Roku and Fire TV are two of the biggest names out there in the streaming world. Not only do they dominate the streaming stick market together, but there are also several TVs that launch with either the Roku or Fire TV OS on them — especially budget-friendly smart TVs.
At their core, both of these operating systems accomplish the same task of letting you watch your favorite shows and movies via the numerous streaming apps on the market. I wouldn’t say either of these platforms is bad, but I do prefer Roku over Fire TV thanks to how the interface is laid out. I’m also a big fan of Roku City, even if it’s also becoming more ad-infested.
However, Roku and Fire TV have been feeling a bit like the same thing for me as of late, and I don’t like this direction. I’ve long felt that Roku had an edge over Amazon due to not showing me as many ads for things. Maybe I’ve been spoiled by my Apple TV’s complete lack of ads, or maybe I’m just more annoyed. While I think Roku still shows fewer ads than Fire TV, it’s not as clear-cut as it used to be.
Ads are becoming far too common
The way of the world
I don’t know about you, but when I’m bombarded by ads, I don’t feel particularly drawn toward buying what I’m being shown. It’s especially annoying when it’s something I already paid for, like a Roku or Fire TV Stick, and I still get served ads. I mean, loading up the Fire TV just feels like a massive advertisement for Prime Video, a service that I already have. I get wanting to show off what’s new, but I feel like it gets to a point where it’s more annoying than anything.
With Roku, it’s at least more spread out across streaming services. I see ads for Prime Video, HBO Max, Disney+, etc., and it feels like there’s more variety. What’s funny is that I use an Apple TV 4K in my living room, so when I lie down in my bed for the night and turn on my Roku Ultra, I’m reminded about the world of ads. Years ago, I remember the Roku home screen being a simple menu on the left side and a bunch of icons showing my installed apps on the right side. Now, it’s not uncommon to have a big banner ad taking up the right side of my screen or a smaller one under the left side menu.
This feels like it’s straying far too close to Fire TV territory, and I’m just not a fan of that design. With so many things trying to sell me things everywhere I look, the last thing I want is my TV trying to sell me things when I’m just trying to relax. Alas, we’re in 2026, and that’s just how things seem to be. That’s what makes it even more amazing that my Apple TV has managed to put off doing this for so long. Maybe it’s the high price tag — one that got even higher — that makes it so.
Whatever the case may be, I feel like my Roku experience has been deteriorating as of late. I actually made the clean switch from my Fire TV Stick to a Roku Streaming Stick in my basement, thanks to the ads, but now it feels like the two aren’t all that different. I would still say the Roku offers a better experience, but there’s no telling how much longer I’ll feel that way.
Roku City is actually one of the things that makes the Roku OS feel unique to me. There’s nothing else quite like it, and while you’ll get special backgrounds on other streamers, nothing quite captures that magic of Roku City.
The blueprint is there, so why’s the holdup?
I don’t get how Apple can have it perfected
Something that I’m simply puzzled by is why Apple can be doing the things it does, and other streamers don’t try to follow suit. The Apple TV 4K is far and away my favorite streaming box, and that’s with me still rocking a first-gen model from 2018. I tried to replace it with a 2024 Roku Ultra, but I ended up keeping it as my main device and putting the Roku in my bedroom.
What I’m looking for first and foremost in a streaming box is a way to install the apps that I want and watch things. All streamers, whether it’s a stick or a box, can do that. I assume many people are in that boat, so there have to be some other things that differentiate them from each other. For me, the Apple TV 4K does that by showing me no ads whatsoever. In fact, you could easily argue that the home page is too boring. All it shows is a bunch of icons, but I went through the extra steps of putting my mine into neat little folders. My Apple TV 4K is so old that I didn’t even get the Liquid Glass update, so my home page really is as boring as it gets.
The thing, though, is that I still like this better than seeing a big banner ad for the Fallout show at the top of the screen when I turn on my Fire TV Stick. I’d rather have nothing show up than something telling me I should sign up for Howdy, Roku’s new streaming service. I don’t want to be sold things all the time, especially when it’s for a service that I already subscribe to, in the case of Fallout. I fully understand wanting to push subscriptions, especially if it’s on your own platform, but it certainly makes for a worse user experience.
It’s not like Fire TV or Roku have their identity tied to advertisements, but it’s one of the first things I think of when I think of Fire TV. It’s also starting to be one of the first things that come to mind when I think of Roku, too. I don’t want it to be like that, because I really am a big fan of the Roku interface — or at least I was before these ads started to creep in more and more. I guess what it all boils down to is how much you’re willing to put up with. A lot of people might not mind or even realize how much advertising is going on over the course of a day. I spend a ton of my day on the internet, so it’s not like I don’t see ads. Then again, that’s why I’m annoyed by it, because watching something on a streaming service is something I like to do to unwind, so seeing ads while I do that feels like a slap in the face.
