The Best Streaming Devices of 2024

Streaming services are the best way to gain instant access to all your favorite movies and TV shows, but the experience of streaming them on your TV can be less than ideal. With a dedicated streaming device, you can enjoy a faster, more fluid service that is completely hassle-free.

How to Shop for a Streaming Device in 2024

If you own an older non-smart TV and aren't ready to upgrade to a smart TV, investing in a streaming device is a relatively low-cost alternative that grants you access to your favorite streaming platforms. With regular upgrades available, these devices offer a fast and efficient way to stream content in HDR and even 4K.

Streaming devices can also simplify gathering all your streaming services in one place—on your TV. They're straightforward to set up and have easily navigable user interfaces that are often superior to those on your TVs. Additionally, many of them support voice commands and smart home integrations, giving them extra appeal to anybody living with a particular smart home ecosystem.

We recommend researching the streaming platforms and services supported by any prospective streaming device to ensure that investing in a particular option doesn't result in missing out on more niche services (like Viki or Philo) that you may wish to access.

Our recommendations below are mostly for 4K streaming devices. Many of these are competitive in terms of price point with their HD counterparts and are well worth considering even if you don't currently own a 4K-compatible TV, as they will provide an element of futureproofing when the time comes to make the upgrade.

With that said, let's dive in to our recommendations for the best streaming devices in 2024.

The Roku Streaming Stick 4K offers a lot of bang for your buck. For the $50 entry fee, you get access to all your favorite streaming services, with support for HDR10+ and Dolby Vision for a superior streaming experience.

This streaming stick has a nice and easy setup and is ready to go straight out of the box. The Roku remote can be programmed to work with your TV, allowing you to adjust the volume and switch your TV on and off. It lacks any voice control option, but that's to be expected for the relatively low price point.

Additionally, there's no way to play your own content from this device, so anybody hoping to access personalized content from a separate storage device will be left a little disappointed. Having said that, this is not likely to be a big concern for most people.

What it does give you is a super smooth 4K streaming experience across countless streaming platforms, at a very reasonable price point, making it the best streaming device overall for most people.

If you're looking for the best streaming device for the least amount of money, the Fire Stick TV Lite is the one for you. For around $30, it's the cheapest pick on our list and one of the least expensive options you can find.

It's effortless to set up and provides instant access to dozens of streaming services to access your favorite TV shows and movies. The remote is also Alexa-enabled, allowing you to search for content with simple voice commands, making navigation a breeze.

It doesn't provide the ability to stream in 4K, which probably won't come as a shock at this price. Additionally, you won't find any TV controls on the remote, which might be a little frustrating to some people.

However, if you're not fussed about upgrading to 4K anytime soon and you're just looking for a fast, efficient streaming device that won't cost you a fortune, the Fire Stick TV Lite is an excellent low-cost option if you can live with its limitations.

The Roku Express 4K Plus supports silky smooth 4K and HDR streaming with access to more than 500,000 movies and TV shows and instant access to channels like Netflix and Disney Plus.

With the Roku Express Plus remote, you can use voice control to search and launch content on your favorite channels and turn the volume up or down. You can also pause live TV and restart or rewind shows as you please for effortless convenience. The remote is compatible with Alexa, Google Home, and Apple Home.

It boasts a quick and easy setup that will have you happily scouring for content in just a couple of minutes. Its fast wireless performance provides a smooth streaming experience with no stuttering. Plus, you can customize your home screen with your favorite channels to make searching for your top TV easier.

For the price of entry, the Roku Express 4K Plus is one of the cheapest ways to stream in 4K, and it's loaded with shortcuts that make navigation a breeze. If you're looking for the best Roku streaming device, call off the search now.

The Fire TV Stick 4K Max is the most sophisticated of all the Amazon streaming devices. It provides full HD or 4K HDR streaming, with access to Dolby Vision, and Dolby Atmos audio, and it even supports Wi-Fi 6, giving you a top-tier streaming performance.

You'll find these features on the Fire TV Stick 4K, but that device lacks the hardware upgrade that the Max has been injected with. Boasting an upgraded CPU, GPU, and memory, the performance gains here are very impressive. Amazon claims this device works 40% faster than the 4K, so you can expect next to no lag and a fast and fluid experience across the board.

Naturally, all this hardware comes at a premium, making the Max more expensive than the Fire TV Stick 4K. However, it's the best of the Fire TV streaming sticks currently available, and with access to tons of free content for Amazon Prime members and bonus features such as live picture-in-picture, you may feel that the slightly higher price tag is worth the extra investment.

Representing a considerable upgrade over the Chromecast with Google TV, the Google TV Streamer 4K offers a flawless 4K streaming experience with personalized viewing options tailored to your preferences.

It sports a 22 percent faster processor than its predecessor and twice the memory (32GB) for a super smooth experience, allowing plenty of app storage. It provides access to over 800 free streaming channels with intuitive navigation controls to help guide you to your favorite content.

Aside from 4K streaming with HDR support, the Google TV Streamer 4K features integrated voice control with Google Assistant and can be integrated into your smart home ecosystem, allowing control of compatible devices, such as lights, cameras, and thermostats. You can also media directly from your phone or tablet onto your TV using Google Cast.

If there's a downside to the Google TV Streamer 4K it's the hike in price compared to its previous generation. With a price point of approximately $99, this is not the cheapest of streaming devices, but with all the upgrades Google has packed into it, it is one of the best.

For Apple aficionados, nothing less than the Apple TV 4K will do when it comes to home media streaming. It allows you to stream in 4K Ultra HD, supports HDR10+, Dolby Vision, and Dolby Atmos sound, and comes with three months of Apple TV+ and 64GB of storage for your favorite apps.

Use the touch-enabled click pad on the remote to easily navigate and control your 4K TV, or use Siri to access your favorite movies and TV shows with voice commands. You can also use it as a smart home hub for Apple HomeKit and connect it to your favorite smart home devices for effortless control.

With AirPlay support, you can stream or mirror content from other Apple devices to your TV wirelessly and listen to your Apple Music library through your TV.

Naturally, being an Apple product, you can expect to shell out a little extra for all the boons this device will offer your home TV streaming experience. So, unless you're already heavily invested in the Apple ecosystem, you may prefer something a little cheaper. However, for Apple fans, this is the one and only streaming device you need to level up your home streaming.

FAQ

Do I need a streaming device with a smart TV?

The answer here depends on what services come preinstalled or are able to be installed on the smart TV you have. For example, most smart TVs come with Netflix preinstalled, or the ability to download the Netflix app. However, a smaller service like Discovery+ may not be recognized by your smart TV off the bat.

In the first scenario, you do not need a streaming device. In the second case, your smart TV will need a streaming device that supports Discovery+ if it isn't natively recognized.

How do streaming devices work?

You can think of a streaming device (or streaming stick) as a little hotspot for your TV. It connects your TV to the internet, allowing it to talk to streaming services like Amazon Prime, Hulu, and HBO Max.

How do I know which streaming services are available on a streaming device?

Some streaming devices offer thousands of channels for sports, movies, and news. The easiest way to find out which services come with your streaming device is by checking its website or app. For example, Roku has a "What can I watch?" section that gives you a full breakdown of the channel list, and the Apple TV app lists the channels and services available to you.

Can AirPlay or Chromecast's Cast stream to multiple devices?

When it comes to audio, the answer is yes, you can stream to multiple devices at once using AirPlay 2 and Chromecast. Video, on the other hand, is a much more involved process that requires multiple receivers, or an HDMI splitter and two screens that are close enough together to tether with cords.

Do streaming devices have monthly fees?

No, the streaming sticks themselves do not come with monthly fees. However, you will still have to pay for the streaming services themselves (for example, Hulu's monthly fee starts at $7.99/month).