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It’s late 2018 and you may think streaming sticks are no big deal anymore. They used to be the best thing: tiny devices that brought the world of streaming video to any TV or monitor you plugged them in to. No big box taking up space in your media center and you could easily take it on vacation or to your parents’ house so you still have your video queue handy.
By now you probably have one or more streaming sticks and you’ve made your choice about which one you like. What if yours doesn’t work so well or you just want to shake up your streaming life? Some older sticks can’t install newer apps/channels. And the best new sticks have stronger wireless and 4K and HDR support. There are plenty of reasons to get excited about streaming sticks.
You’ve still really got 3 to choose from: Roku, Amazon’s Fire TV, and Google’s Chromecast. The latest models from each are:
- Roku Streaming Stick ($50) and Streaming Stick+ ($60). The Streaming Stick+ handles 4K and HDR and has a better wireless antenna.
- Chromecast 3rd Generation ($35) and Chromecast Ultra ($69). The Ultra model offers 4K and HDR.
- Amazon Fire TV Stick ($40) and Fire TV Stick 4K ($50). As you guessed, the 4K model plays 4K video and HDR content.
Which one should you choose? Here are a few key questions that will guide you to your perfect streaming match.
Do you have a 4K TV?
If you don’t have a 4K TV, there’s no reason to pay a premium for the devices that support it, unless you’ve got an issue with weak wireless. And if that’s the case, you probably just need a better wireless router.
Do you want a separate remote?
Some of us still don’t want to run everything through our phone. Google’s Chromecast doesn’t come with a remote control. It will work with your TV remote if you have TV supports HDMI-CEC (which is probably does if you bought it in the past 5 years or so), meaning you can play and pause with the TV remote after you start a cast on your phone.
All Roku sticks and both Fire TV sticks come with well-designed remotes.
Do use Amazon Prime Video?
This is a real dealbreaker for many. There’s no easy way to stream Amazon Prime Video from a Chromecast. Fire TV and Roku play Prime Video well.
Do you use YouTube TV?
Maybe Amazon is just getting back at Google for its lack of Prime Video support, but there’s no YouTube TV app on Fire TV. Chromecast and Roku can play YouTube TV. All three offer apps for the other major live TV streaming services.
Do you have a Google Home/Alexa speaker?
If you’ve picked a virtual assistant, it’s handy to use your voice to turn on the TV and start a stream. Fire TV is easy to link to an Alexa speaker and Chromecast works well with Google Assistant. But Roku doesn’t work with either.
Do you really need a streaming stick at all?
If you have a newer TV, it likely comes with smart features that let you stream Netflix, Prime Video, Hulu, and more. Try it out before you add another device to your system —you can always buy a streaming stick later if the TV doesn’t keep up with the latest apps.
Once you’ve answered those questions, you should have a good idea which models are a good fit for your streaming style. Whether it’s a Roku, Fire TV Stick, or Chromecast, you’ll be happy with the latest streaming sticks—even if they’re not the new new thing anymore.
Michael Gowan impatiently waits for somebody—anybody!—to stream the complete Moonlighting series. You can follow him on Twitter @zebgowan.
Buy a Roku Streaming Stick+ on Amazon
