Though most smart TVs come equipped with a host of built-in apps for streaming, having a dedicated streaming device is a great way to improve your setup. This is especially useful for folks who have older smart TVs that aren’t fully compatible with all streaming platforms. Additionally, individual devices provide all sorts of hardware improvements, like Dolby Atmos compatibility, swifter navigation speeds and 4K HDR streaming. At the same time, each streaming platform has its own distinct interface.
We’ve spent hours reviewing and testing every streaming device and major smart TV system available today so we can help you figure out the best streaming device that’ll work for you. We’ve gone through every device in Roku’s extensive lineup, checked out Google’s latest offerings, tested all of Amazon’s Fire TV Sticks and pored over Apple’s most recent update to the Apple TV 4K so that we can give you informed and unbiased advice.
Read on as we break down the best streaming devices available now.
Read more: Best Streaming Service of 2024
What is the best streaming device overall?
We prefer Roku’s content-agnostic approach, ease of use, large app library and excellent search functionality over those from other companies. We’ve found that the Roku Express 4K Plus is usually the cheapest Roku that offers 4K HDR streaming, and is therefore the best streaming device to buy. The Express 4K Plus lacks Dolby Vision support, but we’ve found that this usually isn’t a deal-breaker, as Dolby Vision only works on TVs that also support it. Additionally, we don’t think that Dolby Vision looks any better than regular HDR and isn’t generally worth extra money.
That said, there are times during the year when the Roku Express 4K Plus is not our top pick. This occurs when the Streaming Stick 4K is on sale and is cheaper than the Express 4K Plus. The Streaming Stick 4K offers all the same functionality of the Express 4K Plus, but includes Dolby Vision support – which is why it’s typically more expensive. We don’t think this addition is worth the premium price, but it certainly shouldn’t prevent you from grabbing the Streaming Stick 4K if it’s the cheaper of the two.