Kodi vs Tunarr

A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted media servers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.

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FeatureKodiTunarr
CategoryMedia ServersMedia Servers
LicenseGPL-2.0Zlib
LanguageC++TypeScript
Setup difficultyMediumMedium
Min. RAM512 MB512 MB
Deploymentbinary, bare-metaldocker, binary
GitHub stars★ 21,064★ 2,512
First released20022024
ReplacesPlexCable TV

Why pick each one

Choose Kodi if…

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

Choose Tunarr if…

  • Great for a retro TV feel
  • Integrates with existing libraries
Tunarr details

Frequently asked questions

Is Kodi or Tunarr better?

Neither is universally better. Kodi has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.

Are Kodi and Tunarr free and open-source?

Yes. Kodi is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Tunarr under Zlib. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Kodi and Tunarr with Docker?

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

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