At a glance
1. Best overall
2. Best for 1080p
3. Best performance
4. Best value
How to choose
If you're looking to replace your traditional cable TV setup with a streaming device, you really can't do better than one of the best Amazon Fire Sticks below.
A streaming stick is a cheap, easy-to-use device that brings you all of the content of a smart TV into your living room, at a much lower cost. This way, you can get all the streaming apps at a fraction of the price on your current TV, without needing to spend on fortune on upgrading.
While the best Fire TV Stick is dependent on a ton of factors, Amazon makes a large enough variety to make sure that anyone and everyone will be covered when looking to stream content on their TV. After reviewing and testing all Fire TV Stick options in the wild, we've summed up the best ones based on your needs.
At a glance
Best overall
The Fire TV Stick 4K supports 3840x2160 resolution as well as HDR, has Alexa built into the remote and you can control your TV with it. It has almost everything you would want in a streaming stick, at the right price.
Best for 1080p
The 2022 refresh of the original Amazon Fire TV Stick is exactly what you want if you're connecting it to a smaller 1080p television. It also has an Alexa-enabled remote that can control your TV.
Best performance
This 2023 refresh of the Fire TV 4K Max has all of the options of the "standard" 4K stick, but with a more powerful processor, twice the storage of the previous model, and Wi-Fi 6E support.
Best value
The Amazon Fire TV Stick Lite doesn't have all the features of some other models and doesn't support 4K. It's for people who just want the basics at the right price, and it delivers!
Best overall
The Fire TV Stick 4K isn't the highest-end stick you can get from Amazon, but it comes with all of the most important features like support for 4K resolution and all the HDR formats. All of the Fire TV Sticks come with an Alexa-capable voice remote, but this model also supports TV controls so you can adjust your volume without looking for your TV remote. You can search and start movies and TV shows with just a voice command, so there's no need to waste time looking for the right app.
This stick supports an output resolution of up to 3,840 x 2,160 pixels, as well as all popular HDR formats like Dolby Vision, HDR, HDR 10, HDR10+, and HLG, so you can make the most of streamed content and get the most out of a newer TV. Amazon refreshed this model in 2023 with a faster processor and added Wi-Fi 6 to the mix.
While some folks won't need 4K just yet, if you think you might be upgrading your TV in the near future, the extra features will be nice to have.
Best for 1080p
The Fire TV Stick isn't the cheapest streaming stick from Amazon, but with a low price and a solid stack of features, it is without a doubt the best 1080p Fire TV Stick. This version has plenty of storage, and a powerful 1.7GHz CPU with 1GB of RAM. Our Fire TV Stick review found the loading times to be nice and quick. With access to all of the excellent streaming content on Fire TV, you'll never be bored. You can also connect an HD antenna and a Fire TV Recast to be a true cord cutter.
Despite its price tag, this streaming stick still packs in plenty of features like Dolby Atmos for audio. You also get the same Alexa Voice Remote as the 4K version with TV controls. With all that's included, the Fire TV Stick is one of the best options for adding a bit more functionality to a 1080p non-smart TV. Since you can change your TV volume and power from the remote, you don't need to turn over cushions looking for more than one controller.
Best performance
Take all of the great things that you know about the Fire TV Stick 4K, add Wi-Fi 6E support, twice the storage, along with updated internals, and you get the Fire TV Stick 4K Max. At first glance, this offers the same great experience as the regular TV Stick 4K. However, Amazon includes a faster CPU, GPU, and 2GB of RAM instead of 1.5GB in the older model. In our Fire TV Stick 4K Max review, we noted how we appreciate the addition of Ambient Experience feature, which basically turns your TV into a digital painting, similar to the feature found in Samsung's 'The Frame' TV series.
Amazon claims the new processor offers better performance, which essentially equates to faster app starting and smoother navigation. And as we continue to see the rise in adoption of the best Wi-Fi 6E routers, the Fire TV Stick 4K Max will be able to take advantage of those faster speeds. That means less time waiting for your 4K HDR movie to start when you press play. Plus, you'll be able to use Live View picture-in-picture to keep an eye on the front door, or make sure that your little one is still enjoying their nap.
Best value
The Fire TV Stick Lite takes the spot as the most affordable Fire TV device in Amazon's lineup. Of course, just because it's affordable doesn't mean cheap quality. With this stick, you get everything that comes with the "regular" Fire TV Stick, including push-button access to Alexa. The only real difference? The Alexa Voice Remote Lite in the box can't control your TV like the one included with the other best Fire TV sticks. If that's not a big deal to you, then you might as well save the extra ten bucks and get this one.
Like the Fire TV Stick, the Lite is also one of the first Amazon devices to be certified as Climate Pledge Friendly, and it uses less energy than any other Fire device before it. It's also Certified for Humans to be stress-free in its setup and use.
The Fire TV Stick Lite can support the same viewing experience as the Fire TV Stick and most of the same audio experience, though you don't get Dolby Atmos. Dolby passthrough is still available so if you have a TV, sound bar, or receiver that can decode Dolby, so you're not stuck with stereo.
How to choose
Pick the right Stick for your TV
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Amazon makes some of the best streaming devices around. Its Fire TV operating system is beloved for its ease of use and hooks into Amazon's media ecosystem. Even though the lineup of streamers isn't too complex, there are still some choices to be made when distinguishing between these devices.
Our pick for the best Fire TV Stick is the Fire TV Stick 4K. It has all the specs of higher-end streaming boxes, but comes in a modest size at a fantastic price. The Fire TV Stick or Fire TV Stick Lite are also good options, but the price is so close to the 4K version that they only make sense right now if you don't have or plan to get a 4K-enabled TV. To keep your connections safe, you can even use a VPN for your Fire TV Stick.
Another reason why you might want to consider picking up one of the best Amazon Fire TV Sticks has to do with the company's renewed focus on updates. Amazon announced that it's guaranteeing at least four years of security updates for Fire TV devices. And the best part is that this new update policy includes older streaming sticks like the original Fire TV Stick released in 2016.
If you do choose to pick one of these Fire TV Sticks up, we can guarantee you that you'll enjoy your streaming media experience.
