If you're still rocking a non-smart TV, then one of the best streaming devices will give you access to a much wider range of content than you're likely used to. Netflix, Amazon Prime, and more, all on your big living room TV for more movie nights, binging marathons and sports events, all thanks to a little stick that plugs into the back of your TV.
Even for smart TV users they're a great option, with improved user interfaces and other features. For most people, the best option is the Roku Streaming Stick Plus. It costs less than fifty bucks and features excellent picture quality and a clean, simple user interface.
Thanks to Gemini AI inclusion, the Google TV streamer takes the second spot on the list. It's a joy to use, with a simple OS and extra features that make it easier to find your favorite shows and movies.
For Siri users, things get a little... weird. The Apple TV 4K 2026 has been released, but it's just not enough of an upgrade to warrant buying over the less expensive 2022 model. For now, while stocks on the latter last, we're going to keep recommending the Apple TV 4K 2022.
Here are the best streaming devices for your TV that you can buy today.
The best streaming devices you can find today
Why you can trust Tom's Guide Our writers and editors spend hours analyzing and reviewing products, services, and apps to help find what's best for you. Find out more about how we test, analyze, and rate.
Best overall
Roku's streaming devices have topped this list for a long time, and the latest Roku Streaming Stick Plus is only going to cement the brand's place at the top of the tree. The Streaming Stick Plus has loads of features that make it the best option around right now, from fantastic 4K streaming to a simple, slick UI.
This compact wonder brings powerful streaming without taking up loads of room behind your TV. Roku's user interface is amongst the best around, making searching through your favorite streaming services a breeze. The Roku remote that comes with it isn't the fanciest, but it's well laid out and simple to use — even if it doesn't have voice control.
The most important part, of course, is how good it makes your TV shows look. And, despite its lower price, we're happy to report that the 4K output is excellent. We combined it with a Samsung S90D OLED TV, and it looked about as spectacular as you might expect.
Roku has slipped in some funky extras as well. We really like the screensavers — called Backdrops — that play when you're not using the TV. It avoids image retention and burn-in, which is a bonus, but it also makes what could be a big, black rectangle in your room something that actually adds to the decor.
The biggest drawback is the pesky ads. Make sure you turn off the video autoplay, lest you be bombarded by irritating, noisy videos on startup. The ads are otherwise relatively easy to ignore.
Despite the annoying ads, the Roku Streaming Stick Plus is an excellent streamer.
- Read our full Roku Streaming Stick Plus review
The best Live TV streaming device
The Google TV Streamer is a huge improvement over the old Google Chromecast. Similar functionalities and OS navigation remain — live TV integration, tons of free content, plus several various broadcast TV services to choose from (YouTube TV, Sling and Philo).
But now, it also packs 4K UHD streaming with support for HDR and Dolby Vision for excellent picture quality, and Dolby Atmos for immersive sound. And with Google TV, you have support for the over 6,500 Android TV apps.
That's not all, as the TV Streamer has a slew of smart home integrations that makes it stand out. Directly from your TV, you can now monitor and control all your smart home devices.
We were able to view live streams from our various home security cameras and video doorbells, and also see which lights were still on — and dim them, too. You can even check the temperature on your smart thermostat. It's a step up from what other streaming devices offer and will make smart home enthusiasts gush the world over.
As with most newer TV models,. Google has also incorporated its Gemini AI into the TV Streamer. This will do a variety of tasks, like providing simple summaries of whatever content is on-screen and pull in reviews from both critics and the general public — for better or worse.
You can also use Gemini to create screensavers. Think of (almost) anything and speak it into the remote, and Gemini will create it for you, to amusing (or horrifying) effect.
Yes, the Google TV Streamer costs $99 — twice that of the Chromecast with Google TV — but the upgrades will keep it relevant for years to come.
- Read our full Google TV Streamer review
The best streaming device for Apple users
The Apple TV 4K 2026 is good. It's more powerful than this model, and offers a few more features like greater surround sound support and more future-proofing with different HDR standards. The Remote has Find My in it, and pings when you lose it. Unfortunately there's an incredible price hike, making it far too expensive this time around. For our money, while stock still exists of the 2022 model, we still recommend it over the newer one.
The 2022 model of the Apple TV 4K is getting a little bit long in the tooth, but we'd say that it's still the Apple TV to buy. It's plenty powerful, still beating out every other option on the list. Most crucially, it's much cheaper than the new model, and only lacks a few of the bells and whistles of the 2026 release.
It looks the same, and will stream all your favorite content at 4K with no problems at all. There's support for plenty of different HDR standards, and the picture quality is amongst the very best on the list. You can even connect up a game controller and do some light gaming. Don't expect console-level, but some arcade titles are fun when played on your big-screen TV.
There's Thread support for Matter as well, if you're looking for a good home hub as well. We like the controller too, which only lacks the Find My Function of the newer model. It charges over USB-C.
tvOS is still one of the best ways to interact with a smart TV, and the only ads you're going to find are for TV shows and movies that you might want to watch. Siri is also the weakest of all the voice command options, but the other discovery features baked in work well. Just save some money and grab the 2022 model rather than the very expensive 2026 version.
- Read our full Apple TV 4K (2022) review
Best Budget
It's forty bucks. That's the pitch. It's just about the cheapest way to make your aging dumb TV into a streaming powerhouse. There are fewer bells and whistles, and it doesn't have the highest resolution, but it doesn't cost much and means you can watch Amazon Prime, Netflix and more on your TV.
There are more features than you'd expect, though. While you won't get 4K, you do get some more premium sound formats like Dolby Atmos should you be hooked up to a surround sound system. There are HDR formats galore as well, so the 1080p image will be super clear and colorful.
It's easy to fit and works speedily with the included remote control. It's not fancy, but it's cheap. And if you want to get the cheapest and easiest way to get streaming, there's not much better. Just don't bother if your TV is a smart TV — the built-in streaming is better.
- Read our full Amazon Fire Stick HD review
How we test the best streaming devices
We test streaming players by looking at both the content they can provide (most are very similar at this point) and how they deliver said content. Any streaming player worth its salt can load a 4K stream, but only a good one possesses straightforward navigation, robust search features and a wide variety of content to suit all tastes.
The first thing we evaluate is the setup, to see how quick and simple it is. From there, we take the user interface for a spin to see what content gets highlighted, what gets hidden, and how easy it is to navigate to our favorite channels.
As live TV service integration becomes a bigger feature in streaming devices, we look at how these sticks and boxes can place your favorites within closer touch.
We'll also watch a few different shows on a variety of channels to gauge the quality of the video and audio, to make sure they look good regardless of if you have one of the best TVs or not. That said? Check out our guide to the best cheap TV deals if you need a discount.
After that, it's onto the extra features, like gaming, voice search and screen mirroring. These factors don't weigh quite as heavily toward the final score, but they're nice to have if they work well, and extremely distracting if they don't.
How to choose the best streaming device for you
Figuring the right streaming device for your needs is pretty easy. While everyone should start with the Roku Streaming Stick 4K, your mileage may vary. If your budget is tight, the Roku Express 4K Plus can bring a lot of content to your TV without adding the clutter of a remote.
If you're trying to stabilize your connection, the Roku Ultra and Apple TV 4K make that process super easy with their dedicated Ethernet cables. But if you're a performance first type, and watch a lot of 4K UHD content, the Nvidia Shield TV or Apple TV 4K is where you should start.
Lastly, folks who already treat Alexa like a member of the family should consider the 3rd Gen. Fire TV Cube, which makes controlling your entertainment as easy as talking. That being said, it's quite expensive, and the Roku Streaming Stick 4K Plus remote also supports voice commands, you just have to click the microphone button, whereas the Fire TV Cube is hands-free.
If you like the Amazon ecosystem and want a cheaper device, consider the Fire TV Stick. Amazon just launched its brand new iteration in the Fire TV Stick HD, which we also tested, and it too could serves as a proper upgrade for those who love its ecosystem.
