularity, growth, activity, technology, maturity, licensing and features when making your decision.
Jellyfin appears to have several advantages over Kodi, particularly in popularity, growth and licensing. Consider your specific needs regarding popularity, growth, activity, technology, maturity, licensing and features when making your decision.
Community & Popularity
Jellyfin leads in popularity with 58,609 stars vs 21,386 stars for Kodi. The 174% higher star count indicates stronger community adoption. In terms of developer contributions, Kodi has 6,646 forks, indicating strong developer engagement.
Growth Momentum
Jellyfin is growing faster, adding 1,069 stars in the last 30 days (+1.9%) against adding 134 stars for Kodi (+0.6%). Jellyfin is both larger and pulling further ahead.
Development Activity
Both projects show recent activity, with Jellyfin last updated 13 hours ago and Kodi 6 hours ago.
Technology Stack
Both tools share common technology foundations, being built with CSS, Bash, Python, C#. However, they differ in their additional technology choices: Kodi leverages JavaScript, C, Objective-C, Java, C++, MATLAB, Perl, GLSL.
Project Maturity
Kodi has been in development longer, starting 16 years ago, compared to Jellyfin which began 8 years ago. This 8.0-year head start suggests Kodi may have more mature features and established processes.
Licensing
Jellyfin is licensed under GPL-2.0, while Kodi's license terms are not publicly specified.
Use Cases & Features
Both tools serve similar use cases in Media Servers.
Hosting & Deployment
Both Jellyfin and Kodi offer self-hosting capabilities, giving you full control over your data and infrastructure.
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