Best EPG Sources for IPTV in 2026: Free and Paid XMLTV Guides Compared

Last updated: November 6, 2026 · By the Televsio team

The best EPG source is almost always the one your IPTV provider supplies, because it is built for the channel IDs in your playlist. To fill gaps, the most useful free XMLTV sources in 2026 are epgshare01 (daily country files), i.mjh.nz (for free services such as Pluto TV, Samsung TV Plus and Plex) and open-epg.com. If you want full control, you can generate your own guide with the open-source iptv-org/epg tools, and in the US and Canada Schedules Direct is the paid, non-profit option for PVR software.

Below you’ll find a comparison table, what each source is good and bad at, how to check that a guide file is still being updated before you add it, and how to fix the most common EPG problems.

What an EPG source actually is

An EPG source is a URL that points to an XMLTV file: a list of channels, each with an id (in one popular UK file, BBC One appears as BBC.One.WM.HD.uk), followed by every programme with its start time, end time, title and description. Most sources offer the file compressed as .xml.gz, which downloads much faster and is read by players like TiviMate and Kodi.

Your player links the guide to your channels through the tvg-id in the playlist. If a channel’s tvg-id in your playlist is identical to an id in the XMLTV file, the guide appears. If the ids differ, even by one character, the channel stays blank. That is why a “good” EPG source is not just one with lots of channels: it has to use the same ids as your playlist, or you have to map them.

EPG sources compared

When we updated this page on November 6, 2026, the example epgshare01 and open-epg files linked below were all less than a day old. Free sources can change without warning, so run the quick check further down before you rely on one.

The sources in detail

1. Your provider’s EPG

If you log in with Xtream Codes, the provider’s guide comes from an address like http://server:port/xmltv.php?username=XXX&password=YYY and most players load it automatically. Because the provider controls both the playlist and the guide, the ids already match. Start here, and only add other sources for the channels that stay empty. Not sure which login type you have? See Xtream Codes vs M3U explained.

2. epgshare01

epgshare01 publishes free XMLTV files per country, for example https://epgshare01.online/epgshare01/epg_ripper_UK1.xml.gz for the UK or epg_ripper_US2.xml.gz for the US. The files are rebuilt regularly and typically cover a few days ahead. Pick the file for your country rather than the all-in-one file, which is very large and slow to load on a TV stick. Not every country file is equally maintained, so check the date and size in the folder listing before you rely on one.

3. i.mjh.nz (free streaming services)

If you watch free ad-supported channels, i.mjh.nz provides guides for Pluto TV, Samsung TV Plus, Plex and the Roku Channel, for example https://i.mjh.nz/PlutoTV/us.xml.gz. Replace the country code (such as gb, de, fr or es) where the service is available. It’s a tidy, focused source, but it only covers those services.

4. open-epg.com

Open-EPG offers free guides organised by country, funded by donations, with file addresses such as https://www.open-epg.com/files/unitedkingdom1.xml. It’s a reasonable second source when epgshare01 doesn’t cover a channel. As with any free source, look at when the file was last updated.

5. epg.pw

epg.pw offers XMLTV downloads for a range of countries, with its strongest coverage in Asia. The site itself states that its data is processed by AI and intended for testing, so treat it as a backup rather than your main guide.

6. iptv-org/epg (build your own)

The iptv-org/epg project on GitHub is a set of open-source tools that download listings from hundreds of TV guide websites and write a guide.xml for the channels you choose. You run it yourself with Node.js (npm run grab) or with the project’s Docker image, then serve the file on your network. Note that the old pre-built guide links under iptv-org.github.io are no longer published, so tutorials that still point there are out of date. This route is ideal if you have a home server or NAS and want a guide that exactly matches your channel list.

7. Schedules Direct (US and Canada)

Schedules Direct is a non-profit that provides US and Canadian listings to open-source and personal PVR software for a yearly membership, with a short free trial. You don’t paste a URL into TiviMate; instead you use it through an XMLTV grabber such as tv_grab_zz_sdjson or through apps that support it directly, such as Jellyfin. It’s the most reliable choice for North American over-the-air and cable lineups.

8. Rytec

Rytec guide files are widely used on Enigma2 satellite and IPTV receivers through the EPG-Import plugin. They’re well maintained for European channels, but the files and channel ids are designed for that ecosystem. On an Android player, the sources above are usually easier.

9. EPG.best (paid)

EPG.best is a subscription service that gives you one guide URL and an online tool to match your playlist’s channels to its data. It costs money every year, but it removes most of the manual mapping work, which can be worth it for large custom playlists.

How to check that an EPG source still works

Free guide files die quietly: the URL keeps working, but the content stops changing. Before you add a source, spend two minutes checking it:

1. Open the URL in a browser. It should start a download. An error page or redirect to a homepage means the URL is wrong or gone.
2. Check the date. If the source shows a folder listing, the file should be from today or yesterday. Anything older than a week has stopped updating.
3. Check the size. A country guide is usually hundreds of kilobytes to several megabytes. A file of a few hundred bytes is empty.
4. Look inside. Unzip the .gz file and open it in a text editor. Search for one of your channel ids and for today’s date. If both appear, the source fits your playlist.

How to add an EPG source to your player

TiviMate

1. Open Settings > EPG > EPG sources.
2. Select Add EPG source and paste the URL.
3. Go back and select Update EPG.

Our full walkthrough on how to update EPG on TiviMate covers automatic updates, time shift and the fixes for channels that stay blank.

Kodi (PVR IPTV Simple Client)

1. Go to Settings > Add-ons > My add-ons > PVR clients > PVR IPTV Simple Client.
2. Select Configure (on recent Kodi versions, choose the add-on configuration you use for your playlist).
3. Open the EPG section, set the location to Remote path (Internet address) and enter the XMLTV URL.
4. Confirm and restart Kodi so the guide loads.

Choosing a player first? Our list of the best IPTV players for Firestick, Android TV and Smart TVs compares how each one handles the guide.

Fixing channels that stay blank

When the guide loads but some channels show nothing, the ids don’t match. You have four ways to fix it, from easiest to most work:

• Ask your provider to correct the tvg-id values. A good provider maintains its mapping so customers don’t have to.
• Map the channel in the player. TiviMate lets you link a channel to a different guide entry from the channel’s options.
• Edit the playlist. In an M3U you can change a channel’s tvg-id to the id used by your guide file. This only works if you host your own copy of the playlist.
• Use a matching service such as EPG.best, or generate your own guide with iptv-org/epg using a channel list built from your playlist.

Keep it to one or two sources. Every extra guide makes updates slower, and when two sources describe the same channel differently, you can get duplicates or the wrong programme.

Troubleshooting common EPG problems

The guide is blank even though the URL works

The ids don’t match (see above), or the player hasn’t refreshed yet. Run a manual update and wait until it completes before checking.

Programmes are shifted by an hour or more

Set the correct time zone on the device first. If it’s still off, adjust the time shift for that guide in your player, or add a tvg-shift value to the channel in your M3U. Watch out for daylight-saving changes, which can move a manual correction off by an hour twice a year.

Only a couple of days of listings

Many free sources only cover a few days ahead. If you need a full week, use your provider’s guide, a paid service or a self-generated guide.

The guide updates slowly or the app freezes

Use a country file instead of a worldwide file, choose the .xml.gz version, and remove sources you don’t need. If your streams also stutter, our guide on fixing IPTV buffering covers network causes.

The URL works on your phone but not in the player

Check for typos (easy to make with a remote), try the http version if the https one fails on an old device, and make sure the URL points to the file itself, not a web page about the file.

Which EPG source should you choose?

• You have a paid IPTV service: use its guide. Add epgshare01 or open-epg only for channels that stay blank.
• You watch free FAST channels: i.mjh.nz.
• You’re in the US or Canada and run a PVR: Schedules Direct.
• You have a home server and like control: iptv-org/epg.
• You have a big custom playlist and no time to map ids: a paid matching service like EPG.best.

A provider that maintains its own guide saves you most of this work. Televsio lines come with an EPG that loads automatically in TiviMate and other Xtream-compatible players; if that’s what you’re after, you can see the Televsio plans.

Frequently asked questions

About this guide

Written and maintained by the Televsio team, the people behind the Televsio IPTV service. We update this page when sources change or disappear, which happens often with free guides. If you find a source here that has stopped working, let us know through our Help Center.