Kodi vs Stash
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted media servers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Kodi | Stash |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 89 · Excellent | 92 · Excellent |
| Category | Media Servers | Media Servers |
| License | GPL-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | C++ | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | binary, bare-metal | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 21,247 | ★ 13,007 |
| First released | 2002 | 2019 |
| Replaces | Plex | Plex |
What are Kodi and Stash?
Kodi
Kodi is an open-source media center application for playing and organizing local and network media on a TV-friendly interface. It targets users building a home theater PC. It runs natively on many platforms rather than as a server.
- TV-friendly 10-foot interface
- Huge add-on ecosystem
- Plays virtually any format
- Runs on many devices
Stash
Stash is a self-hosted media organizer that catalogs video and image collections with rich metadata, tagging, and scraping. It targets users who want a deeply organized personal media archive. It is deployed via Docker or a single binary.
- Rich metadata and tagging
- Scraper and plugin system
- Built-in web player
- SQLite-backed storage
Kodi vs Stash: key differences
Kodi is written in C++, while Stash is built with Go. Licensing differs — GPL-2.0 for Kodi versus AGPL-3.0 for Stash. Stash is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Kodi. Kodi is the more established project (first released 2002), while Stash arrived in 2019. Stash lists first-class Docker deployment; Kodi does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Kodi if…
- Extremely flexible
- Massive add-on library
- Long-standing project
Watch out for
- Player not a true server
- Setup can be fiddly
Choose Stash if…
- Powerful organization
- Extensible via plugins
- Easy to deploy
Watch out for
- Single-user focused
- Niche feature set
Frequently asked questions
Is Kodi or Stash better?
Neither is universally better. Kodi has the larger community, while Stash is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Kodi and Stash free and open-source?
Yes. Kodi is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Stash under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Kodi and Stash with Docker?
Kodi: check the project docs for container support. Stash: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Kodi or Stash?
Stash has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Kodi. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.