If you are a new cord-cutter or considering switching to a different streaming TV device, app availability should be your top priority. After all, what if your favorite apps aren’t supported on the new platform? Fortunately, the big three streaming device platforms — Roku, Amazon Fire TV, and Apple TV — support the vast majority of popular streaming apps. Roku leads the pack with over 27,000 apps (Roku calls them “Channels”), followed by Amazon Fire TV with more than 21,000. Apple TV offers around 12,000, less than half of Roku’s total.

Those are obviously overwhelming numbers, so we’ve broken them down to a more manageable list of around 60 popular streaming apps for comparison. Your favorites are most likely included regardless of platform, though there are some outliers depending on which platform you choose.

Popular streaming apps

For most people, the majority of apps you’re looking for will be available across all of these platforms. Netflix, Max, Disney+, Hulu, and all of the big streamers are on every platform. The glaring exceptions are the lack of Apple Music on Fire TV, for example, as well as Roku Channels not being available on Apple TV.

Open the dropdown menu to see which apps are on each platform:

Which is right for you?

Roku, Amazon Fire TV, and Apple TV all feature comprehensive app lineups with very few exceptions (like Amazon Fire TV not supporting Apple Music and Apple TV shunning the Roku Channel). No matter which you choose, you’re not going to be missing out on much in the app department.

But if you’re an adventurous type who likes chasing down the weirdest and wildest content, Roku’s endless jungle of apps could keep you busy for the rest of this year and some of the next. Don’t forget to hydrate.

Roku

$40+ at Amazon

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Amazon Fire TV

$50+ at Amazon

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Apple TV 4K

$159 at Amazon

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More streaming devices worth a look

Google TV Streamer 4K

Google TV Streamer 4K, the successor to the Chromecast with Google TV Oreo-sized dongle, supports an impressive array of popular apps and features Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos. It’s more of a set-top box design than the old Chromecast dongle, but you can still cast content from phones, tablets, and laptops, and the Google TV Streamer 4K also has the capability of working as a smart home hub through your home Wi-Fi network. If you love all things Google, the TV Streamer 4K could be the device for you.

Google TV Streamer 4K

$99.98 at Amazon

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TiVo Stream 4K

Those of us who lived through the golden age of physical DVRs remember TiVo as the king of the medium, and its bid for streaming device relevance isn’t bad, either. The TiVo Stream 4K runs on Android TV (Google TV’s old platform) and features a button-loaded voice remote that’s a smaller version of the peanut-shaped TiVo remotes of yesteryear. The square dongle also supports Dolby Atmos and DTS sound, as well as thousands of apps through the Google Play store. Pretty good for $40.

TiVo Stream 4K

$40 at Amazon

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Onn Google TV 4K Streaming Box

Streaming boxes don’t come much cheaper than Walmart’s Onn Google TV 4K Streaming Box — at $20 (through Walmart, at least), it’s in the same price zone as a streaming stick. As the name suggests, the Onn box operates on Google TV and features Google Assistant voice control, as well as 8 GB of storage. Aesthetically, the Onn Google TV 4K Streaming Box doesn’t look as sleek or cool as the streaming competition — the vibe is totally on-brand for Walmart — but it’s a decent product for the price.

ONN Android TV 4K

$33 at Amazon

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Popular streaming apps

When it comes to Google streamers, everything you need will be available across all of the major devices. You’ll be hard-pressed to find an app that isn’t on these devices, but if you dive deep enough, you’re bound to find something missing eventually. Here’s a brief list of major apps for reference.

Open the dropdown menu to see which apps or on each system:

Choose wisely

At the end of the day, if your main goal is to stream content from the most popular apps — like Netflix, Hulu, Max, Disney+, and others — any of the major streaming platforms will serve you well. Devices like Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, and Google TV all support the biggest streaming services and offer everything most users need right out of the box. The real differences only start to matter when looking for more specialized or niche apps. In those cases, it’s worth taking a moment to check if your preferred device actually supports them, as availability can vary from one platform to another.