8 best streaming devices: Unlock Netflix, Prime Video, Disney Plus and more with our pick of the sticks

Best: Overall

Rating: 10/10

• Operating system: Android TV
• Number of apps: 6,500
• Streams: HD, 4K, Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos, HDR10, HDR10+
• Pros: High-spec performance, streams PC games, upscaling tech is a technical marvel
• Cons: Expensive

The best streaming box you can buy, the Nvidia Shield TV pro is essentially a powerful Android computer based around Nvidia’s industry-leading GeForce architecture. That means you not only get fast and responsive app loading, light gaming and video streaming through Android TV, but the option to play PC games by streaming them remotely, either from a gaming PC in another room of the house or through Nvidia’s games on demand service.

Nvidia’s expertise in graphics processing also enables some impressive upscaling effects. The Nvidia Shield TV pro can take old low-resolution shows and movies and, using clever neural network techniques to identify faces and patterns, sharpen and enhance the image for 4K televisions.

All of the major streaming services are available on Android TV, plus any media server apps you might want to install such as Plex and Kodi. It can also be used as a SmartThings hub for controlling smart home devices, and has Chromecast built in so you can cast to it from your phone or tablet.

The Toblerone-shaped remote deserves a special mention too. It has a wireless connection to the box as you’d expect, but also uses a traditional infrared blaster, meaning it can be programmed to control almost any TV or soundbar.

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For anyone looking for a cheap and simple plug-and-play streaming box, the Nvidia shield TV pro is overkill, but if you’re in search of a high-performance Android streaming device that can do it all, you won’t find a better option.

Best: Streaming stick

Rating: 9/10

• Operating system: Roku OS
• Streams: HD, 4K, HDR, Dolby Vision
• Number of apps: 30,000
• Pros: Excellent, clear interface and simple remote
• Cons: You can’t install certain Android apps

Small enough to plug into the HDMI port of a wall-mounted TV without jutting out and spoiling the view, the Roku streaming stick 4K is the most full-featured streaming dongle Roku makes. Like all of the devices in our list, it supports every major streaming app out there, from the likes of Netflix, Plex and Amazon Prime Video to more obscure services like Shudder and Pluto TV.

The long-range wifi receiver helps ensure a more stable connection to the internet, which means less buffering if your TV is far from your router. It also comes with a full-size and voice-enabled remote control, which can be used to search for shows and movies across all of your installed streaming services and is compatible with most TVs and soundbars, so you can ditch your other remotes. Voice controls can also be used to interact with the Google Assistant, Siri and Alexa, meaning your TV remote can effectively control your smart home setup too.

Best: Fire TV stick

Rating: 8/10

• Operating system: Fire OS
• Number of apps: 15,000
• Streams: HD, 4K, Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos, HDR10, HDR10+
• Pros: Great value, Alex-support, full support for Android apps
• Cons: Pushes Amazon content heavily

The best stick-style streaming device Amazon makes, the catchily named Amazon Fire TV stick 4K max slips neatly into your TV’s HDMI port and delivers access to all of your favourite streaming services in ultra high-definition. We found that older generations of Fire TV sticks were underpowered – apps would stutter and navigation would often lag and feel unresponsive – but the latest version of the device addresses these problems with an improved processor and more efficient software. The interface feels sprightly and loading times are greatly reduced.

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As an Amazon device, the Fire TV stick is designed to steer you towards Amazon’s own library of Amazon Prime TV shows and movies. If you’re not already a Prime member the endless promotion can feel cluttered and intrusive, and there are fewer customisation options available when compared to Roku (£39.05, Amazon.co.uk) and Nvidia devices (£149.99, Amazon.co.uk). But if you’re after a lightweight, affordable streaming dongle that supports most major apps, the Fire TV stick 4K max has everything you need.

Costing just £5 more than the non-max version of the Fire TV stick, we’d recommend spending the extra couple of quid for faster wifi 6 connection and the slightly improved processor speeds.

Best: For gaming

Rating: 8/10

• Operating system: Android TV
• Number of apps: 6,500
• Streams: HD, 4K, Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos, HDR10, HDR10+
• Pros: Top performance, impeccable interface, very impressive upscaling tech
• Cons: Android TV app store is missing some apps

The non-pro version of the Nvidia Shield TV streamer looks very different, with a compact cigar-shaped design better suited for hiding behind wall-mounted TVs, but aside from the aesthetic change it has most of the same features and functions of the more advanced model. That means you still get (deep breath now) a fast and responsive Android TV experience, comprehensive support for every major streaming platform and other third-party apps, advanced image upscaling for turning 1080p content into sharp 4K video, and the best remote control of any streaming device available. Phew!

The basic version of the Nvidia Shield TV doesn’t have as much memory as the pro version, which won’t matter to most users, but might be limiting for anyone planning on using this Android dongle as a heavy-duty media server. If you’re running Plex over your local home network, for example, the extra RAM can help keep performance high.

Best: For Google users

Rating: 8/10

• Operating system: Android TV
• Number of apps: 6,500
• Streams: HD, 4K, Dolby Vision, Dolby Amos, HDR10, HDR10+
• Pros: Voice assistant is top notch, great cross-app search results, Google Home compatibility is convenient
• Cons: Some big apps still missing

The original Chromecast devices were simple receiver dongles that allowed you to beam media from your phone to your television. Chromecast with Google TV works a little differently. You can still cast to it as usual, but now you also get a full remote control and the slick Google TV interface, which brings together most of your favourite streaming apps into one place.

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There are a few glaring omissions however: Now TV and All 4 in particular. You can cast them to your Chromecast from their respective smartphone apps, but it’s hardly ideal.

To make up for this, there are some extra features, such as the voice-activated Google Assistant help, to set this streaming device apart from others in this list. You can search for TV shows, music and movies across different streaming apps just by asking and see price comparisons if the same show is available on multiple platforms.

There’s also a child-friendly mode for when kids are in charge of the remote. And you can pair the Chromecast with Google Nest speakers in your home to keep up with Antiques Roadshow when you’re pottering from room to room.

Best: Fire TV

Rating: 8/10

• Operating system: fireOS
• Number of apps: 18,000
• Streams: HD, 4K, Dolby Vision, HDR 10, HDR10+
• Pros: Comprehensive selection of shows and movies, works with Android apps, voice-controlled
• Cons: Awkward shape

The Fire TV cube is the best streaming device that Amazon makes, and if you’re already a Prime Video subscriber it’s also the best way to watch TV shows and movies at home. This ominous-looking piece of electronics can be controlled using just your voice and offers whip-fast performance and a slick user interface.

While all of the streaming sticks featured in our list support high-dynamic range (HDR) – which when coupled with an HDR television makes bright things brighter and dark things darker – the cube feels particularly suited to the format. This is because Amazon has put a lot of energy into producing original 4K HDR programming where other platforms haven’t, so is home to a wealth of TV shows and nature documentaries that look realistic enough to fall into.

Best: Budget streaming device

Rating: 7/10

• Operating system: Roku OS
• Streams: HD, 4K, HDR, Dolby Vision
• Number of apps: 30,000
• Pros: Intuitive interface, great app selection
• Cons: Bulky shape, basic remote

The best budget streaming box you can buy, the Roku express 4K offers an almost identical experience to the more expensive Roku streaming stick 4K (£39.05, Amazon.co.uk), but is £10 cheaper. Instead of plugging directly into the HDMI port it attaches with an HDMI cable, and the hardware itself sits on a surface somewhere near your TV.

The remote control lacks voice controls and the ability to control your TV and soundbar, and because it needs to have line-of-sight with the remote you have to place the box itself somewhere conspicuous. The streaming stick can slip straight into an HDMI port and effectively disappear.

Best: For Apple users

Rating: 8/10

• Operating system: tvOS
• Number of apps: 18,000
• Size: 98mm x 98mm x 35mm
• Remote size: 136mm x 35mm x 9.25mm
• Pros: Beautifully designed interface, seamless integration with iOS and MacOS, well-designed remote
• Cons: Doesn’t work with Android, expensive

Apple’s own streaming device is a little more expensive than others in our list, but comes highly recommended for anyone who wants their television to integrate neatly into their family of Apple devices. As expected, you can use the Apple TV 4K to stream TV shows and movies from all of your favourite platforms like Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video and Apple TV Plus. But the Apple TV 4K can also access Apple’s many other services, including your Apple Music account, the App Store, HomeKit and Apple Arcade.

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The redesigned Siri remote brings back the round clickwheel, so menu navigation is a breeze. And the virtual assistant has an impressive hit-rate when using voice commands to search across all of your installed streaming apps.

Some features are unique to the Apple TV 4K however. For example, you can use your iPhone’s camera to colour-calibrate the display to suit the lighting conditions in your room, or use your iPhone’s security credentials to set the device up without having to enter any fiddly passwords. Small details like these help cement the Apple TV 4K as the natural choice for anyone already invested in the Apple ecosystem, but Android users won’t find much to justify the premium price tag.