I reviewed the 4 best streaming devices for 2025

While testing each streaming device, we evaluated the ease of set-up. How many cords and connections did each device require? How fast was set-up? Was an account required to use the device? Did the device connect with the native television system?

The bulk of the streaming experience comes from the viewing quality. We assessed each device on its overall picture quality. Did 4K models live up to expectations? Plus, we assessed any buffering time if it was required to reach full picture quality.

Each streamer is like a little computer, executing tasks to help you watch your favorite shows. And like computers they have processing speeds that are either zippy or run painfully slow, so we assessed how quickly each streamer ran.

Your smart TV OS is crucial to your overall experience. We assessed how the home page was oriented, and if it was customizable for users.

For those already integrated into Apple's ecosystem, an Apple TV is a no-brainer. However, even if you're not, the Apple TV is for everyone. It's hands down the best streamer we've tested, with easy set-up, lightning fast speeds, and most importantly, a totally ad-free home screen. Plus, if you like to own your own movies, Apple has a video-on-demand library that makes it easy to purchase films.

While nearly every other streaming device on this list is weighed down by an ad-heavy home screen, Apple's tvOS keeps the experience clean and ad-free (beyond the occasional rotating list of Apple TV+ originals while hovering over that app). The home screen is organized neatly, but can also be adjusted so all your go-to apps are close by.

You can't beat an Apple TV. Having tested many a streaming device, at the end of the day, I'm always relieved to return to the Apple TV that I own. Through all of my testing, there isn't a streaming device that can beat the Apple TV's speed. It can zip between apps and start shows with barely any buffering time.

It has the optimal home page layout — a series of organized rectangles showing a user's downloaded apps. But most importantly, it's ad-free. As an Apple TV user, I didn't realize how good I had it until I started testing other streamers and found that the Apple TV is the outlier among streamers with its ad-free display. Not only does this result in a more pleasant navigation experience, it feels like it helps processing speeds and the device isn't weighed down by a constant rotation of loading ads.

The streaming quality of the Apple TV is impressive. I owned the 4K Apple TV before my actual TV was 4K, but once I did, it delivered gorgeous, high-resolution picture without any buffering time. Plus, it comes with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos for theater-like quality.

Apple has gone through a cycle of different Apple TV remotes and finally landed on a sleek silver model with intuitive controls. Plus, it comes equipped with Siri voice command, which makes searching easy when you don't want to manually type.

The Apple TV 4K is the best streaming device with its superior processing, ease of use, and exceptional displays and sound.

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If you're not down with Apple's product ecosystem (or want something more affordable), look to the Google TV Streamer 4K. I think it's the best 4K streaming device for smart home enthusiasts, especially those with Google Home. With the Google TV Streamer, you can control all of your Google Home devices and never leave the couch.

But beyond its glorious bonus features, the Google TV Streamer is just a really solid streaming stick, too. This is Google's flagship streamer, replacing the Chromecast. It brings gorgeous 4K to any compatible TV, with intuitive remote controls.

Chromecast devices used to be your best bet for affordable streamers, but with that device phased out, Google has launched its TV Streamer 4K. Google's streamer is slightly more affordable than the Apple TV and won't require you to jump into the Apple ecosystem.

It delivers clear and crisp 4K picture and powerful sound to boot. Compared to all of the other streamers I tested, Google's streaming stick made a noticeable improvement to audio and dialogue, meaning I didn't have to crank the volume, even with my AC unit blasting behind me.

Setting up the Google TV Streamer was a breeze, especially if you do so through the Google Home smartphone app, which is available to both iOS and Android users. It asked me my preferred streaming apps so the Google Home pre-downloaded them without me needing to search through the app store.

The Google TV Streamer 4K loses out on the top spot over the Apple TV for two reasons — the ads and the remote. The Google TV home page is pretty crowded with ads. In fact, ads take up most of the screen, with just a thin bar of apps below it, delivering a less-than-ideal user experience.

Plus, the remote doesn't have a dedicated play and pause button. Instead, you use the center button among the directional controls. It's not the most intuitive system, and when I went to hit pause for the first time, I was at a brief loss.

Despite these shortcomings, I still think the Google TV streamer is the best Apple TV alternative, and one of the best 4K streaming devices, period.

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If you want to take a trip to Roku City, or just want the affordability and ease of a streaming stick, then the Roku Streaming Stick 4K is the best option. A streaming stick offers an uncomplicated streaming experience that doesn't feel totally stripped down. The Roku Streaming Stick 4K still allows users the benefit of extra features like a voice control remote and smartphone syncing.

I first tested the Roku Streaming Stick 4K against the Fire TV Stick 4K, and there's a reason why Amazon's streamer didn't make this list. The Roku Streaming Stick is a breeze to set up and delivers crystal 4K resolution quality quickly. After setting it up, it didn't take any time to load, and it started streaming my shows in perfect quality. Plus, the remote quickly synced with my TV, making it easy to adjust volume and turn the TV on and off.

However, the Roku Streaming Stick 4K really shined after nearly a year of testing. That's when I brought it to my in-laws' house, where I've long struggled with an old TV that physically pains me to use. I initially thought it was a WiFi issue, but once I got the Roku streaming stick plugged in, I realized that wasn't the case at all. The Roku instantly made the TV usable, while also giving us a speedy streaming platform.

Roku has a distinct brand and design, which makes the platform loud and colorful. While that's not a problem for me, it could be distracting if you prefer a more refined, distraction-free experience (if that's the case, go for the Apple TV). Unfortunately, the Roku home page gets cluttered with ads; however, they don't slow down the streamer. And on the flip side, I appreciate that the Roku home page is customizable, letting you put your favorite apps at the top.

For $50, the Roku Streaming Stick 4K is a great deal, and it manages to be budget-friendly while still offering stellar performance.

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If you're deep into the Amazon ecosystem, with Echo devices throughout your home, it makes sense to stay in the family with your streaming device. If you're looking at Amazon Fire TV streamers, the best choice is the Amazon Fire TV Cube. While the home page is full of Amazon ads, it moves a lot faster than other Amazon Fire models. For the smart home enthusiasts, it also responds to voice commands, just like an Echo device.

The Amazon Fire TV Cube stands out because it’s both a speedy streaming device and an Alexa smart speaker rolled into one. Alexa can check the weather, take notes, control smart home devices, set timers, and let you fire up your favorite streaming apps hands-free through voice commands. You don't even need to pick up the remote if you don't want to.

Fire TV OS is a popular smart TV interface, and in my testing, apps loaded quickly thanks to its internal 2.0Ghz processor. It also has an Ethernet port on the back if you don’t want to rely on a dodgy WiFi connection, and an HDMI-in port lets you connect gaming consoles or Blu-ray players so you can switch to them on command. A USB-A port also lets you connect even more devices, like a webcam for two-way video calling. Add in Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision support, and this is one of the most feature-rich streaming devices around.

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