On the floor, Roku and Amazon Fire TV have loads in widespread. Both provide inexpensive streaming gamers that you just which you can plug into virtually any flat-panel TV, and each will allow you to entry a variety of in style streaming providers, from Netflix and Hulu to YouTube TV and Disney+.
Digging a bit deeper reveals some large philosophical variations between the 2 streaming platforms: Roku’s software program emphasizes simplicity over flashy options, whereas its expansive {hardware} lineup tries to hit each conceivable finances. Amazon takes the other method, pairing a small variety of simple-yet-effective {hardware} choices with a sprawling software program interface.
There is not any clear winner between these two approaches. Instead, selecting between Roku and Fire TV as your streaming platform of alternative might be a matter of non-public choice. To make the choice a bit simpler, let’s stroll by how the 2 hottest streaming platforms evaluate.
Ease of use
If you’re used to the concept of launching apps in your cellphone, you’ll be fairly snug utilizing a Roku system. Its principal menu presents a grid of icons, letting you shortly launch streaming apps equivalent to Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime Video. And once you’re getting arrange, it’s straightforward to seek out the most well-liked apps by the “Channel Store” part of the house display screen.
Roku’s concentrate on apps makes it easy to arrange and use.
The Fire TV menu is way more cluttered. Instead of a single app launcher, there are separate rows for favourite and up to date apps, together with a grasp app listing you may entry by holding down the house button. The house display screen can be surrounded by further menus for films, TV reveals, and apps, every with its personal layers of really useful movies. There’s some advantage to this method, which I’ll describe within the subsequent part; however in comparison with Roku, it’s more durable to navigate.
Advantage: Roku
The favourite and up to date apps rows on Fire TV can result in some redundancies.
Content discovery
The flip facet is that Amazon’s Fire TV interface is best at suggesting what to look at with out making you bounce out and in of various apps. Keep scrolling previous the app listing, and also you’ll discover row upon row of urged films and reveals to look at. Most come from Amazon’s personal Prime Video service, however you may additionally get suggestions from different apps, equivalent to Netflix or HBO Now. While this method can really feel inscrutable—largely as a result of Amazon doesn’t allow you to customise the suggestions that seem—it’s useful for these occasions once you’re feeling indecisive.
Amazon throws film and present suggestions immediately onto the Fire TV house display screen.
Roku’s makes an attempt at content material discovery are way more conservative. There’s a “Featured Free” part on the house display screen that spotlights free films and TV reveals to look at, however that doesn’t assist if you wish to know what’s new on Netflix or Hulu. And whereas Roku provides editorially-curated “zones” for various genres, it’s a must to search and drill although a number of menu layers to entry them. As a outcome you’ll most likely spend extra time within the apps you already know greatest as an alternative of discovering what else is on the market.
Advantage: Fire TV
As the identify suggests, Roku’s “Featured Free” part solely suggests ad-supported movies to look at.
Apps and content material choice
Both Roku and Fire TV help each main streaming service and an extended listing of area of interest ones, so this shouldn’t be a significant space of concern. (The Fire TV’s largest omission was an official YouTube app and YouTube TV help, however each of these arrived on the platform earlier this 12 months.)
Still, Roku will get a slight edge for providing The Roku Channel, a free app with a rising number of ad-supported films and TV reveals. Roku lately added youngsters’s movies to the apps, and it’s been increasing its lineup of free dwell “channels,” equivalent to ABC News, Filmrise, WeatherNation, and MGM Sci-Fi.
Advantage: Roku
Voice management
There’s no contest on this one. While each platforms assist you to search by voice, Fire TV permits you to launch movies and music immediately by its voice distant in more services than Roku does, together with Netflix and Amazon Prime. It additionally helps tuning to dwell channels in some streaming providers, and you probably have an Echo speaker, you may launch films and reveals with out even touching your distant. (Roku does help hands-free controls with Echo and Google Home audio system, however the syntax is clunky and the controls are restricted.) Amazon’s Alexa assistant additionally means that you can management sensible house gadgets, ask normal questions, or view safety digital camera feeds utilizing the Fire TV distant, which isn’t an choice on Roku gamers.
Advantage: Fire TV
Hardware: Streaming gamers
Amazon’s Fire TV system lineup is fairly easy. If you need the most cost effective streaming system and might tolerate sluggish efficiency, get the $40 Fire TV Stick (although I’d advise in opposition to it). For a lot quicker efficiency and 4K HDR video help, you may spend a bit of extra on the $50 Fire TV Stick 4K. If you need the most effective efficiency and hands-free Alexa voice management built-in, get the $120 Fire TV Cube.
The Fire TV Stick 4K is a superb worth even in case you don’t have a 4K TV.
Roku, in the meantime, at the moment provides six streaming gamers. I’d counsel staying away from the $30 Roku Express and $40 Roku Premiere, as they each use infrared remotes that may really feel unresponsive and don’t have TV quantity or energy controls built-in. The Walmart-exclusive Roku Express+ is a greater choice for 1080p playback, whereas the $50 Roku Streaming Stick+ hits the candy spot for 4K HDR. Best Buy additionally sells a variant of the Streaming Stick+ with a headphone jack on its distant for $60, and if you would like USB and ethernet ports together with programmable distant buttons, the Roku Ultra will set you again $100.
The Roku Streaming Stick+ is the most effective Roku for most individuals, although many different choices exist.
Despite all these choices, Roku doesn’t provide a single mannequin with Dolby Vision, HDR10+, or Dolby Atmos decode (which is required to get Atmos help in Netflix). Amazon’s Fire TV Stick 4K and Fire TV Cube help all off these issues. Fire TV gadgets are additionally higher at remembering your home in latest apps, whereas apps on Roku at all times restart after you exit them. As lengthy as you keep away from the finances Fire TV Stick, Amazon’s platform delivers a greater {hardware} worth.
Advantage: Fire TV
Hardware: Smart TVs
If you’d quite purchase a TV with built-in streaming options as an alternative of a separate participant, Roku features the benefit. You’ll discover Roku TVs with a variety of options, sizes, and costs from an extended listing of distributors, together with TCL, Sharp, Hisense, RCA, and Walmart’s Onn model. And in contrast to with Roku’s standalone gamers, a few of these TVs do help Dolby Vision HDR.
If you’re already out there for a TV, distributors equivalent to TCL will promote you one with Roku’s software program on board, so that you don’t want a separate streamer.
By comparability, TVs that run Amazon’s Fire TV software program solely come from Best Buy’s Insignia model and Toshiba within the United States, with a narrower vary of display screen sizes and options. Want a 75-inch TV with 4K HDR and quantum dots? You can get one with Roku software program, however not with Amazon’s Fire TV working system on board.
Advantage: Roku
Nerdy stuff
If you’re the kind of one who likes to tinker with their tech, you’ll discover extra to understand within the Fire TV platform. Because it’s primarily based on Android, you may sideload apps that aren’t obtainable in Amazon’s retailer, equivalent to Kodi, and you’ll hook up a Bluetooth controller for gaming. Roku is extra of a closed system, and whilst you can set up private channels that come from exterior Roku’s personal retailer, the choices are way more restricted.
Fire TV additionally provides extra choices for integrating with an over-the-air antenna: Amazon’s Fire TV Recast {hardware}, for example, whereas a Channels DVR setup can play dwell or recorded channels at native broadcast high quality. Neither of these choices can be found on Roku gamers, although you may nonetheless use Tablo, Emby, or Plex DVR as an alternative.
Verdict: Fire TV
For antenna customers, the Fire TV Recast is an easy solution to combine over-the-air DVR with Fire TV streaming gamers.
Long-term help
Over the years, Roku has established a robust monitor report for supporting older {hardware}, as streaming gamers and sensible TVs from 2014 onward proceed to obtain new apps and options. Amazon’s Fire TV platform hasn’t been round for as lengthy, however it’s already left a slew of streaming gadgets behind on older versions of Android. While this hasn’t made a significant distinction when it comes to options, it doesn’t bode as nicely for long-term app help.
In each instances, nonetheless, app makers may nonetheless decide to not help older {hardware}, no matter Roku’s or Amazon’s personal help. YouTube TV, for example, doesn’t work with the unique Fire TV or Fire TV Stick, nor does it help sure older Roku models.
Advantage: Roku
The verdict
Because Roku is less complicated to make use of, it tends to be my default suggestion for anybody who’s new to the streaming house, doesn’t have any present affinity for Amazon merchandise, and simply needs a strong streaming participant for affordable. If you don’t thoughts extra of a studying curve, nonetheless, you may accomplish much more with a Fire TV system, and the Fire TV Stick 4K particularly stays the most effective worth within the streaming participant enterprise.
Just don’t overthink it an excessive amount of, as you’ll most likely be blissful cutting the cable TV cord with both one.