Richard Goodwin 14/02/2017 - 1:01pm

Are you better of with Netflix or Kodi for your media needs?

Kodi has grown in popularity at an alarming rate in recent months. Pretty much everyone I know or speak to is using Kodi, and the reason for this, I believe, is pretty simple.

First, Kodi is awesome. Second, Netflix started blocking VPN access last year and this meant no US Netflix in the UK, which, for many people, myself included, all but ruined the service.

I recently bought Sky Q when I moved house. The system is immensely impressive but for a lot of people it is too expensive. I bit the bullet and decided to give it a whirl but whether this decision pays off in the end remains to be seen.

If you don’t want Sky Q, your best bet for video on demand is Amazon, Netflix or Kodi.

Here we’re going to be looking at just Netflix and Kodi, though Amazon Prime Video is definitely worth a look if you’re interested in that sort of thing (it also comes free with Amazon Prime membership too, so you might already have access to it and not know).

Kodi vs Netflix: Movies & TV Shows (What You Can Actually Watch)

Netflix in the US is immense. If you could still access US Netflix in the UK I’d never have paid for Sky Q. Kodi wouldn’t be as popular, either. But Netflix being Netflix had to go and block VPNs and ruin Netflix for millions of people outside the US.

I’m not saying Netflix outside the US is bad; far from it, in fact. It’s just not anyway near as good. And once you’ve experienced US Netflix going back to what they pass for a service in the UK is a bitter pill to swallow.

Kodi on the other hand suffers from none of these issues; you can watch what you want when you want. Now, there are legal issues with all of this that you need to be aware of, court cases are being filed against abusers right now, but, in theory, you can watch whatever you want regardless of where you’re based.

Kodi also doesn’t block VPN access, so you can use the service while protected by a VPN. And because of the nature of Kodi, it is highly recommended that you use a VPN at all times when running the service.

Kodi vs Netflix: Live Events

Netflix doesn’t do live TV, it’s video on demand.

Kodi is also video on demand, but it does allow for live streaming of channels both here and in the US.

You can also use a VPN to access live channels in the US if you’re based in the UK and vice versa.

For sports you can add NBC Sports, BeIN Sports, ESPN, and Fox Sports add-ons to your Kodi device.

Netflix doesn’t do sports. Like, at all.

Kodi vs Netflix: Device Compatibility

Netflix works on most things, including you PC, laptop, phone, tablet and HDTV. You won’t have any issues getting up and running with Netflix. If you’re running an older TV, simply plug Chromecast in and you’re away.

Kodi also runs on a lot of devices but the best and cheapest is Amazon’s Fire TV Stick. Installation is simple, you can read more about setting up Kodi for the first time by checking out our Guide To Kodi, which also includes a list of all the devices that currently support Kodi (you can see the guide to Kodi and information for installing it on the Fire Stick below). 

Kodi vs Netflix: Price

Netflix is a subscription based service, so it will cost you money every month to watch it. Netflix recently increased its prices to $10 a month in the US. If you’re in the UK, you can get Netflix up and running for under a tenner, but without VPN access you’re probably not going to want to pay that much.

I personally prefer Amazon Prime Video these days, which I get free with my Amazon Prime Membership. I say, free, but you do have to pay £79 for Amazon Prime, so it’s actually more of a benefit than anything else – it’s certainly not free in the truest sense of the word.

Kodi is FREE though. 100% free. All you have to do is ensure you have a compatible device and you can download the software and start running it for nothing.

As I said, Amazon’s Fire TV Stick is your best bet if you're looking for a cheap way to get Kodi inside your HDTV.

Kodi vs Netflix: The Winner?

Kodi pretty much wipes the floor with Netflix in the UK. I mean, it’s not even close. Yes, Netflix is more legitimate, but Kodi has WAY more content, way more features and is growing all the time.

I used to love Netflix but now when someone asks me whether they should get Netflix or Kodi I ALWAYS suggest Kodi. It does everything and, providing you use it with legal add-ons, you have nothing to worry about from a legal perspective.

Yep – Kodi is very much where it’s at in 2017.

Sorry, Netflix.