If you’re looking for a no-stress media player that looks and performs much like Netflix, Plex is the way forward. It really comes down to preference as both have similar functionality – it’s just presented in a very different way.
Two asterisks: Require complex workaround to install Verdict In fact, only Google Play offers the ability to natively install and update Kodi at the time of writing. It’s safe to say that the difficulty of installation varies, with most platform app stores not offering the ability to download Kodi natively, and even with supported platforms, chances are you’ll have to download the installer via the Kodi website. Kodi is available for iOS, for example, but requires xCode and a Mac to do so. So, what about Kodi? It’s safe to say that the open-source media player can’t quite compete with Plex in the platform department, offering a shorter list than the competition, and in certain cases, you’ll have to follow a complex workaround to get the app on your desired platform. The good news is that Plex is available on almost every platform imaginable, from Android and iOS to more niche operating systems like Apple’s tvOS and Roku OS, and it’s even available as a Kodi add-on – meta, I know.
What’s the point in a media player if you can’t access it on most of the devices in your home? When it comes to media players, availability is just as important as the features and user experience on offer. So, with a complicated UI and more work to set up the various features on offer, why do people flock to Kodi in the thousands? While we don’t condone it, it’d be remiss of us to ignore the fact that one of the biggest reasons consumers use Kodi is to install less-than-reputable apps that allow you to stream the latest movies and TV shows illegally, directly to your device without the need to download any files or pay a monthly subscription.