The best streaming devices for 2025
If you buy a TV today, it'll almost assuredly be a smart TV. But there are still a few reasons you may want a streaming device. Some cheaper and older smart TVs have pretty dismal built-in operating systems that are slow, laggy or otherwise tedious to use. In that case, a streaming device can help you navigate more quickly and give you an interface that's more pleasant to deal with. Streaming devices come in handy when you travel, too. As long as the TV at your Vrbo or hotel has an HDMI port, you should be able to plug in the streamer and watch your shows (without having to type in a bunch of passwords).
Nearly every streaming device will support the major VOD apps (like Netflix, Prime Video and Max), free services (like Pluto and Plex), as well as live TV streaming subscriptions (like YouTube TV and Fubo). We tried out streamers from the major brands in the market and judged the interface, price, speed and image quality to help you pick the best streaming device for your cord-cutting needs.
Google's TV Streamer, the Apple TV 4K, Amazon's Fire TV Sticks and Roku devices are the most popular players in the space. Three of those brands also come built into TVs, such as Fire, Google and Roku TVs, but the Apple TV 4K doesn't come pre-loaded on any set. Each one has a unique operating system and interface. This may be the biggest deciding factor for many people, as it determines how the home entertainment you want to watch is arranged and presented. We go into detail for each platform below, but all of them come with home screens that, to varying degrees, gather your apps in one place, present the movies and TV shows you're currently watching and give you suggestions of other media streaming options.
Nearly all streaming devices come with a remote that lets you search and do other operations using your voice, eliminating the need to hunt and peck at on-screen keyboards. They all offer universal search," in which searching for a title takes you to whichever app has it available. If you want to watch Wicked but don't know where it's playing, just push the voice button on the remote and say "Wicked." (We found simply saying the title or the genre you want sometimes works better than saying Show me..." or Search for...") From the search results, hit the play button and the correct app will open and start playing - assuming you've previously logged into that app and, in most cases, have an active subscription.
ConnectivityMost streaming sticks connect to the internet via Wi-Fi, with the majority of them supporting Wi-Fi 5 or 6 protocols. Set-top boxes can also have Ethernet ports, so you can hardwire your internet connection to the device, which is typically faster than wireless. Streaming media players connect to your TV through an HDMI port, and most sticks hide behind the screen, while set-top boxes sit on a surface nearby. Nearly all units also plug into an AC outlet for power. Some sticks used to work by pulling power from a USB port on the TV, but increasingly, these devices are designed to plug into the wall.
Video and audio featuresIf your home theater setup has a screen that can display 4K content with Dolby Vision and HDR10, you'll want a streaming device that supports those high-end formats. Of course, even the most top-shelf streamer can't make a 1080p TV stream 4K. The series or movie also has to be transmitted in 4K and, increasingly, companies restrict higher-quality streaming to more expensive subscription plans. In short, every element needs to support the video or audio feature, otherwise the highest quality you'll get will be the lowest of any component in the chain.
RemotesMost remotes that come with streaming devices will allow you to control the power and volume of your TV. Some of the less expensive devices, however, don't have that feature, so you'll need to use your TV's remote to turn it on, then use the streaming remote to navigate the streamer's interface. If your streamer's remote does offer power and volume controls, the setup process will usually calibrate your remote to your TV. If you want to use a soundbar, such as from Sonos or other brands, for audio you may also have to take the additional step of pairing your remote to the speaker.
Voice controlIn addition to helping you find stuff to watch, streaming devices from Apple, Google and Amazon can answer questions about the weather, sports scores and general facts using built-in voice assistants. They can also act as smart home controllers to turn off connected smart bulbs or plugs and show feeds from smart cameras. Just remember, as with all smart home devices, compatibility is key. Fire TV devices work with Alexa-enabled smart home equipment; the Google TV Streamer lets you control Google Home devices; and Apple TV 4Ks play nice with HomeKit and other Apple devices. Rokus grant power over Roku's smart home products, but also work with the other ecosystems.
Below are some recommendations for the best streaming sticks and other budget-friendly options. We also included suggestions for set-top boxes and devices geared toward gamers.
Best streaming devices for 2025 How we tested and picked the best streaming devicesLike every gadget we test, we start by researching what's worthy of reviewing. Then we get a hold of the devices ourselves and see how well they work. We don't have a central Engadget lab; we test things in our own living rooms, on our own TV sets. We also figure that's a better approximation of how you'd use the gadgets anyway.
We began testing streaming devices as far back as 2007 with the first Apple TV device. Since then, we've tried out most of the major new releases to come along - from the Roku Stick back in 2014 to the 2024 Google TV Streamer 4K. A few years ago, we decided to compile the streaming devices we reviewed into this guide. Since then, we've updated our top picks using verdicts from our reviews, as well the testing we perform just for this guide. As new devices come out, we try them and, if something is worthy, we add it to our top picks on this list.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/best-streaming-devices-media-players-123021395.html?src=rss