5 Kodi Boxes to Avoid and What to Buy Instead!

Last Updated on March 24, 2024 by Tim Wells

I’ve been using Android boxes for almost a decade, and I’ve seen many “fully loaded” Kodi boxes come and go. Each promised “free TV for life,” so you’d save thousands of dollars on your cable bill each year.

Chances are you’ve seen a Facebook ad or saw one for sale at a booth at your local flea market. Either way, most “fully loaded” Kodi boxes are pretty dodgy. In this article, I’m going to explain why.

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What is a Kodi Box?

First, let’s define what makes a Kodi box different from an Android TV box or other streaming devices.

In this article, I call any device that primarily runs Kodi a “Kodi box.”

Sometimes these devices use Kodi as a front end to access their Plex servers or even stream from Netflix. Usually, they run Kodi by itself and stream the content from addons.

Most Kodi boxes are specially modified Android TV boxes or “jailbroken” FireSticks. However, they can be any device that runs Kodi – even a mini-PC running Windows 10.

You can use Kodi for your personal media library and streaming apps. That makes it incredibly powerful and one of the most popular medic centers in the world.

In fact, you can actually boot right into Kodi and never see your Android desktop at all. You can find out how to do that in my tutorial here.

Kodi has addons that link to your premium streaming services like Netflix or Hulu, allowing you to watch movies from within Kodi with no monthly fees. Similarly, if you have an HDHomeRun, an official Kodi addon lets you stream and record live TV.

All that makes Kodi an incredibly powerful media center. It’s easy to see why dedicated Kodi boxes are so popular.

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Are Kodi Boxes Legal?

Kodi has always had a complicated relationship with the law. Some of that is justified, and some of it isn’t.

Kodi’s official stance is that they oppose piracy in all its forms. However, they don’t do anything to actively block known streaming piracy addons from their media center.

Kodi has gotten extremely popular over the last few years. Many people have argued that piracy was a significant factor in that.

But is Kodi legal?

It depends on how you use it.

If you’re using Kodi to manage your own library of movies, music, and TV shows that you purchased and own, then yes! That’s absolutely legal, and, in fact, that’s how Kodi got its start.

If you’re using one of the addons I mentioned earlier to play your Netflix or Hulu subscriptions through Kodi, that’s perfectly fine. 

The same goes for accessing live TV through HDHomeRun.

The problems start when you access the content you would otherwise have to pay for.

I mean pay-per-view sporting events, premium movie channels, and “free” subscriptions to premium streaming services.

To be blunt, the laws in most countries haven’t kept pace with how we’re watching content. Most countries have laws that prevent you from downloading content. That makes things like torrenting or file sharing illegal, but it doesn’t cover streaming pirated movies at all.

That puts Kodi boxes in a legal gray area.

In some cases, Kodi box sellers have been put out of business, sued by big entertainment companies, and even arrested.

However, nothing has been done to the little guys – you and me – who use Kodi to watch the game on Saturday.

There’s no denying that Kodi boxes dance around whether Kodi is legal. However, at least as of now, they are.

That’s enough for most people to keep using them.

However, if it makes you nervous, I recommend checking out my list of 9 Kodi Alternatives for streaming movies and TV shows.

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Five Kodi Boxes to Avoid (and Why)

As I said earlier, I’ve been following the Android box industry for a long time, and I’ve seen many companies come and go.

Some companies changed their name a few times because their reputation was so bad or because they got into trouble with the law.

I’ve picked five Kodi box manufacturers that I recommend staying away from. I’ll go into more detail on each in their own section below.

StreamSmart \ e-StreamSmart \ Streamaster

I wrote my first anti-StreamSmart article way back in 2016.

They’ve changed their name a few times and have a different website, but it’s still one of the most overpriced Kodi boxes on the market today.

Why?

Simple. The e-StreamSmart Superbox S2 Pro sells for $299 and has 4 GB of RAM and 16 GB of storage. It runs Android 7.0 Nougat – which was released way back in 2016. 

Not exactly cutting-edge technology.

In fact, if you go to GeekBuying.com, a similar spec Android TV box sells for $29.99.

No, that’s not a typo. e-StreamSmart is marking up their Kodi box ten times what it should be!

e-StreamSmart offers a “free” lifetime subscription to BlueTV as part of the package. BlueTV is an IPTV service that allows you to access tons of channels from around the world. Their website offers a year’s worth of service for $80.

My quick math tells me you’d have to have your e-StreamSmart box for over three years before you break even!

Given StreamSmart’s history of folding up and re-starting under a new name, that’s not a bet I’m willing to take. I recommend avoiding StreamSmart Kodi boxes, no matter what they’re calling themselves these days.

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ShadowBox TV \ NeoTube

At first glance, the ShadowBox TV doesn’t look that bad. It’s only $99, which is in the standard price range for an Android TV box.

Their Kodi box only has 1 GB of RAM and 8 GB of storage, which is basic by today’s standards. However, we’ve seen what the Google Chromecast with Android TV and the Amazon FireStick Lite can do with similar specs.

For me, the red flags started popping up when I dug a little deeper.

Look at some of the testimonials on the current ShadowBox TV site…

…and compare those to the NeoTube-TV website.

All four testimonials are the same, except the NeoTube TV name is swapped out for ShadowBox TV. Two testimonials don’t even have the same people quoted saying them.

I wouldn’t trust a company that re-uses testimonials even if this was a fantastic product (it’s not). If they were even real in the first place, that is.

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FreeStream Elite Media Player

There are a couple of Kodi boxes calling themselves the FreeStream TV Box. They all look over-priced to me, but I will focus on the FreeStream Elite Media Player from Boxxmen.

The Boxxmen’s suggested retail price for the FreeStream TV box is $599, but they’ll let you buy it for ‘only’ $248 through their website.

Similar to the StreamSmart box, this is marked up several times what the regular price of that Kodi box should be. And like StreamSmart, the FreeStream TV box uses ancient technology.

System memory and storage are low, at 2 GB RAM and 16 GB of storage. The biggest red flag to me is the chipset. It’s an AmLogic S912 – which came out in 2016!

Similar devices on GeekBuying sell for…you guessed it….$29.99. This FreeStream TV box is marked up ten times over a similar product.

Don’t worry. If you’re scared off by the ancient technology, the Boxxmen have two other Kodi boxes to sell you: The SuperStream M1 at $300 and the EzBoxxTV at $325.

The specs on these devices are better, but they are still something that you’d find in a $30-$50 Android TV box on Amazon.

I recommend steering clear of this site and the FreeStream brand in general.

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Ultimate Android TV

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before.

A company marks up a relatively cheap Android TV box to over $300 and offers “movies, TV shows, live TV, all the sports, and even PPV you can watch.”

The OctaStream series of Kodi boxes from Ultimate Android TV are yet another company doing just that.

Ultimate Android TV offers several different Kodi boxes for sale. Prices range from $259 to $375 at the time of this writing.

However, despite the name ‘OctaStream,’ none of these Android TV boxes have eight-core CPUs.

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The basic Octastream Q1 4K is an ancient device with 1 GB of RAM and 16 GB of storage running Android 6.0. That’s an OS that was released back in 2015!

That’s so old that I couldn’t find an equivalent TV box on Geekbuying.com. But Ultimate Android TV is charging $259 for it.

The top-of-the-line OctaStream Q1 Max sells for $375. At least, for that price, you get somewhat newer technology. You get 4GB of RAM and 32 GB of storage space and run Android 9.0.

A quick check at GeekBuying shows a similar device selling for $139.99.

There’s very little information on the website – which looks like it was thrown together in about an hour. There are no details on how they get their content.

Unfortunately, that means I can’t say what it’s truly worth or how long it will be around.

However, I recommend avoiding the Ultimate Android TV OctaStream Kodi boxes at these prices.

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CorkyTV

I’m cutting CorkyTV a little slack because you can tell it’s a one-man operation from looking at his website. He still suffers from the same problems as the other Kodi box sellers on this list.

The Android Extreme TV Box sells for $249.95 on his website. That includes an AmLogic S905X3 chipset, 4 GB of RAM, and Android 9.0.

The closest Android Box I could find on GeekBuying was priced at $54.99, which is around 500% markup on this device.

What’s worse, his comparison chart inflates every competitor’s prices so that his Kodi box looks like a better deal! (see image below)

Here’s a bigger problem, though. The website states, “Watch ANYTHING Free, Mobdro for live TV, Latest Kodi with the new best build. Jailbroken, Fully Unlocked, and Loaded. Easiest one to use!”

The only problem is that Mobdro was shut down in March 2021 and hasn’t worked since.

I have no doubt that CorkyTV offered other streaming services in addition to Mobdro. But this highlights one of the main issues with Kodi box sellers.

Kodi box sellers rely on services they don’t own and can’t control.

Customers are left high and dry without TV if their main service stops working. All they have to show for it is a super-expensive Android box that no longer works as intended.

I admire Corky’s drive to create a business, but I can’t recommend buying from him.

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(Dis)Honorable Mentions

There are far more Kodi box sellers on my naughty list. Too many for this article, in fact.

Here are a couple of other well-known brands that ended up going out of business (or worse).

• Netmaster: The website disappeared, and their social media channels went dark.
• DragonBox TV: This famous streaming TV box manufacturer received a DMCA takedown notice and was forced out of business. The owners were fined $14.5M.
• StealthTVBox: The website disappeared, and they no longer sell Kodi boxes.
• AmazingTVBox: No longer selling Kodi boxes.
• DigiStream\FOMOStream: They don’t sell Kodi boxes anymore. However, existing customers will get a lifetime discount at a fine jewelry shop instead! Seriously. You can’t make this stuff up.

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What are the Best Kodi Boxes?

Now that you’ve got an idea of what not to buy let’s talk about the Kodi boxes that I recommend.

To start, a streaming device – whether a Kodi box, an IPTV box, or a “blank slate” Android TV box – needs to be reasonably priced for the hardware you’re buying.

Start by looking at the hardware separately from the software.

If a company sells a streaming service separately, that’s great. It allows you to buy hardware that you like and add the service later.

CableKillerz is a good example.

The hardware they sell is modified (“jailbroken”) Amazon FireTVSticks with a reasonable markup of around $50. Their service is a monthly subscription charge that you can add to any device – even one they didn’t sell you.

This brings us to the second thing to look for.

However they get the content, it needs to be something they either own themselves or update and maintain constantly. 

That way, if a service like Mobdro goes under, they instantly have a replacement for you.

You’re paying far too much to have service outages.

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Best Android Box for Kodi: NVIDIA Shield

I’m a massive fan of the NVIDIA Shield. I’ve owned three of them (2015 Shield TV, 2017 Shield Pro & 2019 Shield TV “Tube”) and still use them daily. You can see my article on the differences between the three NVIDIA Shield TV models here.

Except for the 2019 Shield TV “tube,” the performance is light-years ahead of everything else on the market. The Shield TV “Tube” is still good but lacks the raw power of its bigger brother.

With Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision support, your audio and video will look and sound amazing. Even if you’re watching an older, standard-definition video, the Tegra+ CPU has an AI upscaling feature to make sure it looks the best it possibly can.

The Nvidia Shield TV is a little more expensive than other Android boxes, but it’s worth the extra money.

If you’re looking for a lower-priced alternative that can compete with NVIDIA, check out the Xiaomi Mi Box S or Google Chromecast with Android TV. They’re not as fast as the Shield TV, but they have rock-solid support and a great user experience.

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Runner-up Android Box for Kodi: Fire TV 4K Max (2nd Gen, 2023)

The recently released Fire TV Max is a fantastic device. It has become a formidable contender to the old king of Shield TV Pro. This device provides 4K Ultra HD streaming coupled with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos audio, delivering an immersive cinematic experience right in the comfort of your living room. While it’s worth noting that its performance may not quite match up to the Shield TV Pro, and there may be occasional ads, the Fire TV 4K Max 2023 still stands tall as a remarkable device. What sets it apart from other kodi boxes is its support for Dolby TrueHD and DTS passthrough, ensuring top-tier audio quality for your viewing pleasure. From streaming your favorite shows to indulging in live TV and gaming, this device serves as the ultimate entertainment hub. So, if you’re seeking an upgrade to your home entertainment setup, the Fire TV 4K Max 2023 is certainly worth considering.

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Best Budget Android Box for Kodi: onn. TV Box