Roku and Amazon Firestick are the trending streaming services out there in the market. With these two streaming devices, you can just cut the cord and stream your favorites with an internet connection. To access your favorites, you just need to access the Channel Store on your Roku and Amazon App Store on your Firestick. But before choosing the streaming device, you need to compare Roku vs. Firestick and choose the right one for you.
Don’t worry; you will have a clear idea of which streaming device you should go for by the end of this article. So, sit tight and keep reading to know whether Roku is better or Amazon FireStick.
Comparison and Difference Between Roku vs. Firestick
The following section will give you in-depth knowledge of which streaming device to choose. Pricing is one of the various aspects that you want to know about while choosing a streaming device. So, let us first check the pricing and specifications of Roku and Firestick.
Pricing & Specifications for Roku
In the following table, you can find the pricing and specifications of Various Roku device models.
| Roku Express | Roku Express 4K | Roku Express 4K+ | Roku Streaming Stick 4K | Roku Streaming Stick 4K+ | Roku Ultra | Roku Ultra LT | ||
| Price | $17.99 | $34.99 | $39.99 | $49.99 | $69.99 | $69.99 | $79 | |
| RAM | 512MB | 1GB | 1GB | 1GB | 1GB | 1GB | 2GB | |
| 4K | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | |
| HDR | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | |
| Dolby | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | |
| Voice Commands | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | |
| Lost Remote Finder | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | |
| Additional Features | ||||||||
| WiFi | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | |
| Bluetooth | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | |
| Mobile App | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ||
| Buy Now | Buy Now | Buy Now | Buy Now | Buy Now | Buy Now | Buy Now |
Pricing & Specifications for Firestick
You can find the pricing and specifications of various Firestick models in the table below:
| Fire TV Stick | Fire TV Stick Lite | Fire TV Stick 4K | Fire TV Stick 4K Max | |
| Price | $19.99 | $14.99 | $24.99 | $34.99 |
| RAM | 1GB | 1GB | 1.5 GB | 2GB |
| 4K | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
| HDR | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Dolby | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Voice Commands | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Additional Features | ||||
| WiFi | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Bluetooth | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Mobile app | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Buy Now | Buy Now | Buy Now | Buy Now |
Here we can find out that the pricing and features of Roku and Firestick are nearly the same. The features and specifications don’t make any sense, right? With a narrow eye, we can’t find anything. So, let us see the expert opinion about Roku & Firestick.
1. Installation & Setup
- The installation and setup process is easier for both Roku and Firestick.
- You just need to connect your streaming device to the USB port or the HDMI port of your TV.
- After that, you will be required to follow the on-screen prompts to complete the setup process.
🎯 You will be required to connect to an internet to complete the setup process. So, do connect to a stable intermet connection. But we specifically recommend you check out the plans and packages offered by Spectrum as it is the best internet service providers in the USA.
2. User Interface
User Interface is the first thing that comes to our mind before purchasing a streaming device. It is one of the deciding factors, as with a simple UI, you can access and stream your favorites easily.
Roku
- When it comes to ease of use, no one can beat Roku, as it has a fantastic User Interface that helps the users with ease of navigation.
- This is mainly because of the simple UI offered by Roku. Also, it has other variety of options that will guide you in offering the best streaming experience.
- For Example, you will get the Live TV and Sports experience option that allows you to stream your favorite live TV channels and sports content easily.
Firestick
- When it comes to Firestick has an attractive and intuitive User Interface.
- Also, you have a Search feature to find all of your favorite apps easily.
- But it doesn’t offer any such features that allow getting access to your favorite apps in an easy way.
- I must say that the User Interface looks great. But when it comes to ease of use, the UI is a little bit more complicated.
Verdict: With these types of reviews, we can understand that Roku wins in the ease of use parameter.
3. Collection of Streaming Services
The User Interface becomes a great boost for Roku for you to choose from. But it’s not all you want to watch out for because you also want to check out the App Store of the respective streaming devices. This helps you in analyzing which streaming device has a better collection of apps.
App Store For Roku – Channel Store
- To install apps on your Roku, you have to access the Channel Store.
- It has tons of collections of popular apps like Hulu, Sling TV, Pluto TV, Tubi TV, Amazon Prime Video, and more.
- But a lot of popularly known apps are missing from the Roku Channel Store.
- Roku doesn’t allow its users to sideload apps to Roku for security purposes.
- All Roku users will get their very own free streaming service (The Roku Channel), where you can stream your favorite movies and TV shows easily for free.
Interesting Facts: One of the add-on features on Roku is that if you don’t like a streaming service that you have subscribed to, you can easily cancel the subscription directly from Roku itself.
App Store For Firestick – Amazon App Store
- Here, in the Amazon App Store, we can find that Firestick has a better collection of apps than Roku.
- Some of the popular apps you can find on the Amazon App Store are Netflix, fuboTV, Sling TV, Funimation, Crunchyroll, and more.
- We can also find that it is an easy process to install the apps from the Amazon App Store.
- Since Fire OS is based on Android, you also have the option to sideload apps on Firestick.
Verdict: When we compare the collection of streaming services and options, we cannot make a decision as both devices offer the best collection of streaming services and options. So, it’s a tie between Roku and Firestick in the collection of streaming services and options.
4. Video & Audio Streaming Quality
Another aspect you want to check before buying a streaming device is how much extreme streaming quality is offered. This factor is very must, as, without it, it will be a waste to purchase any streaming device brands.
Roku
- We must accept the fact that the streaming quality differs based on the Roku model you choose.
- Choosing Roku device models like Roku Express will not give you better streaming quality as it doesn’t offer both the HDR and the 4K features.
- Thus choosing, Roku Express will be a bad choice if you want a better video and audio streaming experience, but still, it is a quality streaming device at an affordable price.
- All the other devices except for the Roku Express will offer you the best video and audio streaming experience.
Firestick
- Fire TV Stick and Fire TV Stick Lite will not offer you 4K video quality.
- For the audio quality, only the Fire TV Stick Lite will not have the Dolby feature.
- I can never decline the fact that Firestick devices are best in offering their users good audio and video streaming quality.
Verdict: Here, it is indefinitely evident that Firestick is the device that offers its users the best audio and video streaming quality. So, this time Firestick wins.
5. Remote Control
You need to also look for the remote control offered to you to navigate through the User Interface. This is because the remote control also offers various features for easy navigation purposes.
Roku
- Roku has the simplest remote designs you could ever find.
- But you don’t want to underestimate Roku, as it offers a Voice search feature. With it, you can ease the functions you want to perform.
- You can also find the Shortcut buttons for popular streaming services. With it, you can easily launch your favorite streaming service with a single tap.
- On enhanced voice remotes, you can just connect your headphone to the respective port and listen to the audio streaming on your Roku.
Firestick
- Firestick offers an attractive and modern remote control.
- On every remote model, you will find a Voice control button that you can use to control the functions on your Firestick through voice.
- Other than these two features, there is no special about the Firestick remote.
Verdict: It is an understatement that Roku wins this round.
6. Roku & Firestick Mobile Apps
Both Roku and Firestick offers their own mobile application that you can find on the Google Play Store and App Store. With the app, you can easily control your respective streaming devices without a remote. So, let’s find out which remote app has the upper hand.
Roku
- It is easy to connect the Roku app to your TV. With that, it will be easier for you to control your TV without a remote.
- You can also install apps on your Roku remotely with the official Roku mobile app.
- You can access and watch The Roku Channel (free streaming service) for free.
Firestick
- It will be quite a complicated process to connect the official Amazon Fire TV app to your TV.
- With the app, you can easily access the content you have recorded on your Firestick using the DVR feature.
- Also, you will be able to easily control your Firestick device without a remote using the Amazon Fire TV app.
Note: Here, it is clearly evident that the Roku remote app has the best features, and thus it has the upper hand. So, Roku wins in this section.
Final Verdict
You should have known by now, “Why is Roku better than Firestick?” Roku beats most of the parameters for choosing the best streaming device. Also, Roku is also one of the most affordable options in the market for you. So, Roku will be quite a good choice over Firestick. In addition to the various aspects, Roku offers more extraordinary customer service than Firestick. So, you can troubleshoot your device if found any by contacting customer service. For Firestick’s customer service, it is a little bit too lame.