Kodi vs Photoview

A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted apps from related categories — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.

Not the right match-up?
FeatureKodiPhotoview
CategoryMedia ServersPhoto Management
LicenseGPL-2.0AGPL-3.0
LanguageC++Go
Setup difficultyMediumEasy
Min. RAM512 MB512 MB
Deploymentbinary, bare-metaldocker
GitHub stars★ 21,064★ 6,496
First released20022019
ReplacesPlexGoogle Photos

Why pick each one

Choose Kodi if…

  • Extremely flexible
  • Massive add-on library
  • Long-standing project
Kodi details

Choose Photoview if…

  • Uses your folder structure
  • Lightweight
  • Easy setup
Photoview details

Frequently asked questions

Is Kodi or Photoview better?

Neither is universally better. Kodi has the larger community, while Photoview is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.

Are Kodi and Photoview free and open-source?

Yes. Kodi is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Photoview under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Kodi and Photoview with Docker?

Kodi: check the project docs for container support. Photoview: yes.

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