Is Kodi or Showtime better?

Neither clearly leads. Kodi starts at Free and Showtime at $10.99/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, Kodi or Showtime?

Kodi has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Kodi and $10.99/month for Showtime.

Does Kodi or Showtime run on more platforms?

Kodi runs on Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, Ios, Smart-tv. Showtime runs on Web, Ios, Android, Smart-tv.

Can I use Kodi for free?

Yes. Kodi has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Showtime starts at $10.99/month.

What is Kodi best used for?

Kodi is most often used for media center, home entertainment. Of those, media center and home entertainment are not what Showtime is typically brought in for.

What can Kodi do that Showtime cannot?

Kodi covers Media playback, Library management, Add-ons, Customization. Showtime covers Streaming, Original series, Movies, Sports. Both handle Android support, Ios support, Smart-tv support.

Entertainment · head to head

Kodi vs Showtime

Kodi

Entertainment

The ultimate entertainment center

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

Showtime

Entertainment

Signature entertainment and sports

From: $10.99/month
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

Only Kodi has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
Each has a real cost: Kodi licensed under GPLv2, entirely free and open source with no commercial edition; Showtime showtime is now offered only as part of Paramount+'s Premium plan, per the App Store listing (Paramount+ by CBS Mobile)
They diverge on capability: Kodi covers Media playback, Showtime covers Streaming.
Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Kodi and Showtime actually diverge.

Attributes where Kodi and Showtime differ
Attribute	Kodi	Showtime
Starting price	Free	$10.99/month
Pricing model	free	subscription
Free tier	Yes	No
Platforms	Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, Ios, Smart-tv	Web, Ios, Android, Smart-tv
Founded	2003	1983

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Entertainment).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Kodi

Media playback
Library management
Add-ons
Customization
Remote control
Smart home
Streaming services
Add-ons

Only in Showtime

Streaming
Original series
Movies
Sports
Live events
Smart TVs
Streaming devices
Account security

Both cover

Android support
Ios support
Smart-tv support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Kodi

Media centernot Showtime
Home entertainmentnot Showtime

Showtime

Premium streamingnot Kodi
Sports watchingnot Kodi

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Kodi

Licensed under GPLv2, entirely free and open source with no commercial edition

Showtime

Showtime is now offered only as part of Paramount+'s Premium plan, per the App Store listing (Paramount+ by CBS Mobile)
Cancellation takes effect at the end of the current subscription period rather than immediately, with continued access through the paid period, per the App Store listing

Pricing, plan by plan

Kodi

Free

FreeFree
- Open source
- All features
- Add-ons

Showtime

$10.99/month

Showtime Standalone$10.99/month
- Original content
- Ad-free

Which should you pick?

Choose Kodi if

You need media playback.
You want to start without paying.
You work on Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, Ios, Smart-tv.
You also want library management.

Kodi review

Choose Showtime if

You need streaming.
You work on Web, Ios, Android, Smart-tv.
You also want original series.

Showtime review

Questions people ask

Is Kodi or Showtime better?: Neither clearly leads. Kodi starts at Free and Showtime at $10.99/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Kodi or Showtime?: Kodi has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Kodi and $10.99/month for Showtime.
Does Kodi or Showtime run on more platforms?: Kodi runs on Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, Ios, Smart-tv. Showtime runs on Web, Ios, Android, Smart-tv.
Can I use Kodi for free?: Yes. Kodi has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Showtime starts at $10.99/month.
What is Kodi best used for?: Kodi is most often used for media center, home entertainment. Of those, media center and home entertainment are not what Showtime is typically brought in for.
What can Kodi do that Showtime cannot?: Kodi covers Media playback, Library management, Add-ons, Customization. Showtime covers Streaming, Original series, Movies, Sports. Both handle Android support, Ios support, Smart-tv support.

Kodi vs Showtime

Kodi

Showtime

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in Kodi

Only in Showtime

Both cover

What people use each for

Kodi

Showtime

Where each one falls short

Kodi

Showtime

Pricing, plan by plan

Kodi

Showtime

Which should you pick?

Choose Kodi if

Choose Showtime if

Questions people ask

Related pages

More on Kodi

More on Showtime

Keep looking

Other head to heads