Add to Chrome
Add to Edge
Add to Firefox
Add to Opera
Add to Brave
Add to SafariWhen comparing Roku vs Kodi, the Slant community recommends Roku for most people. In the question“What are the best media centers?” Roku is ranked 2nd while Kodi is ranked 4th.
Specs
Question Ranking
Pros
Pro Can install on several devices
Android, Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Xbox, Apple TV (jailbroken), and more.
Pro Lots of plugins available
Like PlutoTV, Curiosity Stream, and YouTube. 3rd party repositories, such as the SlyGuy Repository, contain more plugins like Disney+, Paramount+, Hulu, and Netflix.
Pro Free
Pro Open source
Completely FOSS, licensed under GPL 2.0
Pro Great customization/multiple skins
You can change navigation flow and other aspects of Kodi with the plethora of customization options and skins.
Pro Can play many different file formats
It supports Blu-ray Discs, CDs, DVDs, USB Flash Drives, local Hard Disk Drives, AirPlay, network file shares, basically every video, audio, and image format available, subtitle files, and even retro game console ROMs.
Cons
Con Easy to accidentally change channel
It's very easy to accidentally sit on the remote, and stop your video, or exit the channel. Apple Remote does not have this problem.
Con Frustrating & complex remote design
For some apps like YouTube, left and right switches videos. While left and right on Netflix will fastforward/rewind. Apple Remote is a better & simpler design, a direction pad & select button is all you need.
Con Not a hobbyist platform
It's next to impossible to alter the core of the Roku, like create custom notifications. While new channels can be made, existing ones can't be modified.
Con You may have to jailbreak some devices
This is only for things like a Fire stick, but Android TV boxes etc. should be fine.
Con Terrible navigation
Menus over menus with dozens of submenus.
Con Not Client/Server Capable
While most solutions provide a client/server setup the KODI developers REFUSE to adopt this approach forcing individual setups for every device.
Con Poorly optimized
Often not a fluid experience on low-end devices.
Con No official AAA addons for streaming services
It does not have any official AAA addons and fully relies on the community which result in often broken packages/addons.
