Android

Best Apple TV Alternatives for 2018

Published

6 years ago

03/20/2018

The Apple TV is one of the most popular streaming devices for Apple users, but it’s not the only option. Here are the best Apple TV alternatives that you can buy in 2018 to stream live TV, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, rent movies and more.

One of the best parts about buying an Apple TV alternative is that you can save a lot of money. These options start at $35 and go up to $179, allowing you to upgrade all the TVs in your home to streaming capabilities for less than the cost of one Apple TV.

You will give up on the Apple integration for your iTunes movie purchases, AirPlay and not all of these options support voice control — but you still get the key features that you need from a great streaming device.

Amazon Fire TV Stick – $39.99
Roku Streaming Stick – $49.99
Google ChromeCast 2nd Gen – $35
Roku Ultra – $99.99
Nvidia Shield TV – $179
Apple TV 4K – $179

We also suggest checking out the newest Apple TV 4K if you are looking at buying an Apple TV this year. It’s not much more expensive than the older model, and it includes 4K and HDR support.

Amazon Fire TV Stick - $39.99

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$39.99 from Amazon

The Amazon Fire Stick is the best cheap streaming stick that you can buy. It's a fraction of the cost of the Apple TV, allows you to stream TV, movies from Amazon, Netflix, HBO and other services.

With the Fire Stick you can watch all of these services even though it is Amazon branded. You cannot play games on it and you cannot AirPlay your phone's screen to it, but it is perfect for many users and it's easy to use.

This is the streaming stick my parents use and that my in-laws are going to get soon. Between an easy to use remote control and the voice control feature it is the best cheap Apple TV alternative that you can buy.

This is a versatile system that you can use to watch Live TV with DIRECTVNow, Sling TV and other services. You can also watch football live, and check in on other sports and channels.

One of the best things about this, and the next few options is that the stick is very small and it plugs right into the HDMI port on your TV. This is perfect for a wall mounted TV where you don't want a box sitting on something nearby.