Streaming Device Recommendations as of 5/20/2025
Why am I updating my list after all these years? As some of you may have read, Amazon plans on moving away from Android based Fire TV Operating System and moving to a Linux based Vega Operating System. What does that mean??? It means that apps we like to sideload onto Firesticks won’t be able to be put onto the new Amazon devices when they eventually transition over, which is scheduled for late 2025 and into 2026. Will Amazon even move the Firesticks and Cube over to the new operating system? We don’t know. They’ve already put it on the Echo Show and rumored to be putting it on their actual TV’s later this year, so it may just be a matter of time before it runs Firesticks and Cubes, so why not be prepared for that day? That being said, anything currently with the Fire TV OS will not be changed over to Vega at any point in time, so purchasing the Firesticks or Cubes is still perfectly fine until they make the switch which will be highly publicized.
I receive a commission from Amazon for the products on this page if you click the links. The Walmart links I do not earn commission on. I only recommend what I know works and I feel is a good value.
Best All Around Device
Google TV Streamer 4K
Why is this device taking the top spot over my long time best device, The Fire TV Cube? The Google TV Streamer 4k costs $100 on Amazon. It has 4GB Ram and 32GB of storage. That makes it cheaper than the Nvidia Shield and Fire Tv Cube, but with better specs. Is it better than the Nvidia Shield? In my opinion it isn’t, but it’s $100 less expensive than the Shield and it’s fairly close as far as performance. It is better than the Fire TV Cube as it has 2GB Ram and 16GB storage more AND is $40 less (although at the time of this writing, it’s funny that Amazon has it marked down to the $100 mark of the Streamer 4k). That’s a huge win in my book. I tested this device over a month and I was impressed. I like the Google TV interface over the Fire TV OS. My only gripe is a minor one. The remote control feels a little cheap in my opinion. The Firestick remotes feel better built, and doesn’t come close to the best remote in the business, which is the Tivo Stream 4k.
Best Budget Device (tie)
Fire TV Stick 4k Max
As of September 2023, Amazon released a new verison of the Firestick 4k Max and it’s quite amazing. This new version still has 2GB of RAM, but now has 16GB of storage! There are many naysayers when it comes to Amazon’s fire stick, and Amazon has fixed a majority of those issues with the all new Amazon Fire Stick 4k Max. While the older Firesticks were under-powered and the Wi-Fi hardware was horrible, the 4k Fire Stick Max addresses those issues with actual Wi-Fi antennas, and extra 1/2GB of RAM and more heat sinks to dissipate heat. This is one of those instances where, the extra $10 over the regular Fire Stick 4k is worth the investment, but see below for more info on that. If Amazon eventually makes these with Vega OS, I’ll remove it this spot.
Onn 4k Pro
The Onn 4k Pro is a new device from the Walmart brand. This device has 3GB Ram and 32GB storage. It runs the Google TV Operating System. I used this device for a month and it didn’t disappoint. This device just barely missed being the best overall device over the Google Streamer 4k and the only reason why it didn’t overtake it is because of my past experience with Onn devices and 1GB Ram less. So I’ll admit to some bias here especially when it’s half the price. But Walmart really refined this device and the Onn 4k Plus (see below). As I mentioned before, I prefer the Google TV OS over the Fire TV OS. It’s just a less cluttered home page in my opinion. At $50, why am I placing this in a tie with the 4k max Firestick, which is regularly on sale for $40? For an extra $10 you get 1GB of Ram and 16GB of Storage MORE than the 4k max Firestick. In my opinion, that extra $10 is well spent. The $40 price on the Firestick 4k max is also a sale price from the normal price of $60. While the Onn 4k Pro is listed at $50 as it’s regular price, I’ll be interested to see if Walmart discounts the device regularly to bring it down to that $40 mark, but even if they don’t I think this is good value for what you get. If the two devices were both $40, this wouldn’t be a tie and the Onn 4k Pro would be the choice. I don’t like the Onn remote as much as the Firestick remote, but it’s not a bad remote at all.
The Grand Daddy of Them All
NVIDIA Shield TV Pro
There is a reason why this device is regularly priced at $200. It has a better processor, better graphics chip, more storage and the list goes on. For basic streaming, this box is over-the-top, but that isn’t a reason to not buy one. It’s a nice gaming machine if you’re a gamer and smooth streaming will never be an issue. The price can be off-putting, but these devices are known for their longevity, customer support and rock steady reliability. There are folks with 5 year old Shields that love them still. It runs Android TV, which is a less cluttered experience to Fire OS as far as layout is concerned and a huge improvement over stock Android. There is no downside to the Nvidia Shield TV Pro.
Honorable Mentions
Onn 4k Plus
The Onn 4k Plus device almost made it into my best overall budget pick, but I went with the onn 4k Pro because it had 2GB Ram and 16GB Storage more than the 4k Plus and it was only $20 more expensive. If you’re doing your math correctly, you are correct!! That makes this device only $30! This was really a hard decision to not put this in the top budget pick, but I also didn’t have as much time with it. If I get more time with one and it’s as solid as the pro, I’ll change the position of these 2. As someone who likes to keep their devices a while, if the price boost is small, I’ll generally go with the better technical specs over the small cost savings. If you’re comparing this device to a Firestick, I’d say it’s closer to the 4k than the 4k max. In my opinion, the 4k max was far superior to the 4k and that’s how the Onn 4k Pro ended up as the best budget pick. For those that like having the device tucked behind the tv like the Firesticks, Walmart supplies a heavy duty double sided adhesive strip so that you can attach it to the back of the tv. Do I like that vs the hanging dongle like the Firestick? No, but if the Firestick is no longer an option in the future (see into paragraph), then this will do as a solution. I also think you can buy a little 1ft HDMI cable and just connect it into the tv that way so it’s essentially a dongle like the Firesticks were.
Tivo Stream 4k
This device is a few years old now and is a direct competitor for the Fire Stick 4k using official Android TV at about the same price. This will allow side-loading of any android app you’d like with a similar user interface to the Nvidia Shield Pro. The remote on this device is the best out there in my opinion. It’s on par or better than the Amazon Fire Devices remote with it’s responsive touches and quick ability to control your tv as well as the Tivo Stream 4k. Like the Shield, Google and Onn devices it has a fully integrated Google Assistant with voice control. Storage is expandable with external components since the 8GB of storage isn’t a ton, but it’s still on par with the Fire Stick 4k. Wifi speeds on this device are equal to or better than the Fire Stick 4k as well. It was quite impressive in the Wifi speeds it pulled grabbing a full 200mbps on the network we tested. If you wanted official Android TVos without the Nvidia Shield Pro price tag, then the Tivo Stream 4k is the device for you. My only concern with this device is that it’s older and Tivo doesn’t seem to be supporting it. However, they still produce it for consumers to purchase. It reminds me of the Nvidia Shield in that regard as a new one hasn’t come out since 2019, but Nvidia still puts out software updates, so I think it’s safe to purchase a Tivo Stream 4k at this time.
Amazon Firestick 4k
If you want to save $10 or the Firestick 4k is on sale and the Firestick 4k Max is not on sale, take the discount and grab this guy. This is close in specs to the previous 4k Max stick (2GB RAM, 8GB Storage) which was a great device. So while it’s not as good as the new 4k Max, it’s still a heck of a device to grab at a good price (at the moment of writing this, the retail price is $50). I will say this, if you’re buying devices to outfit your home and grabbing 3 or 4 at one time, then take the $10 discount on each and save yourself the $30 to $40 by getting this one. Like I said, it’s extremely close to the previous version of the Firestick 4k Max and that was a great device.
Other Notes
Something very important to note about the two major devices we don’t mention here are the Apple TV or Roku. These devices cannot be modified if you’re looking to take advantage of “free” sources of entertainment. In technical terms, Apple and Roku have closed ecosystems which make it hard for developers to create “more interesting” software/apps. I’m sure each device has it’s own fans, but for me, they can’t accomplish all of the things cord cutters like to accomplish.
Another thing to note is there are quite a few generic Android TV boxes. These boxes have many drawbacks. They do not have manufacturer support. They will not play 4k Netflix or Amazon Prime Video. The remote controls that come with them are generally poor quality. Even if you can save $10 from a 4k Fire Stick Max, don’t buy one. Just get the 4k Fire Stick Max (or Tivo Stream 4k). These are also the same boxes that you see for sale from fully loaded box sellers. They simply just put their logo on the box and try to charge HUNDREDS of dollars for something that cost them $30.
Conclusion
With Google and Walmart (Onn) jumping into the game with officially licensed streaming devices, Amazon has some tough competition at their price points. Amazon had an advantage because it was delivering the only devices certified to provide Netflix, Disney, Amazon and other major streaming platform apps at full 4k resolution that the knockoff boxes couldn’t compete with. Nvidia was doing this but at a much higher price point. Then Tivo came around with the Tivo Stream 4k, and then they didn’t follow up with an updated device. And Google, they stopped offering their Chromecast 4k with Google TV. But they came roaring back with the Google Streamer 4k, albeit playing in the upper tier of pricing. But Walmart is reading the writing on the wall (no pun intended) with Amazon moving away from an android based product with their new operating system that comes out some point in the future and filling the void Amazon could be leaving in the budget certified streaming device category. Amazon sells a ton of these devices and Walmart knows if they can grab a share of it, they can create an eco-system within it’s Onn brand and more if it adds a streaming service to it’s brands (watch out for that in the future). While I won’t recommend any other Onn device besides the two I’ve mentioned on this page, those two are quite good. And the Google Streamer 4k is really nice as well. If you really need to have it tucked behind the tv, I’d say go for the Onn 4k Plus and use a small HDMI to hang it from like a Firestick. The Google Streamer 4k and the Onn 4k Pro are probably too heavy to do that with, so you’d have to use some kind of adhesive to stick it on the back of the tv, which I wouldn’t be a fan of doing. But until Amazon makes the move to Vega OS, The Firestick 4k max and 4k are still great options. Happy Streaming!!