(Credit: Stacey Zhu; LG, VIZIO, Google, Roku, Fire TV, Samsung, Apple, Inna Kharlamova/Shutterstock.com)
Most people now use video streaming services instead of physical media to watch movies and TV shows. Others have ditched traditional broadcast, cable, and satellite TV providers for streaming live TV. Whether you subscribe to Amazon Prime, Disney+, Hulu, Max, or Netflix, you need to find a device that lets you access those services on your TV, or a TV that supports them natively.
Media streaming devices are flexible, affordable, and capable of showing both 4K and HDR content. If you have a recent TV or are shopping for a new one, however, you probably don’t even need a media streamer, as almost all current TVs feature a built-in platform that allows you to access popular streaming services.
But not all smart TV platforms offer the same apps and features. Most big services are available on the majority of platforms, but you might find a few exceptions. And other functions like voice assistants and streaming from your phone or computer vary by system.
We break down what every popular smart TV platform offers below, and share some of our favorite TVs and media streamers in each category.
Amazon Fire TV
Amazon’s Fire TV platform is primarily available via the company's media streamers, but it's also built into its first-party TVs like the Fire TV Omni QLED.
You can use the Fire TV platform on any other TV by plugging in an Amazon media streamer, such as a Fire TV Stick 4K or the Fire TV Cube. The interface prioritizes Amazon's content, though not to an overbearing degree—it features the Prime Video service at the top of the home screen, but aggregates content suggestions from other major services as well.
Apps
Amazon and Google offer the most complete selections of media streaming apps among smart TV systems. The biggest services work on every platform, but niche services like Crunchyroll for anime fans and Twitch for gamers are less consistent. Fire TV supports both.
Local Casting
This is Fire TV’s weakest aspect. It works with Miracast/WiDi for some phones and most Windows PCs, but it doesn't support Apple AirPlay or Google Chromecast.
Voice Assistant
Amazon's Alexa is one of the most powerful voice assistants—it supports thousands of third-party skills and smart home devices. Its syntax requirements are a bit stiff compared with those of Google Assistant, but it still works well. Currently, hands-free Alexa is available only on the Fire TV Omni, the Omni QLED, and the Fire TV Cube. For every other setup, you need to speak into the remote or keep a compatible smart speaker in the same room.
Best Fire TV Devices
Apple tvOS
Apple has made its media streaming platform very confusing because its media hub devices have the same name as its app and streaming service. You can buy an Apple TV 4K to connect to your TV, or you can install the Apple TV app on your smart TV or any other connected media streamer.
Apple TV devices use tvOS, Apple's own smart TV platform. It's relatively sparse compared with most other platforms, but if you're a dedicated Apple user it might have some appeal. Unlike the other systems on this list, there are no TVs that run tvOS on their own.
Apps
Apple's tvOS started as one of the weakest ecosystems for third-party apps, but now every major service listed above works on the Apple TV and Apple TV 4K media streamers.
Local Casting
It's Apple AirPlay all the way. You can easily stream any audio or video from your iPad, iPhone, or Mac to an Apple TV 4K. There's no Google Cast, obviously, or Miracast.
Voice Assistant
You can use Siri with the Apple TV 4K and tvOS by speaking into the remote. There's no hands-free Siri access through the media streamer itself, though. Either way, for smart home voice control, Siri lets you use any HomeKit- or Matter-compatible device. The Ethernet-equipped version also serves as a Thread border router.
What About the Apple TV App?
The Apple TV app is available on every major streaming platform, so you can access Apple content anywhere. It's a separate product from the Apple TV+ subscription streaming service, which offers access to a library of original Apple content for $9.99 per month.
Best Apple tvOS Device
Google TV
Google’s smart TV platform has gone through several identity shifts over the years. In the early days of media streamers, Google TV was a completely different system. Then, the company ran with Chromecast and the idea of exclusively streaming from your smartphone or tablet to your TV without any on-screen interface. Later, Google rolled out Android TV, a full smart TV platform.
Now, with very few exceptions, Google TV has superseded Android TV—it's essentially the same system, but with a more streamlined interface. You can also add Google TV to any TV by purchasing a Chromecast With Google TV.
Apps
Like Fire TV, Android TV and Google TV cover all the biggest streaming services, including Crunchyroll and Twitch.
Local Casting
Google never stepped away from Chromecast, so both Android TV and Google TV enable you to easily stream from any Android device or Chrome browser tab. You can't use AirPlay or Miracast/WiDi in most cases, but some TV manufacturers like Hisense add AirPlay streaming support to their Google TV implementations.
Voice Assistant
Google Assistant is every bit as powerful as Alexa. It supports plenty of smart home brands and you can use it to search for content across multiple services. It doesn’t have Alexa’s wealth of third-party skills, but it responds to natural language commands more reliably. Higher-end Hisense, Sony, and TCL TVs have far-field microphones that enable you to use Google Assistant hands-free.
Best Android/Google TV Devices
LG webOS
Long ago, before the age of smartphones, a company called Palm made personal digital assistants (PDAs; ask your parents) called PalmPilots. They ran on PalmOS, which Palm renamed webOS shortly after the iPhone first launched and about when PDAs started to lose their luster. HP bought webOS and then eventually sold it to LG. After realizing that Apple and Google dominated the mobile device market, LG decided to use the technology for TVs instead. Thus, webOS is now LG’s smart TV platform.
Apps
Smart TV platforms from first-party manufacturers tend to have much smaller libraries than Fire TV, Google TV, or Roku TV, but usually offer all the most popular streaming apps. LG's webOS is no different. It notably has a Twitch app (something Roku and Vizio Roku lack), but you can't use Crunchyroll on the platform.
Local Casting
Like Roku and Samsung, webOS supports Apple AirPlay and Miracast/WiDi, but not Google Chromecast.
Voice Assistant
LG's webOS integrates the company's ThinQ voice assistant for direct control of the TV and any compatible LG ThinQ appliances, but you don’t have to rely solely on it. It also supports Amazon Alexa. Far-field microphones for hands-free control are available on higher-end LG TVs.
Best LG webOS Smart TVs
Roku TV
Roku was one of the first big names in media streamers, and one of the driving forces behind the move for all current TVs to include streaming functionality. Roku turned its media streaming platform into a full smart TV interface called Roku TV, and made it available to any TV manufacturer that wanted to license it. Now, a lot of budget brands can provide access to apps they simply couldn't before. Roku also makes its own TVs including the budget-friendly Roku Plus Series, and you can of course access the platform on any TV with a Roku Streaming Stick 4K or another Roku media streamer. Roku TV's biggest advantage is that it's one of the most intuitive smart TV interfaces to use, even if you aren't very tech-savvy.
Apps
Roku offers an impressive selection of apps and streaming services, which it calls Channels. The Roku Channel in particular is popular, but you can also use many free ones. However, it lacks a Twitch Channel, and has been without YouTube for a while in the past.
Local Casting
Roku TV supports both Apple AirPlay and Miracast/WiDi, but it doesn’t work with Google Chromecast.
Voice Assistant
This is one of Roku’s biggest weaknesses. While Roku TV has a voice search function that’s fairly powerful for finding something to watch and for controlling your TV, it can’t control most smart home devices or provide general information like the weather. Roku has started releasing its own line of smart home devices including smart plugs, smart bulbs, and security cameras, and you can at least access and control them with your Roku device. You can use the platform hands-free with the Roku Voice Remote Pro, which is included on higher-end Roku TVs and media streamers and is otherwise available as a separate purchase for $29.99.
Best Roku TV Devices
Samsung Smart TV
Samsung has always gone its own way with smart TVs, and its current iteration, simply called Samsung Smart TV, runs on the company’s Linux-based Tizen OS. It’s very Samsung-centric, with support for SmartThings (Samsung’s smart home platform), DeX (Samsung’s phone-as-workstation feature for Galaxy phones), and Bixby (Samsung’s voice assistant). Fortunately, it’s opened up significantly in the last few years and is much more accommodating to users who aren’t fully invested in Samsung’s products. We tend to find the interface the most frustrating of the six here, though, because it tries to hold your hand through almost every task, and buries most picture settings a menu layer or two deeper than they are on most other TVs.
Apps
Like every other platform, the mainstream services are all available. In fact, with Crunchyroll and Twitch now on the system, it's as well-equipped as Fire TV and Google TV.
Local Casting
The platform supports Apple AirPlay and Miracast/WiDi, just like Roku TV and webOS. If you have a compatible Samsung smartphone, you can also wirelessly cast your screen to your TV to use as a workstation monitor. It does not support Google Cast.
Voice Assistant
Samsung used to be Bixby or bust, but that’s fortunately no longer the case. Bixby is now relegated to the company's mobile devices and smartwatches, but you can use Amazon Alexa on Samsung TVs' Tizen OS, just like with LG's webOS. Higher-end TVs also have far-field microphones for hands-free use.
Best Samsung Smart TVs
Vizio SmartCast
For a short time, Vizio was committed to the Google Chromecast idea of streaming whatever you want from your smartphone or tablet without an on-screen interface, and even bundled an Android tablet with some TVs specifically for this purpose. Fortunately, Vizio realized that most people want menus they can browse on their TV, and the current Vizio SmartCast platform reflects that idea and even supports most of the big names in streaming.
Apps
Vizio has one of the smallest app libraries, but again, all of the biggest names from Amazon to YouTube are available. Crunchyroll and Twitch are absent, though.
Local Casting
Vizio's SmartCast is the only platform with both Apple AirPlay and Google Chromecast, plus Miracast/WiDi, so you can easily stream anything from your phone, tablet, or PC.
Voice Assistant
There isn't one. Like Roku you can use voice search, but there's no full voice assistant present on the TV itself.
Best Vizio SmartCast TV
Build the Best Home Theater
After you decide on a streaming platform, take your viewing experience to the next level by following our guide to building the best home theater system for under $1,000. We also explain how to calibrate your TV.
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