Smart TVs make up the great majority of newly available TVs. Perhaps, however, you have an outdated “dumb” set, or you don’t like the operating system that comes with your smart model. Alternatively, you might enjoy the thought of packing as much on-demand media as you can for your next trip.
That’s the purpose of a streaming device. The ability to stream video and other content from the internet using apps like Hulu, Netflix, Max, and even Spotify unites streaming sticks, dongles, and set-top boxes. To help you choose the best streaming device for your needs, we tested a variety of options and helped make sense of the operating systems, voice assistants, and extra features each model offers.
What to look for in a streaming device
Operating system and interface
The most well-known players in the market are Roku, Apple TV 4K, Fire TV Sticks from Amazon, Google Chromecast, and Apple TV 4K. Each has a different operating system and user interface. Since it affects the arrangement and presentation of the content you want to watch, this might be the most important deciding factor for a lot of people. Each platform has a home screen that, in different ways, presents the movies and TV shows you’re currently watching, organises your apps in one location, and suggests other content to watch. We go into more detail about each platform below.
Almost all streaming devices include a voice-activated remote that allows you to search and perform other tasks without having to hunt for and peck at on-screen keyboards. All of them provide “universal search,” which allows you to look up a title and be taken to the app that has it available. Simply say “Barbie” into the remote control after pressing the voice button if you want to watch Barbie but are unsure of where it is playing. (We’ve discovered that sometimes it’s easier to just state the title or the genre you’re looking for than to say “Show me” or “Search for…”) When you select the appropriate app from the search results, it will launch and begin to play—provided that you have previously logged into it and, for the most part, have an active subscription.
Connectivity
The majority of streaming sticks support Wi-Fi 5 or 6 protocols and connect to the internet via Wi-Fi. Additionally, Ethernet ports are available for set-top boxes, allowing you to hardwire your internet connection—which is always faster than wireless—to the device. Streaming devices attach to your TV via an HDMI port; set-top boxes are placed on a nearby surface, and most sticks are hidden behind the screen. For power, almost all of the units also plug into an AC outlet. A growing number of sticks are made to plug into the wall instead of the USB port on the TV, which is how they were originally powered.
Video and audio features
You should use a streaming device that supports Dolby Vision and HDR10 if your screen can display 4K content in those high-definition formats. Naturally, even the best streaming device on the market cannot produce 4K content for a 1080p TV. The movie or series must also be broadcast in 4K, and more and more businesses are limiting higher-quality streaming to more costly subscription packages. To put it succinctly, each component in the chain must support the audio or video feature; otherwise, the highest quality you will receive will be the lowest.
Voice control
Streaming devices from Apple, Google, and Amazon can use built-in voice assistants to respond to inquiries about the weather, sports scores, and general information, in addition to assisting you in finding content to watch. In addition, they can display feeds from smart cameras and function as smart home controllers, turning off connected smart plugs or bulbs. Just keep in mind that compatibility is essential for all smart home appliances. Alexa-enabled smart home devices can be used with Fire TV devices; Rokus gives you control over Roku’s smart home products; Apple TV 4Ks are compatible with HomeKit; and Chromecasts allow you to control Google Home devices.
The top streaming sticks and other reasonably priced choices are listed below. We also offered recommendations for gaming-oriented devices and set-top boxes.
The best streaming devices.
01. Chromecast with Google TV (4K)
Chromecast with Google TV 4K is the dongle for you if you subscribe to a lot of streaming services and wish you could have a single home screen to control them all. Although UI performance doesn’t usually surprise me, this one’s actually made me say, “Wow, this is pretty good,” during testing. The homepage arranges your content in a practical, equitable manner after you’ve added your streaming subscribers.
Featured/sponsored content appears first, followed by a row of app icons. The row labelled “Continue Watching” has the next episode of the show you’ve started. It was really simple to get back into it after I had streamed from a few different apps and saw my upcoming shows from Peacock, Netflix, Hulu, Apple TV+, and other sources.
Along with “If you like…” recommendations, algorithm-curated lists further down the page suggest genres like thrillers, crime shows, cartoons, and Emmy winners. In contrast to other services (like Fire TV and Apple TV, for example), Google TV appears to draw equally from the services you use without favouring any one of them. Of course, there are a tonne of YouTube content recommendations, and since you log in with your Google account, Google TV is aware of the videos you’re most likely to watch. However, those recommendations were limited to separate rows and were simple to ignore.
The 4K version of the dongle supports 4K HDR, Dolby Vision, and allows you to cast from apps on your tablet or smartphone that are Chromecast-enabled. It also features quick navigation. Along with a Live TV guide that offers a wide variety of channels and the ability to incorporate any paid live TV streaming services from Sling, Philo, and YouTube TV, you also get a good amount of free content. Even over-the-air stations that you receive via a digital tuner will be integrated.
There are a few small issues, like the remote’s lack of a dedicated play/pause button. Instead, it makes use of the centre d-pad button, which led to a number of mistakes on my part. It’s interesting to note that if you say, “search for No One Will Save You” on the Assistant button, YouTube videos with similar keywords will appear. However, all it takes to access the Hulu movie is to correctly say “No One Will Save You.”
The Chromecast’s five-minute pause timeout is my main complaint. It takes me at least seven minutes to make air fryer nachos during an episode. However, a paused show returns to Ambient Mode after five minutes. It just takes one more button press to resume viewing after you hit the back button, which takes you back to the details page for whatever you were viewing. Even so, I wish the timeout could be extended. — Amy Skorheim, Writer for Commerce
PROS
- unified dashboard
- content recommendations for all major platforms
- supports content in 4K, HDR, and Dolby Vision.
CONS
- A five-minute break for pausing
- Absence of a dedicated pause button
02. Roku Streaming Stick 4K
Unbelievably, there is enough free content available on streaming services to satisfy even the most ardent viewers, and the Roku Streaming Stick 4K is arguably the greatest device for doing so. With an app grid on the right and a straightforward list on the left, Roku’s UI is minimalistic. Live TV and Featured Free are two of those list items that are jam-packed with free content from both linear channels and video-on-demand (VOD) services. Without having to pay for anything, the Roku Channel app offers thousands more TV shows, movies, Roku Originals, and live channels to watch.
You can access free content on all seven of Roku’s streaming devices. With a longer Wi-Fi range and support for 4K, HDR10+, and Dolby Vision, the $50 Streaming Stick 4K can be hidden behind your TV. You can get the Roku Express 4K+ for $10 less if you don’t need Dolby Vision or a longer range, and you don’t mind that it’s a little bulkier. Both players can adjust the volume and power of your set and support Apple AirPlay 2.
When looking for specific titles, I found the universal search function to be accurate; for example, saying “Poker Face” while pressing the Voice button will bring up results for the Peacock show, the Russell Crowe film, and a free channel poker documentary. You can find listings for other television shows and films with the word “success” in the title by saying “Succession,” which also gets you Max’s show. It performed fairly well when it came to suggesting searches for more general terms, such as “police procedural shows” and “Idris Elba,” but it struggled when it came to suggesting films for children (I think there weren’t enough Disney+ results).
There are little app load times between apps and quick navigation. With the volume rocker on the side and a sizable back button, the remote has a nice layout. If supported by the app, the convenient Instant Replay button allows you to fast-forward 10 to 20 seconds and even display subtitles during the replayed segment. The What to Watch menu, which was mostly made up of free content with a few titles from my paid apps thrown in, was the one thing I didn’t love. But I can’t be too upset because Roku excels at providing free content. — Adams S.
PROS
- Instant access to a vast amount of free content
- Precise global search
- supports content in 4K, HDR10+, and Dolby Vision.
CONS
- Content from other streamers is ignored by the What to Watch menu.
03. Amazon Fire TV Stick Lite
If cost is your top priority and 4K is not necessary, Amazon’s Fire TV Stick Lite is a respectable substitute. It’s one of the least expensive streaming sticks available at $30, and it’s regularly on sale. It has an Alexa voice remote, just like its more expensive siblings, and supports FHD streaming with HDR.
This Fire TV Stick’s inability to control your TV—you still need to use the TV remote to turn it on and off and change the volume—is one of the reasons it is referred to as “Lite.” That shouldn’t be a huge concern, particularly if it allows you to save some money. By contrast, the Fire TV Stick 4K costs $50, while the standard Fire TV Stick usually retails for $40.
Nearly all of the popular streaming services are supported by Amazon’s Fire TV, including YouTube, YouTube TV, Hulu, Max, Netflix, and Hulu. Twitch is also available right out of the box on the Live page. The Fire TV Stick Lite allows you to use Alexa to search for shows and ask general questions like the weather or the most recent results for your favourite sports team, even though you cannot use Alexa to control the TV.
The Fire TV Stick Lite is a good streaming dongle despite its low cost. It includes the redesigned Fire TV interface, which includes a scrolling list of your preferred streaming apps, user profiles, and a new main menu navigation bar with show recommendations. Although the layout is more complex than Roku’s and less cohesive than Google TV’s, it is still fairly simple to use. Nevertheless, compared to other streaming services, Amazon Prime Video content is prioritised on the interface, and there are a lot more advertisements. — Senior Editor Nicole Lee
You might want to upgrade to one of the more sophisticated Fire TV Sticks if you do want to be able to control your TV with a remote and are searching for something that supports better picture quality. The Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max costs $60 (and is frequently on sale for $45) and supports Wi-Fi 6E in addition to Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos, 4K, and HDR10+. That implies you might experience faster and better connectivity if your router supports the protocol. The 4K Max boasts the swiftest processor among all Fire TV Sticks, and we were impressed with its speed.
It’s also the only Fire TV Stick with support for the brand-new Ambient Experience, which gives any screen a visual similar to Samsung’s The Frame when activated or when the pause timeout starts. You can also customise the dongle to display art and widgets on your TV. — Adams S.
PROS
- Reasonably priced
- accommodates every major streaming provider
CONS
- No support for 4K content
- Unable to regulate TV power and volume
- UI strongly favours Content from Amazon Prime Video
04. Roku Express
The Roku Express is a set-top box that is smaller than the Streaming Stick+, but it has the same user interface. There is no voice command button on the remote control, and it does not support 4K or HDR. But the Express works well if all you need is a good HD streaming device. However, if 4K is really important to you, the Roku Express 4K+, which costs $40, might be worth it. With the exception of supporting 4K, HDR, and AirPlay, as well as including a voice remote, it is remarkably similar to the Express. That might justify the additional cost. —N.L.
PROS
- Reasonably priced
- A tonne of live and free content
CONS
- No support for 4K streaming
- Not a voice remote
05. Roku Ultra
The Streaming Stick’s features are all included in the Roku Ultra, plus more. A large range of content is available, along with voice commands, AirPlay2, and 4K HDR streaming support. The user interface is straightforward. In addition, the Ultra features Ethernet connectivity, a microSD slot for external media, USB ports, HDR 10+, and Dolby Vision support.
Along with a headphone jack for private listening and a few programmable shortcut keys that can be mapped to particular commands, such as “Launch YouTube” or “Play classical music,” the Ultra comes with Roku’s Voice Remote Pro. The Ultra has the best feature—a remote finder—just in case you misplace it between the cushions on your couch. The Ultra is unquestionably the most powerful Roku device available, but it will cost you a significant amount more. —N.L.
PROS
- voice control with a headphone port
- Ethernet port integrated in
- supports content in 4K, HDR, and Dolby Vision.
CONS
- More expensive than other Roku gamers
06. Apple TV 4K
Upon the release of the most recent Apple TV 4K in 2022, my colleague Devindra Hardawar declared it to be “the best streaming box by a long shot” in his review. That’s still true in terms of picture quality, speed, longevity, and Apple-engineered extras. The set-top box makes compatible content appear, to use Devindra’s phrase, glorious because it supports 4K Dolby Vision and HDR10+.
The internal A15 Bionic chip allows for almost instantaneous app loading and switching. Once you get the hang of the touch-sensitive directional pad on the Siri remote, zooming from the start of an episode to its conclusion or anyplace in between is not only quick, but also very simple. Apple also enhanced the hardware box design with a smaller, fanless design compared to the previous generation.
Although you don’t have to be an Apple fan to enjoy the streaming box, setting it up is made simpler if you have an iPhone because you can simply hold your phone up to the device to transfer credentials. In addition to watching workouts on a large screen when using the Fitness+ app with an Apple Watch, you can also see real-time heart rate statistics displayed in the corner.
With countless games from Apple Arcade and other apps, the app library is vast and includes apps for all of the major streaming services. With voice commands, you can quickly search for content to watch using the Siri button on the remote, which usually takes you straight to the appropriate app. When it came to content recommendations for broader queries, such as “sci-fi space movies,” I found it to be almost as good as other devices.
Here’s the “but,” if you were waiting for it: the Apple TV 4K is pricey. The entry-level model costs $129 and has 32GB of storage. For $149, the 128GB model adds an Ethernet port and serves as a Thread-enabled home hub—a necessity for some smart home appliances. Additionally, this isn’t quite what you’re looking for if you want a single home page with a tonne of free channels and live programming to combine all of your different streaming subscriptions.
The Apple TV app arranges your most-used apps in the Channels and Apps row and incorporates recently watched series into the Up Next section. However, the homepage mostly serves as a display for films and TV shows on Apple TV+. Additionally, you shouldn’t anticipate finding a lot of Netflix content on the app. Siri even has problems finding Netflix shows at all, possibly as a result of the ongoing feud between the two companies. When I searched for Lupin, the results showed me episodes of the anime series, and when I asked for All the Light We Cannot See, the AI turned off my smart lights.
Lastly, the HDMI cable needed to connect this high-end streaming device to your TV is missing from the package. That may not seem like much in the big picture, but it made me yell adult remarks in Cupertino’s general direction. — Adams S.
PROS
- incredibly quick operation
- Arcade and Apple Fitness+ on a large screen
- compatibility with Dolby Vision, HDR, and 4K content
CONS
- costly
- Apple TV app strongly prefers content from Apple TV+
- Poor quality Netflix searches
07. NVIDIA Shield Android TV Pro
NVIDIA’s Shield TV Pro is a good option for people looking for an all-in-one gadget that can be used to play games, stream movies, and manage a PLEX media server. It is currently running Android TV, which is a little out of date, but Google TV may eventually be installed on it.
The NVIDIA Shield TV Pro’s powerful Tegra X1+ processor allows it to stream in native 4K and use the company’s AI neural network to upsample 1080p and 720p video to 4K. It also has two USB-C ports, three gigabytes of RAM, sixteen gigabytes of storage, and support for Dolby Vision and HDR10. There’s also a microSD card slot, an HDMI socket, and a gigabit Ethernet port. You can use it to play most games from the Google Play Store because it is an Android device.
You would primarily pick the NVIDIA Shield TV Pro over competing devices because it allows you to use NVIDIA’s cloud gaming service, GeForce Now. Top-tier PC games can be streamed online to your Shield TV Pro as long as you have a reasonably fast internet connection. —N.L.
PROS
- supports content in 4K, HDR10, and Dolby Vision.
- gives users access to the cloud gaming service GeForce Now from NVIDIA
- Integrated support for Google Assistant
CONS
- costly
08. Xbox Series X 1TB SSD Console – Includes Wireless Controller – Up to 120 frames per second – 16GB RAM 1TB
While both the Xbox Series X and the Sony PlayStation 5 are capable of streaming video, we believe that the Xbox is the superior gaming console for this purpose. It supports all of the common streaming video apps, such as Apple TV+ and Disney+, and it can play 4K Blu-Rays. It’s unfortunate that the PS5 is unable to stream Disney+ in 4K or Dolby Atmos if you’ve ever wanted to see The Mandalorian in all of its glorious cinematic glory.
PROS
- gives access to every popular streaming service
- Capable of playing 4K Blu-Rays
CONS
- costly
Thankfully, the Xbox Series X changes all of that. Furthermore, Dolby Vision streaming video is supported by the Xbox Series X (and S), which is fantastic for those who own more recent TVs. Naturally, the Xbox is a fantastic gaming system as well, and it gives users access to Microsoft’s Game Pass subscription service, which has a vast game selection. —N.L.
