If you’re tired of paying shady IPTV providers or buying questionable Android boxes just to watch live TV online, there’s a much better option: build your own personal IPTV service—legally, safely, and for free.

Thanks to several active GitHub projects, you can access curated M3U playlists that aggregate public, legal, and openly available TV streams. These aren’t hacked satellite feeds or pirate streams. They’re simply links to free online broadcasts—similar to listening to online radio.

For most users, these playlists are more than enough to replace paid IPTV subscriptions. And all you need is a basic video player like VLC, Kodi, or a smart-TV IPTV app.

1. Free-TV/IPTV — A High-Quality, Community-Maintained Playlist

The first project worth using is Free-TV/IPTV, a GitHub repository maintained by volunteers who focus on quality over quantity. The playlist avoids unreliable streams and excludes adult, political, and religious content. You get mainstream entertainment, news, lifestyle, and general-interest channels only.

How to start watching instantly

1. Open VLC, Kodi, or any player that supports M3U playlists.
2. Go to File → Open Network Stream.
3. Paste this URL:

https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Free-TV/IPTV/master/playlist.m3u8

This playlist includes free-to-air and internet-available channels from around the world. Many streams come from services like:

• Pluto TV
• Plex Live TV
• Samsung TV Plus
• Roku TV
• YouTube Live

No decoder or IPTV box required—just a URL and a compatible player.

2. iptv-org/iptv — The Largest Open IPTV Project on the Web

If you want something truly massive, check out iptv-org/iptv, one of the largest IPTV projects ever created, with nearly 400 contributors and thousands of channels.

Main playlist

https://iptv-org.github.io/iptv/index.m3u

Why iptv-org is so powerful

• Huge collection of channels from every region
• Organized by country, language, and category
• Updated continuously by a massive open-source community
• Provides a complete EPG (Electronic Program Guide) through a companion repository
• Offers a public API and a full channel database
• Includes an “awesome-iptv” list indexing IPTV tools and resources

If you want the most complete free IPTV experience available today, this is the project to start with.

3. The Best IPTV Players to Use (PC, Web, Smart TV, Android)

Although VLC works well, several dedicated IPTV players offer a smoother experience.

IPTVnator — Lightweight and Open Source

• Available on Windows, macOS, Linux
• Over 5,000 GitHub stars
• Supports M3U/M3U8 playlists and EPG
• Recently migrated from Electron to Tauri, making it faster and more efficient

A solid choice for desktop users who want a clean interface without bloat.

M3U IPTV Browser — Watch Directly in Your Web Browser

No installation required. Just open the site, load your playlist, and start watching immediately.
Perfect for quick viewing or shared devices.

TiviMate & Ellipto IPTV — Modern Web-Based IPTV Interfaces

These web players offer:

• Clean, modern UI
• Support for M3U/M3U8
• Compatibility with all major browsers

Great if you want a polished, app-like experience directly in your browser.

Kodi + PVR IPTV Simple Client — The Most Complete IPTV Setup

For power users, Kodi with the PVR IPTV Simple Client plugin is unbeatable:

• Works on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS (via sideload), Raspberry Pi, and smart TVs
• Full EPG support
• Channel groups, favorites, and DVR-like features

If you want a living-room TV experience powered entirely by free IPTV streams, Kodi is hard to beat.

4. Important Notes About Free IPTV Streams

While these lists are maintained daily by active communities, remember:

• Some channels may be geo-restricted depending on your location.
• Stream URLs can change without warning—this is normal for free IPTV.
• Certain players handle broken links better than others.
• Not every stream is guaranteed to stay online forever.

This is simply how free, legal IPTV works: it’s constantly evolving.

Final Thoughts

You don’t need to subscribe to sketchy IPTV services or buy overpriced Android boxes. With the right M3U playlists and a good IPTV player, you can enjoy a fully legal, customizable, personal IPTV setup on any device—from your computer to your smartphone to your smart TV.

Open-source communities already maintain everything you need. Just load the playlist, pick a player, and start watching.