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Kodi VS APKs VS Torrents – What’s your favorite?
Over the past few weeks I’ve found myself using Kodi and Torrent sites more than streaming through the popular APKs.
This is a big change for me because prior to this, I was using APKs 100% of the time.
Why did I move back to Kodi addons and downloading through Torrent sites?
It seems that the Real-Debrid links haven’t been working very well in the APKs as of late, especially for TV shows.
So, I installed The Crew Kodi Addon and paired my Real-Debrid account with it and I was absolutely floored when I saw all of the 4K and 1080p links!
Yes, I use Real-Debrid and I have always stated that I wouldn’t bother using these streaming apps or Kodi addons without it.
No, this isn’t an advertisement for Real-Debrid. TROYPOINT does not receive any revenue from this premium service and never has.
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Here is the scraper progress box which shows 32 4K Real-Debrid links and 357 1080p links for a popular movie that was released in mid 2019.
I queried the same movie in Cinema HD APK and received 2 4K links and 9 1080p links.
I performed the same test with a popular TV show and got the same results. The Crew Kodi addon blows everything out of the water.
After using Kodi on a regular basis for a few days, I began to notice the things that I missed about this media player.
No ads! It’s a huge relief to not deal with the in-app ads that show in some of the APKs. Sure, there are some apps that don’t include ads but many of the better ones do.
Subtitles also seem to work better in Kodi and this is important to me because my hearing isn’t as good as it once was.
The Kodi addons have been on a roller coaster ride for the past three years due to legal shutdowns. As soon as we get comfortable with a great addon, it gets shut down or the developer ceases updates.
But, one thing remains constant with Kodi. One gets shut down and within a week or two, we usually have access to a few new ones.
I’ve also been downloading through Torrent sites onto my Plex Media Server as well. Yeah, this is old technology but it still works great, especially if you want quality HD media files.
Real-Debrid users can take advantage of streaming torrents through the popular Kodi Addons and APKs as well but some of these are huge files and will buffer if your Internet speed isn’t good enough.
Downloading through the popular Torrent sites allows buffer-free playback for later viewing.
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This was a good reminder to me that technology is constantly changing and its important to check on alternatives even if those didn’t work very well in the past.
Have you revisited Kodi or Torrents lately?
If you’re a Real-Debrid user, I would strongly suggest installing The Crew Kodi Addon and trying it out. I think you will be very impressed. Another great one is Seren.
So, please tell us in the comments section which is your favorite…Kodi, APKs, Torrents, or another form of online viewing?
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Participants
45 thoughts on “Kodi VS APKs VS Torrents – What’s your favorite?”
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Seren is the main one that every single movie i try to watch says to download Xvid codec.
Now i went with a cpl that didn’t need debrid and cpl that did. Its the ones that did, end up coming back with the codec stuff. Specially when I am “told” to have more than one …so i have rea-debrid, premiumize me, tract.. i mean what more does one need.
All and all make question…
What is the video Cvid codec stuff and do i do it..Most of all is it safe
Thank you
Michelle
Troy, thanks for your post.
I’ve posted before and will state again that I’m a fan of kodi. Like everyone else, I came to appreciate and use the great APKs that have been developed. They are easy to use. But they are erratic at times and don’t provide as many real debrid links as does the kodi addons I use. Lately I’ve been jumping from APK to APK to find links to various programs. If I’m feeling impatient, I’ll usually go to an APK first for a program. If I get a good link with subtitles and decent audio (I’m hearing impaired), I’m okay. Any issues and I’ll go to kodi where I almost always find many real debrid links and subtitles. When I’m not in a rush to watch something, I go straight to kodi. Real debrid is working extremely well these days with the kodi addons I use. I usually go with torrents and I can’t remember the last time I had buffering issues or a dropped link. I also like being able to amplify the audio.
I installed the crew addon and it is working very well, gives me tons of real debrid links. The crew also removes duplicate links, a nice little feature.
Kodi is my favorite streaming application. Addon developers come and go but like you stated, new developers keep popping up. Will the currently popular APKs be around a year from now? Two years from now? I certainly hope so. I’ll keep using them. But I’ll always keep a copy of kodi on my streaming devices.
for me, I started with Kodi since back then it was the main thing to use. Loved it so much and had Real Debrid. Then the time came when it seemed any good addon was taken down and it was a real hassle. I’m really never been back to Kodi except for a player. Later got with APKs and was pleased. When TVZion came around I knew I found what I wanted. I still use it and always my go to apk. This looks very interesting about the Crew addon for Kodi. May go back but won’t put up again with addons going down so we’ll see. Torrents I love for keeping stuff. Have my external drives and if something is really what I want I’ll keep that.
Troy, first and foremost thanks for all you do. You have helped many of us become streaming experts to family and friends however you are the “man behind the curtain”.
I started out with APK’s however once my “habit” grew and I ventured into the world of the Nvidia Shield I started playing around with Kodi. Once I became familiar with everything FireStick Kodi wasn’t as frightening and I have the same experience you do - more 4K and HD streams using RD and PM.
Question for you, I have both Xanax and No Limits loaded and was attempting to load “The Crew” when I realized The Crew addons was enabled in the Xanax build. My question - is there a difference between the addon in Xanax vs. a standalone “The Crew” build or am I getting all of the functionality contained within Xanax?
One last question, how can you load multiple versions of Kodi (beyond 18.5 Leia and 17.6 Krypton) as kodi.tv only supports older versions of Leia and Krypton 17.6? Between No Limits and Xanax I am unable to download another “older” version of Kodi to see which version is best.
Again thanks for all you do,
Installed Crew on Kodi and was impressed how well it worked. Was especially happy about its sport category where I was able to find replays of UFC & MMA events that I have missed terribly since Planet MMA has apparently gone under.
Thanks
@ekozuch, thanks for pointing out the crew sports category. I’d missed it and it is excellent. I found past super bowls I really wanted to see again.
Troy, you rock! Crew working so much better than the APK we used last night which made a 2 hour movie 3 hours long due to buffering on our crappy, radio wave, country WiFi. Watching the same movie now on Kodi-Crew and it is working wonderfully!
Good question Troy. For me it’s all about what you want from streaming. If you want quality and no buffering then Kodi (with RD or Premiumize) is a no brainer. If you want easy to use streaming at no cost and will live with some buffering, then APK’s are your answer.
I have been using Kodi for 4 years and am well through the “teething stage” where everything was buffering, a Resolver went down, Trakt or RD wasn’t working etc - all resulting in total frustration. I invested my time in getting to know and understand Kodi and can now identify and resolve most issues- but I do have sympathy for new users because so much can go wrong with it. But I LOVE Kodi. I use 3/4 Addons (The Crew, Seren, Fen and Numbers) which give me options if one is not scraping well on a particular day. I should also mention that, with RD and Premiumize, I am happy to use the torrent links and they are, truly, the business.
I also have APK’s as fall back. I know the quality will not match Kodi but it will give me access if Kodi is acting up.
So, for me Kodi, APK’s and Torrents is like a package, with Kodi as my “go to” source.
I too have been a long time follower and Kodi user, but after Kodi started to have issues, I tried the APK’s, and have had some success. I use RD and IPVanish all the time and they seem to help. I’m also in the process of cutting the cord and have been trying a couple of IPTV Services (Sapphire Secure and Sportz TV) - I’ve now deleted Sapphire because they didn’t provide to key channels that I need (WGN Chicago and AXS) whereas Sportz TV does. I’ve also tried using the Crew add-on in the latest Xanax build and seems to work well.
But my main issue is that I’m hearing a lot about torrents, yet it seems every time I try one, it says I can’t get the link because I don’t have some “Xvid Video Codec” installed. I Googled it and most said to avoid this as it typically contains malware. Anyone else seeing this?
I agree…I hadn’t used Kodi for months because the apk’s were much better…when I started having issues with the apks, I tried Kodi again and it seems to be working when the apks fail…I use Exodus and Exodus Redux
I use TV zion as a first port of call, pay a few pound each month for premium streams with real debrid. As much as I like kodi its really slow compared to apks, for this reason I prefer apks, however I appreciate it is people’s perogative. Jimmy.
I am finding stand alone apks are becoming more and more the way to go for streaming apps rather than kodi. Kodi was great as few years back, but the added layers of data and coding tend to slow things down in using the apps contained within the kodi builds. As more well developed apks hit the web and app stores, kodi seems to be less needed for streaming. The only remaining positive for kodi is having a bunch of popular apps on one platform. But, to each his own as far preferences.
Have you checked the setting “cached torrents only”?
I haven’t because I seem to have problems with torrents in general. But if you are suggesting that the “cached torrents only” is the way to fix the problem, then I’d be real interested in that.
Yes. I’ve found that works for me; gets rid of all the pop-up boxes
I’ve tried to use Kodi but I can’t seem to find a way to add tv programs to a favorites place so that you don’t have to search for the program each time to watch an episode. Neither can I find a tutorial that teaches you how to add builds or apks or whatever else you may want to add to Kodi nor can I find anything that teaches you how to load things your library like Seren or how to authorize everything for Real Debrid. I’m sure all those things are doable because there are so many people using Kodi and it seems they use it seamlessly. The apks are so easy to load from Troypoint you don’t have to know much - like me - to everything easily with minimal time spent.
Hi!
I am using real debrid with Firestick 4k max and Kodi 19.3 with Seren and venom.
It works great!!! Except on Dolby vision mkv files which have purple and green tint in playback.
Sounds like I need to add VLC as an external player to correct this issue? Agree?
How do I add VLC as an external player to Firestick Kodi 19.3?
Thank you sir!
@parkdj808
Stop posting asking the same question in many different topics.
There is a guide for this.
Well, you know I’m a big Kodi fan lol. Posted many guides on how to fine tune it with the crew. Now I just have to figure out how to split my output from my Shield to get both Dolby Vision and TrueHD. Then I’ll be golden.
I used to just download torrents and use a torrent Downloader for everything, have hard drives stacked with stuff, but as things changed I got lazier.
I find that kodi is absolutely great, the scrappers for the crew and seren are pretty good, real debrid has made it much better.
As things have progressed I find that a good mix of apks that sync with real debird and kodi with seren and crew you won’t miss out on anything.
As long as a apk used good scrappers and real debrid the apk option is great. As long has you have a good android box with storage and available ram the 3 best options I find are stremio with rd syncler with rd and kodi with rd (seren and crew) gives me tons of custom options for my needs and hardware specs if I want 2 channel to 7.1
Yup, definitely can do all of that and more. Just takes the time to learn it. You didn’t search very hard because there are guides for setting up Trakt to manage favorites, install add-ons, authorize real debrid, and add downloaded content to your Kodi library.
@tobasco27 it’s covered here.
@sim_bill that’s the issue. You’re using Kodi builds instead of 1 or 2 add-ons that really work. Watch that video I did in the link just above this.
Kodi was introduced to me as a hobby. It is reminiscent of the first computer I bought. I had trouble, and so I boxed it back up and returned to the ‘computer store’. It quickly became apparent that the guy didn’t know any more than I. Soooo, I read the Dos Manual.
It is with a similar, dogged determination that I use kodi. Darn if I can figger why in the heck they never installed an ‘update’ protocol. Kinda silly to reinstall the twenty five apps that I’ll only uninstall for lack of use.
I am a 74 year old. Kodi is hard. If there is a manual on Kodi explaining it, I don’t know where to find it. I have carefully watched the video on torrenting with your computer several times. I use Nvidia Shield, Cube or Kindle tablet to watch tv and movies. Sometimes you guys forget how far advanced your knowledge exceeds us beginners. APKs that may or may not contain torrents work and don’t require lengthy setup procedures.
I would love to know more, but I don’t want to watch tv on a laptop computer in my lap and don’t know of a source to learn it, printable would be lovely, thanks
Hi @BigDave
Here is a guide put out by @TROYPOINT on how to set-up and use of Kodi.
Thanks for all Troy
My first experiences with kodi was on a raspbarry Pi, the last few years i’m using a shield, first thing i installed was kodi.
The Crew is a great add-on, for me watching Dutch soccer for free, it’s only possible in great quality on kodi with The Crew or Sport HD as far as i can find.
At on time I use to use Kodi, then came apks and were far easier to use and configure with far less problems. APK all the way.
Hello @Miki I’ve been doing the same as you…APKs all the way but over the past two weeks, I’ve switched to Kodi + Seren + Trakt and I couldn’t be happier. I’m getting 4K links in Seren that I don’t get in any APKs with RD. The only reason I add Trakt is to keep track of what I’ve watched (TV Episodes) and it keeps everything in sync with other devices in the home. No ads, subs work great as well. Syncler has been my go-to but this is easier to setup and doesn’t require purchasing Syncler +. Just something to try if you want to.
When I got into this streaming thing years ago. there really was nothing more than Kodi. At least what I could find. I used builds and they worked OK but not great. I even started to build my owm for awhile, that was fun. Then I discovered APKs and they worked very well, but not great. I then discovered RD and that put a whole new spin to streaming. I played with many until they shut down. Now, I have revised my thinking and only have CinemaHD, Syncler and Kodi. I use CinemaHD as my go to and if it doesn’t work or give many sources I’ll flip over to Syncler. Kodi has always been my backup to the two , but after watching a video by one of the members to use only The Crew, I was blown away. I used his suggestions and I can’t believe how well it works. Very fast, even with my slow internet speed. The quality is amazing. I highly suggest this as a primary source because you are using Torrents and they seem to work much better. Troy DOES provide a quality service and his unbiased opinions make choices much easier.
Hi Troy
I am in TOTAL AGREEMENT with you about SEREN with Kodi 
and my programs played to perfection 
the best as far as I’m concerned 
I am still using Kodi 18.9 because my android tv box is very old and wont work with the upgrade to 19 or above. But Seren still works perfectly?:heavy_heart_exclamation: I love mostly classic TV shows & movies, and LOVE the classic BRITCOMS! Now that Acorn, Britbox, etc. make you sign up to watch most of those programs, it was difficult to find a source to watch them - even on the crew or the oath. Then I installed Seren, with all RD and their own engine to search and I literally jumped out of my chair when the search found several Cached RD sources?:partying_face:
So, Kodi with Seren is absolutely
Initially I was using builds, but found out I was better off using kodi add ons. It just seemed to work better. So I chose the crew and the oath. The oath is my backup, the crew works fine. Then I added real debrid and it’s even better , I think I’ll add Seren to try, and cinema has lately like you said been sub par. The only problem I occasionally have, even with real debrid might be no stream available!! Thanx for all your work with kodi Troy!!
ive been using torrent sites for movies and apk’s for tv shows and i’ve never had a problem for yrs,i save the classic movies that i watch over and over in 4k on my hd,i have iptv for sports and premium channels and i use ipvanish on everything.
alot of really cool movies never are available on anything but torrent sites,i like it and use this setup everyday and am quite happy w my setup
KODI + RD + TraktTV for years. I use Builds because the developers do all the work and maintain the Addons - well that is if you find a solid Build Developer with staying power. I’ve been using the Builds by GrindHouse for several years now and they keep everything well maintained. The Crew, The Oathe, Revolution among others. But it doesn’t matter really as most addons are typically the same. The important thing is when an addon developer stops maintaining that the Build developer replace with another working addon and that’s how it’s been at Grindhouse for years
Thanx so much for the info and willingness to share, much appreciated
Dave
But Miki Cinemax has been a nite mare at times what other do u suggest
I have the crew and oath add ons. Mostly use crew. But recently downloaded seren
Sorry do you mean Cinema HD? I’ve not heard of Cinemax. I use only 2 apps for VOD. My primary is Stremio. With this app you can add all the addons you want for Movies, Series, Sports, TV Channels, adult content, anime and hentai to name a few. You can integrate RD, Trakt, etc. I always get tons of sources as well. My backup is TeaTV as I can add any m3u playlist although I don’t get an epg, so for a Premium Live TV app I use TiViMate and have a lifetime sub which was $33 cdn. and I have thousands of channels and with the help of @Powerfader I now have an amazing selection of channels loaded and most with an EPG.
Yes I meant cinema hd, I mis spelled, and phone is trying to correct words
I will never understand why ppl don’t turn off spellcheck. Such a useless waste of time unless you need to write a thousand word essay for your prof.
I turn on, then i turn it off.
I guess because some of us don’t want to come across as illiterate and want to learn the correct way to spell esoteric words, and some not so esoteric.
I totally agree with Kodi being the best. I did get away from it when I discovered APK’s a few years ago since they were easier to use and creating favorites made it really quick to access shows. However, I’ve had numerous problems with apps lately and the ads are really annoying, especially on Cinema. Soooo, I’ve gone back to Kodi and mostly use The Crew but now am trying Seren as well. I really like creating favorites that show up on the home page so you don’t have to go into the add-on.
BTW, Trakt is very helpful because I’ve had to uninstall and reinstall Cinema and even Kodi and Trakt brings them up again without having to reenter everything.
I know there’s a way to use the menu items on the left side of the Kodi home page, but I don’t know how to do that yet. That would really make Kodi into a great tool!
Real debrid makes all the difference with Kodi Or Syncler. If you know your way around either one there both better than any iptv that offers VOD
I certainly enjoy my Free IPTV from multiple sources. Comparing IPTV to VOD and RD is odd to me as they each provide an entirely different function. Each one is just a piece of the overall cord cutting puzzle and together can provide an excellent streaming experience. Whether Kodi, or Stremio, Syncler, TiViMate, or Real Debrid, they’re each just tools to be used, and if you find they work for you then kudos to you.