It’s a simple but sometimes overlooked aspect of buying a streaming device, but how you interact with the device is critical to whether or not it is a positive experience for not How does it look? How does it feel? Yes, a streaming device can have a “feel.” If you plan on spending a lot of quality time in front of the screen, a comfortable user interface (UI) is a must.
Each streaming platform’s UI is different from the next, but Roku, Amazon Fire TV, and Apple TV devices are all designed with ease in mind — you shouldn’t need to be a tech wiz to stream the NHL playoffs or the latest episode of “The Last of Us.” Streaming services make it difficult enough to find and watch the titles you are looking for, your device shouldn’t add to the frustration.
Let’s compare the UIs of Roku, Amazon Fire TV, and Apple TV devices head-to-head.
Roku
Roku, one of the original streaming device brands going back to the early 2000s, has an uncomplicated, purple-hued interface that hasn’t changed much over time. Roku’s stacks of streaming service tiles can be rearranged in any order, and there are hundreds of themes, backgrounds, and screensavers to choose from to customize the overall vibe.
Roku’s remotes are also designed for simplicity, featuring service shortcut buttons, smart TV connectivity for adjusting your set’s volume, and voice control capabilities. Also, the Roku app for Android and iOS features a touch-screen remote that works as well as its physical remote.
One annoying aspect of Roku’s UI is a constant, unremovable ad display on the right of the homescreen, regardless of which set-top box or stick you’re using. It’s not a dealbreaker, though — there is a reason that Roku is the most popular streaming platform in North America, after all.
Roku Ultra
- Price: $100
- Size: 4.9 x 4.9 x 0.9 inches
- Resolution: HD, 4K, HDR, Dolby Vision
- Audio: Digital Stereo, Dolby Atmos, DTS Digital Surround
- Ports: HDMI, USB, Ethernet
- Remote: Roku Voice Remote Pro
The Ultra is Roku’s prestige player, featuring 4K, Dolby Vision, and Dolby Atmos capability, as well as a USB port for viewing external content and an Ethernet port for a hardwired internet connection. The device comes with a Roku Voice Remote Pro, which can be paired with headphones via Bluetooth.
$100 at Amazon
Roku Streambar
- Price: $130
- Size: 14.0 x 4.2 x 2.4 inches
- Resolution: HD, 4K, HDR
- Audio: Digital Stereo, Dolby Audio, PCM
- Ports: HDMI, USB, optical audio
- Remote: Roku Voice Remote
As the name suggests, the Roku Streambar is a combo streaming device and soundbar that carries over some of the Ultra’s capabilities, including 4K support and Dolby Audio. The Streambar can free up some space on your entertainment center, but it’s not as full-featured as the Roku Ultra.
Roku Streaming Stick 4K
- Price: $50
- Size: 3.7 x 0.8 x 0.5 inches
- Resolution: HD, 4K, HDR, Dolby Vision
- Audio: Digital Stereo, DTS Digital Surround
- Ports: HDMI, USB
- Remote: Roku Voice Remote
The Streaming Stick 4K is Roku’s ultimate space saver, a skinny dongle device that plugs into your TV’s HDMI port completely out of sight. The minuscule Streaming Stick 4K supports 4K and Dolby Vision streaming, and is smarthome-compatible with Apple AirPlay, Google Home, and Alexa. Roku’s sticks also come in budget (the $30 Roku Streaming Stick) and enhanced (the $40 Roku Streaming Stick Plus) versions.
$40 at Amazon
Roku Express 4K+
- Price: $30
- Size: 3.3 x 1.5 x 0.7 inches
- Resolution: HD, 4K, HDR
- Audio: Digital Stereo, DTS Digital Surround
- Ports: None
- Remote: Roku Voice Remote
The Roku Express, a small set-top box, was discontinued in 2025 and replaced by the Streaming Stick as the brand’s inexpensive entry-level device. But, there are still plenty of Roku Expresses left on the market, possibly at an even lower price than they originally sold for. It’s not Roku’s best streamer, but it works well enough for the cost.
Amazon Fire TV
The first thing you’ll notice about Amazon Fire TV’s UI is that it semi-aggressively promotes Amazon content to the forefront, but at least it’s done in a seamless and aesthetically pleasing way.
Like Roku, Amazon Fire TV lets you rearrange your streaming service tiles wherever you want. Unlike Roku, Amazon Fire TV displays dozens of sections of movie and TV show recommendations on its homescreen (whereas Roku makes you search for them in its left-screen menu). It’s all about immediacy with Amazon Fire TV.
Amazon Fire TV’s device interface is somewhat similar to that of its Prime Video streaming app — if you’re already a regular Prime Video user, Fire TV will be incredibly intuitive. You can navigate Amazon Fire TV using the Alexa Voice Remote or the Amazon Fire TV app for Android and iOS devices (unsurprisingly, one of the remote’s shortcut buttons is dedicated to Prime Video).
Amazon Fire TV Cube
- Price: $110
- Size: 3.4 x 3.4 x 3.0 inches
- Resolution: HD, 4K, HDR, Dolby Vision
- Audio: Digital Stereo, Dolby Atmos
- Ports: HDMI, Ethernet, USB
- Remote: Alexa Voice Remote Enhanced
The Fire TV Cube is Amazon’s elite streaming device, complete with 4K, Dolby Vision, and Dolby Atmos capability, and Ethernet and USB ports for solid internet connectivity and viewing expansion. It also features an octa-core processor, Wi-Fi 6 capability, and Bluetooth 5.0 LE. The Amazon Fire Cube isn’t a sleek-looking device; it’s basically a black box, but it is a powerful streamer.
$140 at Amazon
Amazon Fire Stick 4K
- Price: $30
- Size: 4.25 x 1.18 x 0.55 inches
- Resolution: HD, 4K, HDR, Dolby Vision
- Audio: Digital Stereo, Dolby Atmos
- Ports: HDMI, Micro USB
- Remote: Alexa Voice Remote
Despite its smaller package, the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K isn’t a major downgrade from the Cube, as it features 4K, Dolby Vision, and Dolby Atmos capability. If you’re looking for more storage space than the Fire TV Stick 4K’s 4GB, the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max comes with 8GB of storage space for about the same price.
$50 at Amazon
Apple TV
At first glance, Apple TV isn’t drastically different from Roku or Amazon Fire TV — but it’s still like comparing an iPhone to an Android smartphone. Regular Apple users will feel right at home, but Android people will experience a bit of a learning curve.
Apps are displayed in a grid style on the Apple TV’s homepage, with highlighted TV shows and movies appearing at the top. You can arrange the app tiles in your preferred order, but here’s a twist: You can also drag and drop them into organized folders (as with an iPhone), which you can’t do on a Roku or Amazon Fire TV device.
The Apple TV homepage display is highly visual and dynamically responsive, featuring rows of new releases, recommended content, and TV shows and movies you haven’t finished yet. There’s also a left-screen sidebar with more viewing options, like Apple TV+, sports (including MLB and MLS games), and your installed apps.
Compared to Roku and Amazon Fire TV’s voice remotes, Apple TV’s Siri-powered remote is clean and minimalist, featuring only a power button, a directional clickpad, a Siri button, a Play/Pause button, a volume up/down rocker, and mute and back-direction buttons.
Apple TV 4K
- Price: $160–$190
- Size: 3.7 x 3.70 x 1.2 inches
- Resolution: HD, 4K, HDR, Dolby Vision
- Audio: Digital Sound, Dolby Audio, Dolby Atmos
- Ports: HDMI, Ethernet
- Remote: Siri Remote
The Apple TV 4K is Apple TV’s lone streaming device, but it’s a tough one to beat. It does 4K, Dolby Vision, and Dolby Atmos, and features an Ethernet port for a direct internet connection. The current Apple TV 4K model was introduced in 2022, but a reported 2025 update is said to have faster processing, new proprietary Bluetooth and Wi-Fi hardware, and even AI capability.
$159 at Amazon
Which streaming device delivers the best UI experience?
Roku, Amazon Fire TV, and Apple TV 4K each have their fans, and user interface plays a major part in that favoritism. If it’s not easy to navigate, a user might just give up and read a book, and nobody wants that… Just kidding — The Streamable is an advocate of reading, otherwise we wouldn’t be here!
Roku features the simplest UI, which is likely why its devices are the most popular on the streaming market. In addition to being a breeze to use, Roku also offers more apps than the competition, around 27,000 of them. If you’re looking for a no-fuss streaming device with the most viewing options, Roku is the one.
Amazon Fire TV devices deliver a far more visual experience than Roku, almost to the point of being too busy for some. But, if you’re into the Prime Video world of original titles and effortless movie rentals — not to mention all-in-one-place app subscriptions — Amazon Fire TV is the perfect choice.
Apple TV 4K is for Apple fans, no question. It’s a bit more difficult to navigate than a Roku or Amazon Fire TV device, but it’s an undeniably sleek experience once you get the hang of it. If the Apple TV 4K becomes your first-ever streaming device, you’ll probably never switch.
