The Best Kodi Addons for UK Viewers in 2026: Legal and Worth Installing

Kodi in 2026: still worth it?

Kodi is a free, open-source media centre that runs on Fire Stick, Android TV, Windows, Mac, Linux and Raspberry Pi. It plays local files, organises big film libraries with artwork and descriptions, and through addons can pull in online video, music and live TV. It has a reputation problem because of unofficial addons, but Kodi itself is perfectly legal and well maintained.

What an addon actually is

An addon is a plug-in that adds a feature or content source. Addons come from repositories: the official Kodi repository, maintained by the Kodi team, is built in, and third parties run their own. Official addons are checked for quality and legality. Third-party ones vary hugely, which is why we focus on the official repository here.

The best legal Kodi addons for UK viewers

PVR IPTV Simple Client: live TV in Kodi

The single most useful addon if you have an IPTV subscription. It loads your M3U playlist and EPG link into Kodi's built-in TV section, giving you a proper channel list, a seven-day guide, favourites and, with some setups, recording. It is in the official repository under PVR clients.

YouTube

The official YouTube addon gives you subscriptions, playlists and search on the big screen. You need to set up your own API keys for full sign-in, which the addon's guide explains.

Plex and Jellyfin

If you keep films and series on a home server, these addons bring the whole library into Kodi with artwork and watch status synced. Jellyfin is fully free and open source; Plex has a free tier.

Free ad-supported TV services

Several legal, ad-supported streaming services with live channels and films have Kodi addons in the official repository or from their own developers. They are a good free complement to a paid line-up.

Internet Archive

Thousands of public-domain films, documentaries, old TV and concerts, entirely legal and free.

Radio and podcasts

The official radio addon carries thousands of UK and world stations, and podcast addons bring your favourite shows to the TV.

Twitch

Live gaming and creator streams, with sign-in for followed channels.

How to install addons in Kodi

1. Open Kodi and select Add-ons from the left menu.
2. Select the open-box icon at the top left (the add-on browser).
3. Choose Install from repository, then Kodi Add-on repository.
4. Open the category you need, for example Video add-ons or PVR clients.
5. Select the addon and press Install. Kodi installs any dependencies automatically.

Adding live IPTV channels to Kodi

1. Install PVR IPTV Simple Client as above, then open it and choose Configure.
2. Under General, set location to Remote path (Internet address) and paste your M3U link.
3. Under EPG settings, paste the EPG (XMLTV) link from your provider.
4. Select OK, enable the addon and restart Kodi.
5. Your channels appear under TV on the home screen, with the guide under Guide.

Digitalby customers get both links in their welcome email. Our Kodi setup guide has the same steps in short form.

Getting the most from Kodi for UK TV

• Change the skin. Estuary is the default; Arctic Zephyr and Aeon Nox give a cleaner TV-first layout.
• Set channel groups. In the PVR settings, hide groups you never watch so the guide loads faster.
• Turn on hardware acceleration under Player settings on Android devices for smoother 4K.
• Back up your setup with the official Backup addon once everything is how you like it.

Kodi on different devices

• Fire Stick: Kodi is not in the Amazon Appstore. Enable sideloading and install it from kodi.tv using Downloader (see our Fire Stick guide).
• Android TV and Google TV: install straight from Google Play.
• Windows and Mac: download from the official kodi.tv website or the Microsoft Store.
• Apple TV: possible but awkward, requiring sideloading with a developer account. A dedicated player app is easier on Apple devices.

Is Kodi legal in the UK?

Kodi is legal, and so are the official addons listed here. What is not legal is using addons that stream films, sport or channels without permission from the rights holders. These also tend to break constantly and are a common route for malware. If an addon offers premium content for free, it is not a legitimate source.

Kodi or a dedicated IPTV player?

Kodi is excellent if you want one app for local files, home servers and live TV. If you only want live channels and on-demand content from a subscription, a dedicated player such as TiviMate is quicker to set up and nicer to channel-surf. Our best IPTV players guide compares them.

Wrapping up

Stick to the official repository, add PVR IPTV Simple Client for live TV, and Kodi becomes a tidy, legal home for everything you watch. Want live UK channels in it? Start with the IPTV free trial and plug the links into Kodi tonight.