From sticks to dongles to set-top boxes, there are streaming gadgets for every budget.
A streaming device can make a “dumb” TV smart, converting just about any screen with an HDMI connector into a TV you can use to watch Netflix, Peacock, Max, a live TV streaming service like YouTubeTV, or any other streaming app you subscribe to. If you currently have a smart TV and don’t care for the interface, streaming devices provide you a whole new way to control your experience. And lastly, if you’ve discovered that hotel television or the static on your Airbnb set leave something to be desired (or if you just don’t want to re-enter all your credentials), a streaming stick will recreate your at-home experience with no effort. There are a ton of different streamers out there, all with their strengths and downsides. We tested a lot to come up with recommendations for the ideal streaming device for you, based on what you want to get out of your TV.
Quick Overview
What to look for in a streaming device
Operating System And Interface
Google’s Chromecast, the Apple TV 4K, Amazon’s Fire TV Sticks and Roku devices are the most popular players in the area and each feature a distinct operating system and interface. This may be the most deciding factor for many individuals, since it dictates how the information you want to view is ordered and displayed. We go into depth for each platform below, but all of them come with home screens that, to various degrees, aggregate your applications in one place, showcase the movies and series you’re presently viewing and give you ideas of what more to watch.
Nearly all streaming devices come with a remote that allows you search and conduct other operations using your voice, removing the need to seek and peck at on-screen keyboards. They all feature “universal search,” in which searching for a title sends you to whatever app has it accessible. If you want to watch Barbie but don’t know where it’s playing, just hit the voice button on the remote and say "Barbie.” (We noticed simply mentioning the title or the genre you want sometimes works better than saying “Show me…” or “Search for…”) From the search results, press the play button and the proper app will open and start playing — presuming you’ve already signed into that app and, in most instances, have an active subscription.
Connectivity
Most streaming sticks connect to the internet via Wi-Fi, with the majority of them supporting Wi-Fi 5 or 6 protocols. Set-top boxes can also feature Ethernet connectors, so you can hardwire your internet connection to the device, which is always quicker than wireless. Streaming devices link to your TV using an HDMI connector, and most sticks conceal below the screen, while set-top boxes reside on a surface nearby. Nearly all devices also connect into an AC outlet for electricity. Some sticks used to function by taking power from a USB connection on the TV, but increasingly, these gadgets are intended to plug into the wall.
Video And Audio Features
If you have a screen that can display 4K video with Dolby Vision and HDR10, you’ll require a streaming device that supports those high-end codecs. Of course, even the most top-shelf streamer can’t make a 1080p TV show video in 4K. The series or movie also has to be broadcast in 4K and, increasingly, firms restrict higher-quality streaming to more costly subscription rates. In brief, every unit needs to support the video or audio function, otherwise the maximum quality you’ll obtain will be the lowest of any component in the chain.
Voice Control
In addition to helping you discover items to watch, streaming gadgets from Apple, Google and Amazon can answer inquiries about the weather, sports scores and basic facts using built-in voice assistants. They can also operate as smart home controllers to switch off linked smart lighting or outlets and show feeds from smart cameras. Just remember, like with any smart home gadgets, compatibility is crucial. Fire TV devices function with Alexa-enabled smart home equipment; Chromecasts help you manage Google Home devices; Apple TV 4Ks play along with HomeKit; and Rokus provide power over Roku’s smart home items.
Below are some ideas for the best streaming sticks and other budget-friendly solutions. We also provided choices for set-top boxes and gadgets oriented toward gamers.
Best Streaming Gadgets
Chromecast with Google TV (4K)
Operating system: Android TV | Remote: Yes | Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth | Display: No | Voice control: Yes
If you subscribe to a lot of streaming services and wish you could find one home screen to rule them all, Chromecast with Google TV 4K is the device for you. I’m not frequently shocked by the performance of a UI, but when testing this one I really exclaimed, “Wow, this is pretty good.” Once you’ve added your streaming subs, the site arranges your stuff in a practical, equitable way. Up top is featured/sponsored content, followed by a line of app icons. Next is the Continue Watching row loaded with the forthcoming episode of series you’ve begun. After I’d watched from a few different apps, I started seeing my next-up episodes from Netflix, Hulu, Apple TV+, Peacock and elsewhere, which made it very easy to dive back in.
Further down the website, algorithm-curated listings recommend categories including cartoons, crime series, Emmy winners and thrillers along with “If you like…” suggestions. Unlike other services (cough, Fire TV and Apple TV), Google TV doesn’t seem to offer preferential attention to any one service, drawing relatively equally from the ones you use. Of course, there are plenty of suggestions for YouTube material and, since you sign in with your Google account, Google TV knows which videos you’re likely to view, but they were contained to their own rows and could be simply ignored.
Navigation is easy and the 4K version of the dongle supports 4K HDR, Dolby Vision, and allows you cast from Chromecast-enabled apps on your smartphone or tablet. You also receive a fair quantity of free material along with a Live TV guide that has plenty of channels and can also combine any paid live TV streaming services like Sling, Philo and, of course, YouTube TV. It’ll even fold in over-the-air channels you get using a digital tuner.
As for problems, they’re small, like as a remote with no separate play/pause button. It instead relies on the central d-pad button, which really caused more than a few wrong inputs on my side. Curiously, if you tap the Assistant button and say “search for No One Will Save You” you’ll be served results for YouTube videos connected to those phrases. But merely stating “No One Will Save You” correctly leads you to the movie on Hulu.
My main issue is the Chromecast’s five-minute pause timeout. For me, cooking mid-episode air fryer nachos takes at least seven minutes. But after five minutes, a stopped display reverts to Ambient Mode. Pressing the back button brings you to the details page for whatever you were viewing, so it’s simply an extra button push to get started again. Still, I wish there was a method to prolong the timeout. You may also read this: Johnny Depp Would Be in Next Pirates Movie
Roku Streaming Stick 4K
Operating system: Roku OS | Remote: Yes | Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth | Display: No | Voice control: Yes
Believe it or not, the streaming world offers enough free stuff to keep even the most voracious watchers entertained – and the Roku Streaming Stick 4K is perhaps the finest method to access it. Roku’s UI is clean, with a basic list at the left and an app grid on the right. Two of those list items, Live TV and Featured Free, are loaded with free material, both on linear channels and video-on-demand (VOD) providers. The Roku Channel app provides thousands more series, films, Roku Originals and live channels to watch without subscribing to a darn thing.
Roku makes seven distinct streaming devices and all will bring you that free entertainment. The $50 Streaming Stick 4K hides beneath your TV, supports 4K, HDR10+ and Dolby Vision and has a longer range Wi-Fi. If you don’t need the greater range or Dolby Vision, and don’t mind a little bigger device, you can save $10 and purchase the Roku Express 4K+. Both players support Apple AirPlay 2 and can control your set’s power and volume.
I found the universal search tool to be accurate when seeking for specific titles; tapping the Voice button and uttering “Poker Face” pulls up hits for the Peacock program, the Russell Crowe movie and a poker documentary from a free channel. Saying “Succession” gives you the show from Max as well as listings for other series and films with “success” in the title. It was very successful at finding ideas for more generic searches, like “police procedural shows” and “Idris Elba,” though it had difficulties with recommendations for kids movies (not enough Disney+ results, in my opinion).
Navigation is quick with minimum load times between apps. The remote has an excellent arrangement with a huge back button and the volume rocker on the side. The useful Instant Replay button leaps back 10 to 20 seconds and can even offer subtitles for the replayed segment, if the program supports it. The one thing I didn’t appreciate was the What to Watch section, which was excessively loaded with free material and had a tiny quantity of titles mixed in from my premium applications. But since free content is where Roku really shines, I can’t be too irritated.
Amazon Fire TV Stick Lite
Operating system: Fire TV OS | Remote: Yes | Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth | Display: No | Voice control: Yes
If budget is of the biggest importance and you don’t require 4K, Amazon’s Fire TV Stick Lite is a viable option. At $30, it’s one of the cheapest streaming sticks on the market and it’s also routinely reduced, too. It supports FHD streaming with HDR and, much like its higher-end siblings, comes with an Alexa voice control.
One of the reasons this is dubbed “Lite” is that this specific Fire TV Stick can’t control your TV; you still have to use your television remote to power it on and off or to adjust its volume. That’s not that big a problem, especially if it helps save you a few money. In comparison, the basic Fire TV Stick normally retails for $40, while the Fire TV Stick 4K costs $50.
Amazon’s Fire TV supports virtually all of the main streaming services, including Netflix, Hulu, Max, YouTube, YouTube TV and Hulu, among others. The Live page incorporates Twitch out of the box as well. While you can’t use Alexa to operate the TV, the Fire TV Stick Lite does allow you use Alexa to search for shows and ask basic queries like the weather forecast or the latest scores for your favorite sports team.
Despite its low price, the Fire TV Stick Lite is a decent streaming dongle. It comes with the redesigned Fire TV interface that includes features such as user profiles, a new main menu navigation bar with program suggestions, and a scrolling list of your favorite streaming applications. The interface isn’t as cohesive as Google TV’s and is more sophisticated than Roku’s, but it’s still straightforward enough to figure out. That said, the UI promotes Amazon Prime Video content, and there are a lot more advertising than on other streaming services.
If you do want the ability to manage your TV with the remote and are also searching for something that supports greater picture quality, you may want to upgrade to one of the more powerful Fire TV Sticks. At $60 (and sometimes on sale for $45) the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max not only handles Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos, 4K and HDR10+, but it also supports Wi-Fi 6E. That means if you have a router that also carries the protocol, you might enjoy better and quicker connectivity. The 4K Max features the quickest CPU of any Fire TV Stick, and we found it fairly nippy. It’s also the only Fire TV Stick that supports the new Ambient Experience: when activated, or after the pause timeout kicks in, the dongle will show art (and widgets, if you wish) on your TV, giving any screen the look of something like Samsung’s The Frame.
