7 Best Streaming Devices for TVs (2025), Tested and Reviewed

6 days ago

You astir apt stream most, if not all, of your content. The champion streaming instrumentality makes that process easier. If you've purchased a new TV recently, it apt has a built-in streaming interface. Some of these are fine, but a stand-alone streaming instrumentality tin connection a amended experience. We’ve tried them all—from Roku, Apple, Google, Amazon, and moreover a inexpensive Walmart-owned brand—so you don’t person to, and we’ve separated each of our favorites by what they do best.

To trial streaming devices, I statement really easy aliases analyzable nan setup was, from nan first plug-in to signing into each our favorite streaming services, and past I watch TV! I watercourse a batch of contented successful wide moreover erstwhile I'm not testing a caller device, but for astatine slightest a week, I watch a fewer hours of movies, TV shows, and YouTube videos each day, installing and deleting apps, and playing astir pinch immoderate further features wrong nan instrumentality itself aliases connected nan remote.

Check retired all our location theatre guides, for illustration nan Best Roku Devices, Best Streaming Services, Best TVs, Best Soundbars, Best TV Antennas, and Best Projectors.

Updated June 2025: We've added nan caller Roku Streaming Stick 4K.

Why You Need a Streaming Device

If you conscionable bought a smart TV, you whitethorn beryllium wondering: Why salary other for a streaming device? TV makers are acold amended astatine manufacturing beautiful screens than they are astatine building bully software. So unless that TV was a Roku TV aliases a Google TV, you should see an outer streaming device. Chances are precocious that your TV's house-made apps are slow, poorly designed, and retired of date—and that's if it has nan apps you want.

The streaming apps for Roku, Google TV, Amazon Fire TV, and Apple TV are typically nan champion you'll find, and if they're surgery they get fixed very quickly. LG, Samsung, and immoderate number of different TVs travel pinch their ain interfaces, but I propose you disregard them.

Which TV OS Should You Choose?

Roku is our favourite streaming OS because it has conscionable astir each streaming app location is, and nan setup is hassle-free. You don't person to beryllium technologically savvy to fig it out. Roku besides isn't made by 1 of nan awesome tech companies. Even though it has moved to see location information successful its lineup, nan institution survives connected really good its streaming instrumentality level performs.

Chromecast utilized to eschew an interface altogether, but much caller versions person Google TV built in. Though casting is nary longer its main draw, these devices are fantabulous astatine letting you nonstop web pages aliases different contented straight from your smartphone (it's easiest connected an Android phone), which is rather handy. You tin besides do this pinch Apple TV's AirPlay 2 functionality, but you request an iOS aliases macOS device. Chromecasts are officially being discontinued though you'll still spot immoderate astir astatine various retailers. Going forward, Google will beryllium focusing its efforts connected Google TV and products for illustration nan Google TV Streamer.

Google TV, formerly called Android TV, is Google's existent streaming OS. It's been astir for years, but it nailed nan acquisition successful 2020. With its newest Google TV Streamer 4K, we stopped seeing nan bugs and problems that utilized to plague nan platform, and it includes fundamentally each streaming app retired there, arsenic good arsenic YouTube and Spotify. You tin still formed conscionable arsenic easy arsenic for illustration connected nan original Chromecast dongles.

Amazon Fire TV is geared toward those who really bask Amazon's ecosystem, and it will quickly constituent you to its content. It besides has a awesome sound interface. Unfortunately, it sometimes feels for illustration an advertisement for Amazon worldly much than a divers ecosystem of apps and content. If you bargain aliases rent a batch of movies from Amazon and subscribe to Prime, nan Fire TV is appealing. If not, spell pinch a Roku.

Apple TV has a slick interface and Apple's accustomed gloss. The institution wasn't updating its models aliases its interface each that often, but we've seen improvements complete nan past fewer years. If you person a location afloat of Apple worldly and bask AirPlay, you whitethorn arsenic good complete your collection.