Best Streaming TV Devices 2023

What’s the best streaming device?

Bottom line: we like the Roku Ultra the best of any streaming device out there. That said, Apple, Alexa, and Android aficionados really can’t go wrong with the devices that work with their tech of choice. Read on to get the deets and see which device is right for you.

Jump to:

• Best streaming devices
• Compare devices head to head
• Sticks, dongles, and mini-devices
• What to look for

Best streaming devices

1. Roku Ultra: Editor’s choice
2. Chromecast with Google TV: Best for Android users
3. Amazon Fire Cube: Best for Alexa users
4. Apple TV 4K: Best for Apple users
5. NVIDIA Shield TV Pro 4K: Best for gamers

Compare streaming devices head-to-head

Amazon.com price as of post date. Read full disclaimer.

We’ve reviewed five of the top streaming devices on the market right now and included a few budget options too. Spoiler: our favorite device is the Roku Ultra, but the rest of the set-top box pack is also worth checking out—especially Chromecast with Google TV, which is technically a “dongle” streamer but still impressively powerful.

Best Overall: Roku Ultra

Roku was among the first in the streaming device game, and it’s still easily one of the best today when it comes to performance and user-friendly interface—and purple-ness, for sure.

The Roku Ultra is a small, sleek set-top streaming device supporting 4K, Dolby Vision, andDolby Atmos audio. Plus, it features a MicroSD card slot for extra storage, an Ethernet connection option, a USB port for connecting other devices, a “lost remote” tone generator, and even a headphone jack on the remote for private listening (JBL earbuds included).

The intuitiveness of the Roku Ultra is fantastic, but it’s the content that really makes the case. Roku’s library has the largest selection of apps—or, as it calls them, channels—offered by any streaming device: there are over 3,000 to veg-out with. Many are even free, including the content-filled Roku Channel.

Read Roku Ultra review

Best for Android users: Chromecast with Google TV

Chromecast with Google TV is a powerful upgrade from the popular (and cheap) Chromecast. This sleek reinvention now comes with a remote and an actual screen interface—no smartphone required. It works so well we often step out on our beloved Roku with it (shhh).

Chromecast with Google TV is Android-based, meaning it’ll work with most apps in the Google Play store, and you can still cast content from your phone just the old Chromecast. It also features superior video and audio capabilities, including 4K, Dolby Vision, and Dolby Atmos.

Just as Amazon Fire TV devices work seamlessly with Prime Video, and Apple TV 4K loves Apple apps, Chromecast with Google TV takes to Google and Android apps (like YouTube TV and YouTube) exceptionally well. It also works nicely with Google Nest speakers and smart devices.

The included remote is a tad small and maybe prone to disappearing between couch cushions, but you’ll probably spend more time talking to it than its pushing buttons—it is a Google Assistant voice remote, after all. You can even get the 4K model (and the dongle) in white, pink, or blue.

If you’ve tried out the older Chromecast and weren’t impressed, you should definitely give Chromecast with Google TV a spin—it’s a little-bitty beast of a streaming device.

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Best for Alexa integration: Amazon Fire TV Cube

If you and your trusty Alexa have been eagerly awaiting the Amazon-ization of everything in your life, great news: the feature-packed Amazon Fire TV Cube is here (and even resembles a Star Trek Borg ship).

Alexa comes built-in, meaning you can control video and audio hardware throughout your home with just your voice. Barring laryngitis, that means no more lost remote.

The Amazon Fire TV Cube has 4K, HDR, HDR10+, and Dolby Vision, as do the other devices reviewed here. Plus, the Fire TV Cube has the advantage of being Ethernet cable ready for a direct, solid internet connection.

The Cube also doesn’t discriminate against non-Amazon apps. Prime Video is clearly favored (a bit too much, in our opinion), but Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, and the rest aren’t left out.

But really, the Alexa connection is the big selling point of the Fire TV Cube—all of the household control in one remote, we like it. For total home-entertainment command, go Cube.

Read Amazon Fire TV Cube review

Best for Apple fans: Apple TV 4K

If you’re an all-in-for-Apple kind of consumer, you’re used to a higher ticket price for multimedia bliss—and of course you’re going to want an Apple TV 4K.

It’s more expensive than most of the other streaming devices mentioned here, but it’s worth the price. The Apple TV 4K syncs seamlessly with all of your other Apple gear, and its insanely fast A12 Bionic chip leaves standard quad-core processors in the dust.

There’ll be a bit of a trade-off, though. Siri and iTunes may be there for you, but the Apple TV 4K’s collection of apps isn’t as deep as Roku’s or Fire TV’s. You’ll just have to live without The Bigfoot Channel.

Not that devotees need further convincing, but the Apple TV 4K supports 4K, Dolby Vision, and HDR10+, and the picture quality is pristine. If you’re an Apple acolyte, this is the streaming TV box for you.

Read Apple TV 4K review

Best for gamers: NVIDIA Shield TV Pro 4K

For non-gamers, NVIDIA Shield is not, repeat, not a Wakanda insurance firm.

It’s a powerful gaming-centric device that can also stream 4K and HDR TV—and quite well, at that. The device includes a controller, as well as MicroSD and Micro USB ports, and 16 GB of storage. With a system based on the Android TV platform, the NVIDIA Shield TV Pro 4K’s streaming performance stacks up competitively against any other device here–exceptin price.

The NVIDIA Shield TV Pro costs even more than the Apple TV 4K device, which might put off casual gamers users who just want to watch Better Call Saul or listen to Spotify.

Fortunately, NVIDIA Shield TV Pro 4K’s streaming app selection is still excellent. If it’s in the Google Play store, you can likely get it—but it’s the gaming side that really shines. If you’re a devout game who also squeezes in time for TV, the Shield does it all.

But if you don’t know Fortnite from Frontline, this might not be the streaming device you’re looking for.

Read NVIDIA Shield TV Pro 4K review

Sticks, dongles, and mini-devices

Amazon.com price as of post date. Read full disclaimer.

At half the cost, the Roku Streaming Stick and Expresses do almost everything the Roku Ultra does—and take up less space. Just plug either device into an HDMI port on your TV, power it up, and stream.

The Amazon Fire TV Sticks are also smaller and less-expensive versions of the set-top models. Like the Cube, the Fire TV Stick is slightly biased toward recommending Amazon content, but it’s still a tiny marvel for streaming.

The TiVo Stream 4K’s square dongle is Android-based and works particularly well with Sling TV (and it paid to be front-and-center in the interface). It also comes with TiVo’s beloved Mr. Peanut-shaped remote, which features Google Assistant voice activation.

What to look for in a streaming device

• Dual-band Wi-Fi: Your picture will be only as good as your device’s Wi-Fi receiver, so look for 802.11ac dual-band Wi-Fi in the specs. We’ll help: all the streaming devices we’ve listed feature dual-band Wi-Fi connectivity, and some have Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth capabilities.
• Ethernet port: If you plan on streaming a lot of bandwidth-hogging 4K content, consider going ethernet. Fortunately, most set-top box models (and Amazon’s Fire TV Stick 4K) feature an ethernet port for a direct internet connection.
• USB ports: If you have home videos, photos, music, or any other outside media you’d like to display on your TV, a USB port can come in handy. Load up those vacation videos on a USB thumb drive and bore the kids all over again.

Roku Ultra is the streaming device to beat

We love the Roku Ultra for its easy interface, smooth performance, and sheer abundance of streaming apps, so we recommend it for most people—but the sleek Chromecast with Google TV comes this close to also winning our hearts. Imagine an ’80s sitcom where we’re dashing back and forth between double-booked dinner dates. That’s us with these two.

If you’re an Amazon power-user in a deep (but healthy) relationship with Alexa, the Fire TV Cube is obviously your jam; the same goes for Apple purists and the Apple TV 4K.

Streaming TV device FAQ

Our methodology

Our experts employed hundreds of hours of hands-on testing and comparing stats, rating these streaming devices on bang for your buck, reliability, features, and customer satisfaction. For more information on our methodology, check out our How We Rank page.

Disclaimer

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