These Android streamers have become the best Fire Stick replacements ‣ Diverse Daily

Over the past year, Amazon has fundamentally changed the trajectory of Fire TV Sticks. For a long time, Fire TV Sticks were popular for two core reasons: first, they were affordable, and second, they all ran Fire OS, an Android-based operating system that gave you the freedom to personalize your device as you pleased, whether that meant sideloading apps or installing custom launchers.

However, both of those key pillars that helped make Fire TV Sticks so popular have now, quite frankly, fallen.

For starters, last year, Amazon announced Vega OS, its new Linux-based operating system, and launched it on two new Fire TV Sticks: the Fire TV Stick 4K Select, which launched last October, and the new Fire TV Stick HD, which launched this past April. While Vega OS is more efficient and uses less memory and resources, the biggest issue for Fire TV fans is that, because it’s Linux-based, it doesn’t support the thousands of Android apps that Fire OS does. It also no longer supports sideloading, something Amazon has done intentionally for “enhanced security” purposes. Amazon has also announced that all future Fire TV Sticks will run Vega OS, meaning the end of Android-based Fire TV Sticks is now in sight.

Then there’s the other pillar: affordability. Amazon has recently hiked the prices of all its Fire TV Sticks due to the ongoing global memory shortage. In particular, the only two Android-based models it still sells, the Fire TV Stick 4K Plus and Fire TV Stick 4K Max, have seen the biggest price increases. The 4K Plus received a $20 price hike, going from $50 to $70, while the 4K Max jumped $25, from $60 to $85.

So, with the Android era of Fire TV Sticks coming to an end and prices climbing, one key question is: what are the best alternatives? Fortunately, the answer isn’t complicated.

Onn has become one of Amazon’s biggest competitors

The Onn 4K Plus and Onn 4K Pro are powerful Android streamers

Arguably the best Android alternatives to Fire TV Sticks come from somewhere you might least expect: Walmart.

For a while now, Walmart has been selling Google TV streaming devices under its Onn electronics brand, and two of its most popular models are easily among the best alternatives to the Fire TV Stick 4K Plus and 4K Max, both in terms of hardware and software. The two streamers in the spotlight here are the Onn 4K Plus and Onn 4K Pro.

Starting with the Onn 4K Plus, it costs $50, and rather than being a streaming stick, it’s actually a set-top streamer. But compared to the Fire TV Stick 4K Plus and 4K Max, it stacks up quite well, offering 2GB of RAM, 16GB of storage, Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos support, and Wi-Fi 6. So, going head-to-head with Amazon’s $85 Fire TV Stick 4K Max, the Onn 4K Plus brings a lot to the table while costing $35 less.

But most importantly, the Onn 4K Plus runs Google TV, which means it runs Android, and you’re free to do pretty much whatever you want with it, whether that’s sideloading apps or installing custom launchers.

The Onn 4K Pro is only $10 more expensive than the Onn 4K Plus, costing $60, and brings a few extras to the table, including 32GB of storage, 3GB of RAM, a 100 Mbps Ethernet port, and a USB port. Of course, like the Onn 4K Plus, it also runs Google TV, meaning you have the freedoms that come with Android. The only issue is that the Onn 4K Pro has proven quite popular, so it’s frequently out of stock at Walmart, making the Onn 4K Plus a lot easier to get.

What about the Google TV Streamer?

It’s a solid Fire Stick replacement, but pricier

Along with the Onn 4K Plus and Onn 4K Pro, another popular Android-based alternative to Fire TV Sticks is the Google TV Streamer.

This is actually the option I personally went with to replace my Fire TV Stick 4K Max for a few reasons. For one, its $100 price tag is quite reasonable, especially compared to the $150 Roku Ultra and $200 Apple TV 4K. It’s also got 4GB of RAM and 32GB of storage, which means performance has been super smooth, and there’s plenty of space for apps. It also has a Gigabit Ethernet port, which has made downloading, streaming, and cloud gaming buttery smooth, with no buffering or quality drops.

Though ultimately, the key reason that pushed me over the edge to buy the Google TV Streamer was that I managed to get it on sale for $75. Otherwise, I probably would’ve tried to get my hands on the Onn 4K Pro instead.

Google has yet to raise the price of the Google TV Streamer, unlike Amazon, Roku, and Apple, which have all raised the prices of their streaming hardware. So, until that happens (which hopefully it doesn’t), it’s a solid Fire TV Stick replacement if you don’t mind paying a little more.

But if you’re looking to save money, the Onn 4K Plus and Onn 4K Pro are undoubtedly the best-value options for replacing your Fire TV Stick and sticking with Android.