Streaming comparison: Roku vs. Apple TV vs. Fire TV vs. Chromecast

The pandemic boosted the popularity of streaming as social distancing and remote work caused people to stay home. Online media companies helped fill the void by expanding their libraries and adding new content to stream, including big-budget productions that never made it to theaters.

All this great content costs something, and your bills will show it. Between cable, internet and streaming services, your subscriptions fees can add up quickly. There are ways to save without sacrificing too much in the form of options. Tap or click here for 12 tips on lowering your monthly bills.

One way people have been saving money is by cutting out cable TV entirely. You’re spoiled for choice when it comes to streaming options, and you don’t need to buy an expensive smart TV. Streaming players make it easy to pick and choose the services you want, and they are compatible with most televisions with an HDMI port. Let’s compare some of the best options.

Roku

Roku’s streaming players range from $30 for the Roku Express to $130 for the Roku Streambar, with several models in between. The price denotes the video quality, such as HD, 4K and Dolby Vision, as well as convenience features like voice commands.

Roku players work with all the popular content providers, including Netflix, YouTube, Google Play Movies, Amazon Prime Video, Vudu, Hulu, Plex, Sling TV and Apple TV+.

Roku Express

[content-egg module=Amazon products=”us-B07WVFCVJN”]

Roku Streaming Stick+

[content-egg module=Amazon products=”us-B075XLWML4″]

Roku Ultra

[content-egg module=Amazon products=”us-B08G9TJWW9″]

Continue reading

Gobble, gobble: Catch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade streaming on NBC via YouTube TV and Peacock starting at 8:30 a.m. EST on Thursday. More in the mood for “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving”? Sign up for a seven-day Apple TV+ trial to watch it for free. Don’t forget to cancel!