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- The easiest and cheapest way to make a TV smarter is to buy a media streamer, and two of the best options are Amazon's Fire TV Stick and Roku's Streaming Stick.
- Both are fine choices, and have their own set of pros and cons, but the Fire TV Stick won out overall.
- The biggest deciding factors were that it can be used for non-video activities and has Alexa.
Whether you're looking to make an older TV smart, or want to stop using the built-in streaming apps that came bundled with your current set, you're going to want a media streaming stick.
They're small, relatively inexpensive, packed with features, and pretty easy to understand and set up. But that begs the question: Which one should you get? Two of the most popular options are Amazon's Fire TV Stick and Roku's Streaming Stick, and we've compared them below to help you make the best choice.
Some of it will come down to the other tech in your life, but the good news is there's no real bad choice. That said, read on to figure out the right streaming stick for you.
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The basic tech specs
Winner: This round goes to Amazon, since the Fire TV Stick has more memory and internal storage.
At first glance, the Fire TV Stick and Roku Streaming Stick seem to be very similar, but that's not the case under the hood.
They do both connect to your TV via HDMI, support the latest Wi-Fi standard (802.11AC), tap out at 1080P video output, and get their power via a Micro USB cable, but that's where the similarities end.
The Fire TV Stick has 8GB of internal storage and 1GB of memory, whereas Roku's Streaming Stick only has 256MB of storage and 512MB of memory. If you're only going to stream video from a couple of sources, the internal storage won't be a major issue, but having less memory is a distinct disadvantage for Roku.
I can't directly compare the processors in both because Roku doesn't list the clock speed or number of cores for the Streaming Stick, but the startup has been pretty good at keeping up with the pace of technology with its hardware revisions.
That said, this round goes to Amazon, since the additional storage and memory make it more adaptable should your needs change.
Content
Winner: If you're only looking to stream video, either streaming stick will work, but games and Alexa skills give the Fire TV Stick the edge.
Roku has built its reputation on being the top platform for streaming video. Because it doesn't focus any resources on making content, the startup has charged full force into making sure everybody else's videos are available on its platform. With over 500,000 "channels," you're bound to find everything from top-tier streaming services to niche broadcasting.
On the other hand, the Fire TV Stick has access to fewer video services — though every one I searched for was available — but can play games and use other apps, like Facebook. To be fair, I don't think the Facebook experience would be exceptional on a TV, but it's nice that the option is there if you want it.
In both cases, you'll get access to Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Video, YouTube, Vimeo, HBO Go, and Spotify, so really it'll come down to non-media apps.
Games made the bigger difference here, since it makes the Fire TV Stick a little more versatile. You may be able to get away with using this as a game system for casual players or kids. On top of that, you can use thousands of Alexa skills, since it's built right into the remote.
The interface
Winner: Roku won this round thanks to its more fun and approachable interface.
I have some experience with both interfaces, and this round is going to the Roku Streaming Stick. The Fire TV Stick's interface isn't bad, but it's a little clunkier to navigate and easier to get a little lost in.
Roku's look is distinctly more "fun," which might be off putting to people who take their media very seriously, but is ultimately a win for less tech-savvy folks. I know this first-hand, since my mom has been using a Roku TV for nearly two years and hasn't complained about how it works once.
If you're more tech-focused, you may appreciated the sleek look of the Fire TV Stick's interface, but it's a bit unfriendly. Roku's, on the other hand, is just as powerful and a little more inviting, which is what made the difference this round.
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