The new Roku Streaming Stick devices may seem mundane, but they’re a great change for the budget corner of the electronics section. I’ve reviewed every Roku for the past five years, and I nearly applauded when I realized how these sticks fix my least favorite thing about Roku’s budget streamers. That said, the regular HD stick arrives with mighty expectations, as it replaces the Roku Express, one of our previous best streaming device picks.
But that’s just the stuff I figured out when I first saw the new Roku Streaming Stick and Streaming Stick Plus. Since then, I’ve had over a week with these sticks and gotten a good sense of who they’re right for, and even made a neat discovery of an audio feature that Roku isn’t publicizing. Let’s dig in to see if you should order one now.
What I liked about it
A familiar design ditches an annoying brick
The Roku Streaming Stick and Streaming Stick Plus replace the Roku Express and Express 4K+, a pair of wedge-shaped streaming devices that never fit quite right. You either used an included adhesive strip to attach them to the side of your TV or a countertop, contorted the thing to sit flat or had it dangle under your TV.
These compact streaming sticks are the exact opposite, hiding in the HDMI ports on the back of your TV. They’re also pretty easy to pack in whatever pocket or bag pouch you have open, thanks to their 3.8 x 0.8 x 0.4-inch dimensions. That size makes it slightly smaller than Amazon’s Fire TV sticks, but not by an amount that makes the Roku that much more portable. These sticks’ light 0.9-ounce weight is probably the more impressive measurement, if I had to guess.
The Roku Streaming Stick and Streaming Stick Plus don’t come with their own power adapter bricks, and that’s because they don’t need them. Instead you plug their power cable into one of the USB ports on the back of your TV (nearly every modern TV has one). If you can’t find the USB ports on your TV, you’re not out of luck, as I found the Streaming Sticks still get enough power when plugged into a 5W power adapter wall charger that I had lying around the house. The upside here is simple: by not shipping the power adapter, Roku’s quietly reducing e-waste. It’s also streamlining the home entertainment center, so you don’t need to snake another cable down to your power strip or surge protector.
This is only a change for the Streaming Stick Plus, as the Express 4K+ it replaces came with a power brick. The Roku Express (which the regular Stick replaces) didn’t have a power brick.
Roku beats the field on price and experience
The $30 Roku Streaming Stick and $40 Roku Streaming Stick Plus are both the best streaming sticks at their price, and that’s not just because they’re cheaper than Amazon’s closest equivalents, the $35 Amazon Fire TV Stick HD and the $50 Fire TV Stick 4K. I’d also put the Streaming Stick Plus over the $40 Tivo Stream 4K, which makes you suffer through its clunky and confusing interface. Also, I can’t forget about the shockingly cheap $20 Walmart Onn 4K Streaming Box, but I found its design more awkward than the Roku Express wedges that are currently being buried, and its remote app was inconsistent at best.
No, I give Roku the win here because the Roku software is still the best for most people, getting out of your way and just letting you open the apps you want. I’m not a huge fan of how certain events or shows will do a visual “takeover” that re-skins the experience, but that can be easily disabled when it happens, and it’s still better than Amazon and Google’s interfaces that are full of recommendations and ads.
There was one little annoyance, though. Once (and only once) in my testing, I saw and heard a Benjamin Moore paint ad play in the space to the right of the apps on the home screen, which I only heard because I made the mistake of moving my cursor over the ad.
Performance-wise, the biggest sin I saw was a slight amount of lag when I clicked around the Roku OS interface, but it wasn’t enough to make me think there’s a better cheap streaming stick. App loading times were slightly faster on the Streaming Stick Plus than the normal Streaming Stick, but I was never frustrated.
Picture quality for the Roku Streaming Stick Plus proved good-for-the-price when I used it for watching episodes of Hulu’s “Paradise” and Apple TV+’s “The Studio.” When I flipped over to the HD Roku Streaming Stick, it also performed decently for both shows. Then, I opened up YouTube and watched the 1080p recap video of the first season of “Andor,” which looked good enough on both sticks. Of course, the lack of HDR support on this stick made for slightly flatter visuals throughout, so the clay streets of Ferrix popped slightly less than normal. Speaking of standards, here’s something you won’t learn from Roku’s site: both sticks support Dolby Atmos audio for spatial sound. For those keeping track at home, the Fire TV Sticks also support Atmos.
As a reminder, these are the baby brothers of the Roku Streaming Stick 4K, whose name doesn’t really fit anymore since the Plus is also a 4K streaming stick. That $50 stick’s performance feels a bit faster, but not enough where you should buy it for performance alone. It’s got the Dolby Vision HDR standard for better picture quality and its long-range Wi-Fi extender.
A welcome and needed remote upgrade
Aside from its design, my least favorite aspect of the Roku Express was its included simple remote (yes, that was its name), which was missing some key buttons that you really ought to have. That problem’s over now, as the Roku Streaming Stick comes with one of Roku’s better remotes, which enables voice control and packs buttons for adjusting volume and turning the TV off and on.
The volume and mute buttons found on the right side of the remote are key here, because nobody wants to play “where’s the TV remote?” Also, you’re going to need that TV power button to wake the TV up since merely clicking the home button doesn’t work when the stick is drawing power from a TV’s USB port. As for the voice commands button, you might prefer it to navigating interfaces when looking for your favorite shows. But when I tried to use it to resume watching “Paradise” on Hulu, it opened the episode after the one I hadn’t finished watching. But I’m not the biggest smart home guy, so I don’t really talk to my tech all that often.
The Express 4K+ already had the Roku Voice Remote with TV controls, so it’s no surprise that the Streaming Stick Plus has that clicker. This remote comes with a pair of AAA batteries pre-loaded, so you just need to remove a purple plastic tab to activate the remote.
Helpful live sports integrations
Finding what channel is airing your favorite team’s next game continues to be tricky, so I always check out the Sports section when testing Roku devices. It let me easily figure out where to watch my New York Knicks play later that day, and it only took a couple of clicks in the sports section to see that their playoff game against the Detroit Pistons was airing on Max later that night.
I do have one piece of advice for Roku, though. While it’s great that I can “Like” the Knicks in their apps as a favorite team of mine, the Roku OS doesn’t make it easy to find my teams’ games. The Favorite Teams row was the 24th down, deep enough for me to practically lose count. That row should be one of the first you see when you open the Sports section.
What I didn’t like about it
No power adapter included means one little wait
While the Roku Streaming Stick and Streaming Stick Plus don’t need a power adapter to work, the lack thereof creates a little annoyance. Many TVs, including my own LG C2 OLED and my parents’ Hisense U6, don’t constantly send power to their USB ports when the TV is off. If your TV is like ours, that means you’ll see a Roku startup animation when you turn on your set, and not the home screen that you’d see if your streaming device were plugged into an always-on power source.
This isn’t the biggest difference, but it’s likely different from what you might be used to. If you wind up finding it annoying, you can always use one of those small USB power adapters you might have lying around, like the 5W power adapter I have that came with an old iPhone.
Lacks the HDR support that competitors offer
If you’re still trying to figure out which Roku stick is right for you, their picture quality capabilities may be the deciding factor. The regular Roku Streaming Stick supports none of the high dynamic range video standards that amplify color and contrast, and the Roku Streaming Stick Plus is compatible with HDR10 and HDR10+, which most modern TVs (even those cheapo Amazon Fire TVs that are under $200) support. So, if you’re trying to upgrade a recently-purchased TV, that’s one point for the Streaming Stick Plus.
Comparison shoppers will want to know the $35 Amazon Fire TV Stick HD does include HDR support, something that really should come standard these days. Additionally, neither the Roku Streaming Stick nor the Streaming Stick Plus pack Dolby Vision, the high-end HDR standard that’s found in the $50 Roku Streaming Stick 4K and the $50 Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K.
Live TV integration is still lacking
As much as I prefer the Roku interface over Fire TV and Google TV, Roku’s integration with live TV is still a little limited. Roku’s home screen and Live TV section promote the free, ad-supported television (FAST) programming you might have seen on services such as Plex, Pluto and Tubi. Much of this programming is found in The Roku Channel, which includes more than 500 free ad-supported channels.
This is nice and all, but it’s missing the inclusion of paid live TV services, such as Sling and YouTube TV, which integrate into the home screens for both Fire TV and Google TV. This is probably unnecessary if you’re OK with just opening those apps, but the Live TV tab feels a bit hollow as-is.
Bottom line
Every so often, someone will ask me “wait, are they still selling streaming sticks?” These days, with every TV being a smart TV, it’s not a big jump to ponder if these devices are less necessary. But, trust me, having visited my parents and not loving how slowly Google TV runs on their television, it’s still just as valid as ever to slap a new brain in your set (or to give an aging dumb TV a new brain).
I’m a fan of both of these sticks, and would recommend that you buy the one that matches your TV best. Get the Roku Streaming Stick if you’re upgrading a regular HD TV, and have no plans to do the same for a 4K TV any time soon. It’s the best standalone Full HD streaming device, and it’s also $5 cheaper than the Fire TV Stick HD when comparing their full retail prices (both are often on sale, especially for sales events such as Prime Day and Black Friday). If you have a 4K TV, then the Streaming Stick Plus is your best bet, unless you know you want Dolby Vision or in a larger house where managing Wi-Fi signals are tricky enough that you need the best mesh Wi-Fi routers. Then, get the Streaming Stick 4K.
But most people will be fine with the Roku Streaming Stick or Roku Streaming Stick Plus, and while both benefit from the switch to a stick design, it’s the regular Streaming Stick that got the bigger makeover thanks to its improved remote. These aren’t the sexiest devices, but I’m just happy to see budget customers getting better products.
FAQs
Any TV with an HDMI port will work with the Roku Streaming Stick or Roku Streaming Stick Plus.
First, attach the included cable to the Streaming Stick via its reversible USB-C port. Then, connect the other end of the stick to your TV via one of its HDMI ports. Lastly, plug the other end of the cord into one of your TV’s USB ports. If you can’t find any USB ports on your TV, you’ll need to find a spare power adapter that has the rectangular USB-A port, plug it into a power source and then connect the cable there.
The primary differences are price and resolution, as the $30 Roku Streaming Stick maxes out at Full HD 1080p and the $40 Roku Streaming Stick Plus tops out at 4K Ultra HD. The Streaming Stick Plus also supports the HDR and HDR10+ picture quality standards, which the regular Streaming Stick does not. Roku’s comparison site also notes that the Streaming Stick Plus offers “Fast app launch,” but doesn’t explain how that works.
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CNN Underscored has a team of skilled writers and editors who have many years of experience testing, researching and recommending products, and they ensure each article is carefully edited and products are properly vetted. We talk to top experts when applicable to make certain we are testing each product accurately, recommending only the best products and considering the pros and cons of each item.
Writer Henry T. Casey has been writing electronics product reviews for a decade, and he’s tested every streaming device released in the last five years. Throughout the years, he’s given verdicts on everything from the cheapest Fire TV stick to the priciest Apple TV 4K.
