What these three are
Stremio, Nuvio and TorBox come up together in a lot of online talk about watching films and TV, and they often get muddled. Two are apps for watching, one is a download service, and none of them comes with films or shows of its own.
- Stremio is a media centre app for computers, phones and TVs. It shows a catalogue of films and series with posters and descriptions, keeps your library and your place in each title in step across devices, and plays video. What it can play comes from add-ons.
- Nuvio is a newer, free and open-source app for phones and Android TV built on the same idea, and it uses Stremio’s add-on system. Its makers state that it doesn’t host or supply any media.
- TorBox is a cloud download service, paid, with a limited free plan. You give it a link to a file, it downloads the file onto its own servers, and you download or play it from there.
Where the legal line is
The apps themselves are legal. What you watch through them may not be.
An add-on is a small online service that tells the app what exists and where a video for it can be found. Stremio’s official add-ons stay on the right side of the law: film information, YouTube, your own files, subtitles, public-domain films, and lists of the services that carry a title. Anyone can publish an add-on, though, and many unofficial ones point to copies of films and shows that nobody licensed. Streaming or downloading those breaks copyright law in many countries, whichever app you use.
TorBox is no different. Using it to fetch a Linux installer or a public-domain film is fine. Fetching something through it doesn’t make an unlicensed copy legal.
That’s where this site stops. It doesn’t list, link or explain unofficial add-ons, sources or setups, and the rest of this page stays on the legal side.
How these apps work
The app is a shell, and add-ons fill it in:
| Part | What it does | Official, legal examples |
|---|---|---|
| The app | Shows the catalogue, keeps your library, plays video | Stremio, Nuvio |
| Catalogue add-ons | Supply titles, posters and descriptions | Cinemeta |
| Stream add-ons | Supply something to play for a title | YouTube, Local Files, Public Domain Movies |
| Where-to-watch add-ons | List the services that carry a title | WatchHub |
| Subtitle add-ons | Supply subtitles in your language | OpenSubtitles |
If no installed add-on has a video for a title, the app shows the poster and description with nothing to play. That’s normal: the catalogue lists almost everything, and only some of it is free to watch.
A cloud download service like TorBox is a separate account with its own website. Nothing else on this page needs it.
What you need
- A device. Stremio runs on Windows, Mac and Linux computers, Android phones, Android TV and Google TV boxes, recent Samsung and LG TVs, and in a web browser. On iPhone and iPad, Stremio points people to its web version, which does less than the apps. Nuvio’s TV app is on Google Play for Android TV. Its Android phone version comes from its official GitHub page, and the iPhone version is a test build through Apple’s TestFlight.
- An account, if you want one. Stremio’s guest mode works without one. An account keeps your library in step across devices.
- A steady internet connection.
- No money. Stremio and Nuvio are free. TorBox has a limited free plan and paid plans.
Stremio or a media server
They answer different questions. Stremio starts from a catalogue of almost everything ever released and looks for something to play. A media server such as Jellyfin starts from files you already have at home and makes them watchable everywhere. If your aim is your own collection, media servers is the page you want.
What Stremio does well on its own:
- One library everywhere. Add a film or series and it appears on every device signed in to your account, with your place saved.
- A calendar of upcoming episodes for the series in your library.
- Subtitles in many languages, through the official OpenSubtitles add-on.
- Casting to a Chromecast from the desktop and Android apps.
- Where to watch. WatchHub lists the streaming services that carry a title, so you know which of your subscriptions has it.
The easy way to set it up
No terminal is involved at any point. Everything here is an ordinary app install.
- Install Stremio from stremio.com or your device’s own app store. It’s on Google Play for Android phones and Android TV, and in the Samsung and LG TV app stores. Avoid copies from any other website.
- Create an account, or choose guest mode.
- Keep to the official add-ons, the ones made by Stremio itself. Between them they cover film information, YouTube, your own files, subtitles, public-domain films and where-to-watch lists.
- For Nuvio, install the Android TV app from Google Play, or use the download links on its official GitHub page for phones. It uses the same add-on system, so the same rule applies: official, legal add-ons only.
- Add the free, legal services listed below. Tubi, Pluto TV, Plex’s free films and channels, the Internet Archive, and Kanopy and Hoopla through a library card all carry licensed films, and most have their own apps for TVs and phones.
- TorBox needs nothing installed. It’s a website. Use it only for files you have the right to download.
Questions people ask
Is Stremio legal?
Yes. Stremio is free, open-source software, and its official add-ons are legal. A setup becomes illegal when someone adds an add-on that supplies unlicensed copies, and that responsibility sits with whoever adds it.
Are add-ons safe to install?
Stremio says its add-ons don’t run code on your device. They are online services that send back lists and links. The bigger risks are apps downloaded from unofficial websites, and TV boxes sold “fully loaded”, some of which have shipped with malware. Install apps only from official stores and sites.
What does “debrid” mean?
It’s the name people use for paid cloud download services like TorBox, which fetch files to their own fast servers so you can download them from there. The services are legal businesses, but they’re mostly discussed for unlicensed streaming, which this site doesn’t help with.
Can Stremio play my own files?
Its official Local Files add-on plays videos stored on the same computer. For a family library on every TV in the house, a media server does the job far better: see media servers.
Why does a film show up with nothing to play?
The catalogue lists nearly everything, but the official add-ons only play what’s free and legal to stream, such as YouTube videos and public-domain films. For anything else, WatchHub shows which service carries it.
