Customer Ratings & Reviews

The Amazon Fire TV Stick is an awesome addition to my mess of other boxes/sticks/wires/cables around my already tragically overcluttered entertainment center. I have had three Chromecasts in use around my house over the last year, which I love, so the early "Fire" sale #pun intended# of 50% off for Prime members was reason enough to blindly order two of them. First of all, it hasn't been drastically different from what I expected. You're basically getting an amazon-themed Chromecast, which includes the stick, different selection of apps, and a remote. The remote is both great and pointless. It's nice that this package includes this extra hardware, and I imaging certain types of users will use the remote heavily. For me, I actually prefer the emphasis on phone/tablet/PC/etc control that the Chromecast is geared towards. I *always* have my phone or some type of "smart" device near me, while device-specific remotes are always scattered across my family room in an unpredictable haphazard mess. Sometimes the remote I need at the moment finds itself right next to me, but sometimes it's *WAY over there*, on the OTHER side of the room! There is of course plenty you can do without the actual Fire TV remote in-hand, but as you may have gathered from my review's title, it can't entirely replace my Chromecast, which is too bad. I would love to de-clutter my electronic toy stash and simplify my 10 devices down to only a couple, but they all still have their unique specialties that can't be replaced. In the case of my Chromecast#s#, it's the "casting" features. Directly from my phone's YouTube app, I can tap "cast" and my Chromecast will wake up my TV and start playing a YouTube video. Same thing with screen mirroring and Chrome #browser# tab mirroring. These are awesome and incredibly useful features that I'm not ready to give up. Yes, the Fire TV Stick can do similar things with its own apps that Chromecast can't #such as streaming Amazon Prime Instant Video#. These exclusive features are why I am forever doomed to have 999 HDMI-enabled entertainment devices strung around my room. You simply either need multiple devices, or you need to pick which feature set, and/or compatible app set, is a better fit for you. The Fire TV Stick is also compatible with the Amazon Fire game controller, as well as many #but not all# of the games available for the Fire TV. There's also a bigger Fire TV remote you can get for it with voice features. For me though, I use it mostly like I use my Chromecast, so none of the extra accessories are big selling points for me. I am actually very interested in the Fire TV games, but between my Xbox One/PS4/Wii U, I already have WAY too many game controllers taking up space and not enough time to venture into yet another gaming platform. But it is very cool that it is built for casual gaming. Chromecast has games as well, but it seems to be less of an emphasis there that with the Fire products. There are also games you can play on the Fire TV that only use phones/tablets/etc so you don't even need to purchase the amazon controllers to play, which is fantastic. I especially recommend trying either Fibbage, which is one of my favorite party games ever, or the Jackbox party game collection, which includes Fibbage and a few other games. These don't require Fire TV-specific controllers and are a blast to play. Just have your friends/family/guests bring a phone and it's incredibly easy & intuitive to just pick up and play. Speaking of apps, here's a quick list of some of the biggest supported apps for the Fire TV stick: A&E Amazon Instant Video Amazon Music Bloomberg Crackle ESPN Flixster History Channel Huffpost Live Hulu Plus iHeart Radio NBA Game Time Netflix Pandora PBS PBS Kids Plex Showtime Smithsonian Spotify Twitch Vevo Vimeo YouTube.com If you compare this to the Chromecast's list, you'll notice they share 90% of the same list. But each have some apps the other doesn't. The Fire Stick of course supports more of the Amazon-branded services/apps. But the Chromecast has some that Fire TV doesn't, such as HBO Go and Songza. This is again where it comes down to your personal taste, as neither one has the "best" selection of apps, just a "different" selection of apps. Setup of the Fire TV Stick is about as close to Chromecast as you can imagine. You have an HDMI stick, comparable in size to a Chromecast, which requires power through a micro USB cable #included#, that you can either plug into a USB port in your TV/nearby device, or use the AC adapter to plug it directly into a power outlet. The USB route is better for cleanliness #less visible wires#, but the AC adapter is the recommended route for more reliable power and sleep-mode, so that your device can still be on while your TV #or other device the USB is plugged into# is off. I am planning on updating this review as I continue to use and develop new thoughts/experiences with it. Overall, it is a fantastic device. If you don't have a ton of different "smart" devices already connected to your TV, it's probably worth buying. But to be honest, there isn't too much this thing can do for me that other devices I have can't already do. I usually play my Prime Instant Video through my Xbox One, and stream YouTube and various other video apps through my Chromecast. The Fire TV stick does all these tasks in just a slightly different way, which is why it is a great standalone device, but isn't drastically different from all the other similar devices. If you don't already have a Chromecast, I would absolutely recommend this item. Otherwise, take a look at the supported apps each item supports and make a decision from there.

Love my Fire Stick. Only problem was I couldn't get it to work on college wifi. Otherwise does everything I need.

This works perfect. It streams well and works well with KODI. I have no complaints. Its easy to set up and easy to move from one device to another if needed. You can't beat the quality and performance for the price!

Turned my older TV into a smart TV. Great for watching Hulu.

Works as expected. Easy to setup. Great device from Amazon.

Best player for the money. Easy to use. No problems at all

Really my favorite streaming device very mobile as well

Its processing power is a little slow but for the price its excellent for Kodi. And decent on its own

This is better than Chromecast and many of the others because of the variety of apps. I am an Amazon Prime members so I enjoy the Amazon Prime videos on my TV with this device. The remote is small and easy to use. I bought this for my mom and she loves it.

a little hard to navigate thru, easy to to set up.

I purchased this recently for my mother since she has been having issues with her smart blueray player and all I have to say is "problem solved". It comes with an easy to use remote, unlike the blueray players' non intuitive remote; so no need to use a tablet or phone like with other devices. Its interface is quick and snappy and doesn't lag like the smart blueray player and the media app selection is premier. Honestly, just the Amazon video app is enough for my mother but there is actually so much more and so I went ahead and purchased a FireTV for me.

Bought this for an older tv I had didn't want a bulky blue ray player to have access to Netflix so this little fire stick was perfect. It turned my tv to a smart tv. Set up was easy. Plug and play.

As an Amazon Prime Member, the Amazon Fire Stick is a great resource to use. I researched the Roku, Chromecast, and Apple TV; however, decided that the Fire Stick would be the greatest due to the content that I wished to access. Strongly recommend.

This is our second Fire TV stick. We've enjoyed this device as it connects with our Amazon account, gives us access to all the great streaming services that includes Netflix, Amazon Prime, Vudu, Hulu, and Sling TV. You even have the ability to pair a smartphone or tablet to the device to control it. It currently doesn't have a large selection of games if you are looking for that, but the list is growing.

I have an Apple TV but wanted another device. This fit the budget. My only complaint is that Amazon isn't clear what is free to watch with Prime and what needs to be purchased as a rented movie to watch. Otherwise it's good.

Pictures are brilliant. Remote is simple and friendly. Sometimes the temperature gets warm and pauses. Not sure if it's a defect or over use. Otherwise a very simple set up!

I side loaded Kodi and I'll get free live television and can watch any movie even ones that are in the theaters and any television show that was ever on even the ones on HBO Showtime stars I get everything now with Kodi.

i was using Apple TV, but really hated the controller and youtube app. This Amazon fire stick is less than half the price but better. First of all the controller works without having to point at it cuzz it's Bluetooth. This may sound small but it's probably the best part. The netflix and YouTube apps are the good ones. U know what I mean. Roku is close but it's not got the little Bluetooth remote either. If you have the coin I bet the voice search on the full fire is pretty handy.

If you are an Amazon Prime member this is the best solution for you, hands down. It works with all the other ones like Netflix, Hulu, and similar. It even has games. The apps for your phone and tablet are great as well.

This is a Hot Product-meaning I was in the store and picked up the last box. The salesperson was walking over and said "Well she has the Last One. " It is also a great product if you want to have the entertainment in everyone's room. So everyone can watch what they want.