Best TV apps for PC in 2026

People who search for ways to watch TV on a PC usually want one of two things: a player for live and streamed video, or a front end for their own media library. The four Windows apps below cover both, and all four are free to download according to the catalog data. This list sticks to legal use. None of these apps supplies channels by itself, so what you watch depends on the services, files and servers you already have access to.

Streamlink sends streams from online services into a separate player. Kodi is a full media center with a 10-foot interface for televisions. Jellyfin Media Player is a desktop client for a Jellyfin server, and Plex combines a media player platform with a streaming service. Sizes range from 61.4 MB to 178.8 MB. The entries are listed in the order of the catalog, not ranked by quality.

Compare at a glance

Comparison table: Best TV apps for PC in 2026
App	Price	Size
StreamlinkOfficial file	Free	61.4 MB
KodiOfficial file	Free	74 MB
Jellyfin Media PlayerOfficial file	Free	149 MB
PlexOfficial file	Free	179 MB

Streamlink: best for sending streams to VLC or mpv

61.4 MB Official file

Streamlink is a command-line utility. It takes video streams from various services and pipes them into a player such as VLC or mpv, so you skip heavy, poorly optimized web pages. The current catalog version is 8.6.3-1, updated on October 29, 2026, and the download is 61.4 MB.

It is released under the BSD-2-Clause license and costs nothing. A Python API is also available for developers who want access to the stream data. The project was forked from Livestreamer, which is no longer maintained.

Pros

Most recent update in this list, October 29, 2026
Smallest download at 61.4 MB
Python API for developers

Cons

Command-line only, with no graphical interface
Needs a separate player such as VLC or mpv

Open Streamlink

Kodi: best for a living-room style media center

74 MB Official file

Kodi is a free, open source media player developed by the XBMC Foundation, a non-profit technology consortium. It plays most videos, music, podcasts and other digital media from local storage, network storage and the internet. The interface is built for TVs and remote controls, which suits a PC connected to a big screen.

The current version is 21.3.0.0, last updated on November 23, 2025, at 74 MB. The license is GPL-2.0-or-later. Kodi runs on multiple operating systems and hardware platforms.

Pros

Plays local, network and internet media
10-foot interface for televisions and remotes
Free and open source under GPL-2.0-or-later

Cons

Last catalog update was November 23, 2025

Open Kodi

Jellyfin Media Player: best as a desktop client for Jellyfin

149 MB Official file

Jellyfin Media Player is the desktop client from the Jellyfin project. It is a client based on Plex Media Player.

The current version is 1.12.0, updated on March 19, 2025. It is free, licensed under GPL-2.0, and at 149.1 MB it is the second largest download of the four. It fits people who already run their own Jellyfin server.

Pros

Free under GPL-2.0
Made by the Jellyfin project itself

Cons

Feature data is very thin
Oldest update in the list, March 19, 2025
Large download at 149.1 MB

Open Jellyfin Media Player

Plex: best for a server-and-client media setup

179 MB Official file

Plex is a global streaming media service and a client-server media player platform made by Plex, Inc. The current version is 1.115.0, updated on August 17, 2026, with a 178.8 MB download, the largest on this page.

The license is Freemium and GPL-2.0, and the app is free to install. The freemium label suggests some parts may sit behind paid options.

Pros

Updated on August 17, 2026
Client-server design for a personal library
Free to download

Cons

Largest download at 178.8 MB
Freemium license, so some features may be paid

Open Plex

How we picked

The list is built from catalog data alone: version, update date, file size, price, licence and the feature text supplied for each app. Nobody here installed or tried these programs, so there are no statements about speed, stability or picture quality. Google Play installs and ratings are left out because these are Windows programs. The order of Streamlink, Kodi, Jellyfin Media Player and Plex follows the catalog. Only legal use is covered.

Questions and answers

Do these apps include TV channels?

None of them ships with channels. Streamlink pipes streams from services into a player, Kodi plays media from local, network and internet sources, and Jellyfin Media Player and Plex work as clients for media libraries.

Are the apps free?

All four are free. Plex carries a Freemium and GPL-2.0 license, so some features may be paid.

Which app was updated most recently?

Streamlink, version 8.6.3-1, updated on October 29, 2026. Plex follows with an update on August 17, 2026.

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