# Nuvio addons guide

**Nuvio is a free, open-source alternative client to Stremio: it uses Stremio addons, and its own plugins too.** It holds no content of its own: everything it finds comes from the addons and plugins you install. Any addon with a `manifest.json` install link works in Nuvio exactly as it does in Stremio, with the same configuration. Below: which addons to start with, how to install them, how plugins differ from addons, and what Nuvio doesn't do.

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## Which addons to start with

You need at least one addon that finds streams. Everything else is optional.

1. **One aggregator.** An aggregator searches many sources at once and hands you a single ranked list, instead of a dozen addons that each return three results. We recommend [AIOStreams](<https://aiostreams.elfhosted.com>), which has a free public instance. [AIOStreams instances compared](<https://docs.elfhosted.com/stremio-addons/guide/aiostreams-instances/index.md>) ranks every public one by uptime.
2. **One metadata addon.** Nuvio shows whatever metadata an addon gives it. A metadata addon replaces thin catalogues with proper rows, artwork and descriptions. [AIOMetadata](<https://aiometadata.elfhosted.com>) is ours, also free. Put it at the top of your addon list so posters and details load from it.
3. **Extras, if you want them.** Subtitles, ratings on posters, extra catalogues.

## A Nuvio addon list to start from

These are all free public instances that we run, and every one installs in Nuvio from its configure page.

| Addon | What it adds | Install from |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **AIOStreams** | Streams from several addons at once, as one list | [aiostreams.elfhosted.com](<https://aiostreams.elfhosted.com>). Setup: [AIOStreams in Nuvio](<https://docs.elfhosted.com/nuvio/aiostreams-nuvio/index.md>) |
| **Comet** | Streams, as a single addon | [comet.elfhosted.com](<https://comet.elfhosted.com>) |
| **MediaFusion** | Streams, as a single addon | [mediafusion.elfhosted.com](<https://mediafusion.elfhosted.com>) |
| **AIOMetadata** | Catalogues, posters, descriptions and ratings | [aiometadata.elfhosted.com](<https://aiometadata.elfhosted.com>) |
| **Watchly** | Recommendations based on what you've watched | [watchly.elfhosted.com](<https://watchly.elfhosted.com>) |
| **SubMaker** | Subtitles generated from the audio when none exist | [submaker.elfhosted.com](<https://submaker.elfhosted.com>) |
| **Rating Aggregator** | Ratings from IMDb, TMDB, Metacritic and others together | [rating-aggregator.elfhosted.com](<https://rating-aggregator.elfhosted.com>) |
| **Streailer** | Trailers | [streailer.elfhosted.com](<https://streailer.elfhosted.com>) |

You don't need all of them. AIOStreams and AIOMetadata alone make a complete setup, and Comet and MediaFusion can sit inside AIOStreams instead of being installed separately. More, by category: [recommended addons](<https://docs.elfhosted.com/stremio-addons/guide/recommended-addons/#by-category>).

None of this requires paying anyone but your debrid or Usenet provider. Public instances are free, and this guide works if you never buy anything from us.

## How to install an addon in Nuvio

1. **Get the install link.** Open the addon's configure page, choose your settings, and copy the install link. It ends in `manifest.json`.
2. **Open Nuvio's settings.** Go to **Settings**, then **Addons**.
3. **Add it.** Choose **Add Addon**, paste the link into **Addon URL**, and choose **Install Addon**.

The same addon can be installed in Stremio and Nuvio at once, with the same configuration.

## Nuvio plugins vs addons

Nuvio has a second, separate system called plugins. They're easy to confuse, and adding one in the other's section fails with an error.

|  | Addons | Plugins |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Where it runs** | On the addon's server | On your device |
| **What it supplies** | Catalogues, metadata, subtitles, streams | Streams only |
| **Works in** | Nuvio, Stremio and other Stremio-compatible apps | Nuvio only |
| **Builds** | All | Sideloaded builds only, not app-store versions |
| **Where to add it** | Settings, Addons | Settings, Content &amp; Discovery, Plugins |

A plugin repository can hold several providers, and each one has to be switched on after you add the repository. Because plugin code runs on your device, only add repositories from sources you trust.

## Setting up an aggregator for Nuvio

Two settings matter more in Nuvio than elsewhere:

- **Stream formatting.** Nuvio shows each result as a line of text, and the addon decides what that line says. AIOStreams lets you choose a formatter and what appears: resolution, codec, size, source, language.
- **How many results to return.** Two hundred results load slower and help no more than twenty. Most aggregators can cap results per resolution, or filter out what you'll never play.

Step-by-step, with formatter picks and fixes: [how to add AIOStreams to Nuvio](<https://docs.elfhosted.com/nuvio/aiostreams-nuvio/index.md>).

## What Nuvio does that Stremio doesn't

- **Free profiles with cloud sync**, so each person keeps their own history and catalogues.
- **More control over the home screen**: layouts, and which catalogues appear in what order.
- **Built-in TorBox and Premiumize**, alongside Trakt, Simkl and MDBList sync.

## What Nuvio doesn't do

- **No App Store version.** On iPhone and iPad it can only be sideloaded, and there's no Apple TV version.
- **No Usenet of its own.** Usenet has to come through an addon such as AIOStreams.
- **TV apps need developer mode.** On Samsung and LG TVs, Nuvio is sideloaded, not installed from the TV's app store.
- **It's younger than Stremio**, and it has rougher edges in places.

For the full comparison, see [Nuvio vs Stremio](<https://docs.elfhosted.com/nuvio/nuvio-vs-stremio/index.md>).

## Your own Nuvio sync server

Nuvio keeps your profiles, library, watch progress and addon list on a sync backend, so every device you sign in on sees the same thing. By default that's the Nuvio project's.

[Mellon](<https://store.elfhosted.com/product/mellon/?utm_source=nuvio-guide&amp;utm_medium=docs&amp;utm_campaign=nuvio-guide-mellon>) is a sync backend for Nuvio that we host for you. Sign your apps into it, and the account is yours: what you watch, and which addons you use, stays on your own instance. It speaks the protocol the apps already expect, so no modified app is needed, and it can import an existing Nuvio account, addons and watch progress included.

Two things to know. Only the sideloaded builds of Nuvio let you point at your own backend; the Play Store and App Store builds don't. And Mellon is our own backend, not the Nuvio project's: we're not affiliated with Nuvio Media. Setup is on the [Mellon page](<https://docs.elfhosted.com/app/mellon/index.md>).

## Your own AIOStreams for Nuvio

Public instances are shared: one cache, one rate limit, and features chosen by whoever runs them. For a lot of people that's enough. A [private ElfHosted AIOStreams instance](<https://store.elfhosted.com/product/aiostreams/?utm_source=nuvio-guide&amp;utm_medium=docs&amp;utm_campaign=nuvio-guide>) is yours alone, with TorBox and Usenet accounts bundled, so Usenet works in Nuvio without a setup of your own.

## Frequently asked questions

### What are the best Nuvio addons?

Start with one aggregator such as [AIOStreams](<https://docs.elfhosted.com/stremio-addons/guide/aiostreams-instances/index.md>), which searches several sources at once, and one metadata addon such as [AIOMetadata](<https://docs.elfhosted.com/stremio-addons/guide/aiometadata-instances/index.md>) for catalogues and artwork. Add a subtitles addon if you need one. Any Stremio addon works, so the [recommended Stremio addons](<https://docs.elfhosted.com/stremio-addons/guide/recommended-addons/index.md>) apply to Nuvio too.

### How do I install addons in Nuvio?

Copy the addon's install link (a URL ending in `manifest.json`) from its configure page. In Nuvio, open Settings, then Addons, choose Add Addon, paste the link and choose Install Addon.

### What's the difference between Nuvio plugins and addons?

Addons are Stremio addons: they run on someone's server, use the Stremio protocol, and can supply catalogues, metadata, subtitles and streams. Plugins are Nuvio's own system: their code runs on your device, they supply streams only, they work only in Nuvio, and only in sideloaded builds, not app-store versions.

### Does AIOStreams work with Nuvio?

Yes. Install it in Nuvio with the same manifest link you'd use in Stremio. AIOStreams' stream formatter decides how each result reads in Nuvio's stream list, so it's worth picking one that's easy to scan.

### Can Nuvio stream from Usenet?

Not by itself. Usenet streams have to come through an addon. AIOStreams can do it with a Usenet provider set up, and a [private ElfHosted AIOStreams](<https://store.elfhosted.com/product/aiostreams/?utm_source=nuvio-guide&amp;utm_medium=docs&amp;utm_campaign=nuvio-faq-usenet>) comes with TorBox and Usenet accounts bundled.

### Does Nuvio work with Real-Debrid or TorBox?

Nuvio connects to TorBox and Premiumize directly. For Real-Debrid and other services, use an addon that supports them, such as AIOStreams, Comet or MediaFusion. See [what is TorBox?](<https://docs.elfhosted.com/guides/media/torbox/index.md>)

### Is Nuvio available on iPhone or Apple TV?

On iPhone and iPad, only by sideloading with AltStore or Sideloadly: Apple removed Nuvio from the App Store and TestFlight. There is no Apple TV version.

### What happened to Nuvio Streams?

Nuvio Streams was a separate Stremio addon, and it no longer exists. Nuvio itself is an app: an alternative client to Stremio that uses Stremio addons and its own plugins.

### Can I run my own Nuvio sync server?

Yes, with a sideloaded build of Nuvio, which lets you point the app at your own backend. The Play Store and App Store builds don't. [Mellon](<https://store.elfhosted.com/product/mellon/?utm_source=nuvio-guide&amp;utm_medium=docs&amp;utm_campaign=nuvio-faq-mellon>) is a sync backend for Nuvio that we host for you: your profiles, library, watch progress and addon list live on your instance, and it can import an existing Nuvio account.

## Where to next

- [How to add AIOStreams to Nuvio](<https://docs.elfhosted.com/nuvio/aiostreams-nuvio/index.md>), step by step
- [Nuvio vs Stremio](<https://docs.elfhosted.com/nuvio/nuvio-vs-stremio/index.md>), including where Stremio still wins
- [Recommended addons](<https://docs.elfhosted.com/stremio-addons/guide/recommended-addons/index.md>), which apply to Nuvio too
- [Troubleshooting](<https://docs.elfhosted.com/stremio-addons/guide/troubleshooting/index.md>) when an addon returns nothing
- Ask in [Discord](<https://discord.elfhosted.com>) if you get stuck