Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups
Register | Login

XBian VS LibreELEC

Compare XBian VS LibreELEC and see what are their differences

Contents:
  1. » Base Details
  2. » Videos
  3. » Reviews
  4. » Alternatives

XBian logo XBian

XBian is a small, fast and lightweight media centre distribution for the Raspberry Pi, CuBox-i...

LibreELEC logo LibreELEC

LibreELEC is ‘Just enough OS’ for Kodi, a Linux distribution built to run Kodi on current and...
  • XBian Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-10-06
  • LibreELEC Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-06

XBian features and specs

No features have been listed yet.

LibreELEC features and specs

  • Lightweight
    LibreELEC is a minimalistic, lightweight Linux-based operating system specifically built for running the Kodi media center, which means it is optimized for performance and consumes fewer system resources.
  • Easy Installation
    The installation process is straightforward and user-friendly, designed to get you up and running with minimal hassle.
  • Optimized for Kodi
    Since LibreELEC is designed expressly for Kodi, it offers better performance and stability for this media center compared to more general-purpose operating systems.
  • Wide Hardware Support
    LibreELEC supports a broad range of hardware platforms, including the Raspberry Pi, x86 PCs, and various ARM devices, providing flexibility in terms of device compatibility.
  • Automatic Updates
    The system includes automatic updates, ensuring that users always have the latest features and security patches without manual intervention.
  • Community Support
    LibreELEC has a vibrant community that provides support, plugins, and additional features, making it easier for users to customize their setup and solve any issues they might encounter.

Possible disadvantages of LibreELEC

  • Limited Functionality
    Being a specialized OS for Kodi, LibreELEC lacks the versatility of more general-purpose operating systems, meaning it is not suitable for tasks outside of media consumption.
  • Steep Learning Curve for Beginners
    Although installation is easy, new users might find it challenging to navigate and customize the system to their needs if they're unfamiliar with media center setups.
  • Limited Application Availability
    Because LibreELEC is specifically tailored for Kodi, there is a limited range of additional applications that can be installed compared to more general operating systems.
  • Dependency on Kodi
    The entire user experience is tied to Kodi. If Kodi encounters any bugs or issues, it can severely impact the usability of the whole system.
  • Less Frequent General Updates
    While LibreELEC includes automatic updates, major changes and new features in the underlying OS might not be as frequent as with more active, general-purpose Linux distributions.

XBian videos

+ Add

Xbian on Raspberry Pi playing 1080p MKV video files across home network from Mac OSX and PC

More videos:

  • Review - XBMC on Raspberry Pi using Xbian and CEC control with a Sony TV Remote

LibreELEC videos

+ Add

LibreELEC Raspberry Pi 1 2 3 Or Zero Quick Look Kodi For Raspberry pi

More videos:

  • Review - Raspberry Pi 4B on LibreELEC 9.2 with Kodi 18.3
  • Review - Kodi Compendium [Part 3]: Raspberry Pi OS Selection, Comparison, Performance Test LibreELEC vs OSMC

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to XBian and LibreELEC)

XBian

LibreELEC

Media Player
12 12%
Media Player
88% 88
Video
10 10%
Video
90% 90
Watch Movies Online
14 14%
Watch Movies Online
86% 86
Media Players And Streaming Platforms
23 23%
Media Players And Streaming Platforms
77% 77

User comments

Share your experience with using XBian and LibreELEC. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
Log in or Post with

Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare XBian and LibreELEC

XBian Reviews

We have no reviews of XBian yet.
Be the first one to post

LibreELEC Reviews

Top 10 Best Linux Media Server Software
LibreELEC also has special builds for single board computers like Raspberry Pi. You can install this special operating system on your Raspberry Pi and get a media center device ready in minutes.
Source: itsfoss.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, LibreELEC seems to be a lot more popular than XBian. While we know about 66 links to LibreELEC, we've tracked only 1 mention of XBian. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

XBian mentions (1)

  • Need help
    Download Xbian: It's always worked without fiddling for me, even for things like CEC, straight out of the box. Source: over 1 year ago

LibreELEC mentions (66)

  • Raspberry Pi 5
    - Two LibreELEC (https://libreelec.tv/) mediaplayers in house (yes, one is not enough in my big family). - One for hosting low usage applications at home network (Unifi controller and some more). - Octoprint (https://octoprint.org) connected to the 3d-printer. - One on my desk for hardware hacking – mostly as just a PC with GPIO. - Some Raspberry Pi Zeros as security cameras. - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • Plex to block all servers hosted at Hetzner
    You might be interested in the https://libreelec.tv/ project. - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • Looking for a distro to replace Roku Stick
    I'm aware of solutions such as LibreELEC but that (if I understand it) is just a Kodi thing. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Watch Jellyfin content on non-smart TV
    Kodi is a media client as it provides a UI for you to browse, search for and view media. I have it running on my Raspberry Pi as LibreELEC. It connects to the same media sources that Jellyfin uses via SFTP. They support the same scrappers and folder structures so they can share the same media sources. If you're not adamant about using Jellyfin on the Raspberry Pi, this could be an option. Source: about 2 years ago
  • Does anyone know why Kodi will not continuously run on a windows 11 machine?
    Thats not a Kodi issue... It is a Windows and hardware issue... If the only job of the pc is Kodi then use LibreELEC's Kodi... 1000 times better! https://libreelec.tv/. Source: about 2 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing XBian and LibreELEC, you can also consider the following products

OSMC - OSMC is a free and open source media center built for the people, by the people.

Kodi - Kodi is an award winning free and open source media player that got its start on the Xbox console.

GeeXboX - Dec 3, 2017 - . Author: Tomtom 1 Comment. Hi,.

CoreELEC - A lightweight OS for Kodi

OpenELEC - OpenELEC, which stands for Open Embedded Linux Entertainment Center, is a Linux operating system that makes the host computer a Kodi media center. The software was the winner of the Swiss Opensource Award in 2014.

Jellyfin - Jellyfin is a personal media server.

Loading...