Recently, I tried out a few streaming devices, and honestly, it’s hard to decide which one to choose. If you want to watch Netflix or Prime Video on your TV, they’re a must-have item, but there are so many types that it’s confusing. With the Fire TV series, Chromecast, Apple TV, and so on, the features are totally different from one manufacturer to another.

When I compared them by speed and price, Apple TV 4K is still the best. It launches apps in under 5 seconds, and scrolling is smooth. But the price is close to 19,000 yen, so you can’t just buy it casually. Meanwhile, Fire TV Stick 4K MAX is in the 8,000-yen range, with a startup time of 13 seconds and scrolling taking 10 seconds—quite comfortable. Since it gets even cheaper during sales, if you care about value for money, this one is the better choice. Google TV Streamer 4K also isn’t bad as a successor to Chromecast, but it’s over 11,000 yen, so it’s a bit underwhelming.

If you want a recommended streaming device for keeping your budget down, there are also low-priced versions in the Fire TV series. Fire TV Stick 4K Select costs 7,980 yen, and its scrolling speed isn’t bad. However, since it runs a new OS, there’s also talk about uncertainty regarding long-term support. Chromecast with Google TV HD is 9,999 yen, and the full HD model from etoe is 8,599 yen—both are cheap, but sometimes it can take nearly 20 seconds to start up, so if you want comfort, you should probably avoid them.

In the end, the best way to choose a streaming device depends on your budget. If comfort is the top priority, go with Apple TV; if you want something balanced, Fire TV Stick 4K MAX; and if you just want it to be as cheap as possible, Fire TV Stick 4K Select is a safe pick. Picture quality matters too, but if the device feels sluggish, it causes stress, so I think what matters most is actually trying it out yourself.