Roku Express vs Chromecast – Which one suits your preference?

If you want to stream content online, there are so many streaming devices available, you’re spoilt for choice. The Roku Express and Chromecast are very popular devices for people who are tired of paying for their cable services. You can stream all your favorite movies and TV shows at great speeds and with decent picture quality.

The right product for you will mostly depend on the features that are most important to you. Both the Roku Express and Chromecast can stream most of the major streaming services and can connect to your smart home devices. However, with Chromecast, you can use your phone as a remote and use voice commands to control your devices, but Ruko Express doesn’t have voice command capabilities on its remote. Ruko Express on the other hand can give you access to free streaming content with the Ruko channel adding more free content.

What are the differences between Roku Express and Chromecast?

Product	Ruko Express	Chromecast
Design	Rectangular small box	Disc shape
Remote	Yes	No
Video quality	1080p	1080p
Control	Remote and Ruko mobile app	Phone, tablet, and computer
Voice command	No remote voice commands	Google assistant
	Check price	Check price

Roku Express vs Chromecast. How do they differ?

Design

Design is one of the main differences between the Ruko Express and Chromecast. The Ruko Express is a small rectangular box with a black plastic shell at the top and an infrared sensor for the remote at the front. At the back are an HDMI port, a micro-USB port for power, and a pinhole reset button. The Chromecast on the other hand is a circular dongle connected to a short flat cable with an HDMI connector at one end and a micro-USB port for power at the other end. The difference is the Chromecast can hide behind your TV while the Ruko Express needs to be in direct line of sight with the infrared blaster in the remote.

The Chromecast has a better design that you can hide out of sight behind your TV and don’t have to use an IR blaster to operate your streamer.

Control

Both Express and Chromecast have their respective mobile apps with greater flexibility to give you more content from your phone, tablet, or PC. The Ruko mobile app provides voice control functions when you’re searching for content, while Chromecast supports a variety of apps and can cast tabs from Google chrome. With the Ruko Express you can use your remote that’s easy to use and functional and also your phone, but with Chromecast has no remote and if the device you’re using runs out of power, you’ll be stuck unless you use another device.

The Ruko Express provides you better control since you can use the remote and also your phone, tablet, or computer.

Content

Both devices can stream a wide range of content, but Express has access to more content than Chromecast. Express gives you access to more than 450,000 movies and TV shows from major services like Netflix, Sling TV, HBO Go, Google play movies, Hulu Plus, Amazon instant videos, and more. Chromecast will give you access to your favorite movies and TV shows from over 2,000 apps from services like Prime Video, Netflix, HBO Now, Disney+, YouTube, YouTube TV, and more. Chromecast allows you to add a screen saver to your TV that you choose from your personal photos through Facebook or Google photo app to display as wallpaper on your TV when it’s idle.

The Ruko Express has a wider range of content from most of the major providers and tons of free content.

Roku Express vs Chromecast – A comparison review

Ruko Express

The Ruko Express offers a truly universal search feature and tons of free content. Although it uses an IR remote and lacks 4k support, it’s still a great streamer to use with your HDTV. The Express is smaller than the remote and is powered using the micro-USB port that you plug directly into your TV or use a wall adapter. It has adhesive tape at the base that will allow you to stick the Express at the top of your TV or on the shelf next to it but insight to your remote.

The remote only does basic functions so you can’t use it for voice search, private listening, or volume control. It uses a single-band 802.11b/g/n wireless antenna that has short range and lackluster bandwidth, but with a good internet connection, the Express does just fine. The Express isn’t as fast as Chromecast when it comes to streaming content, but it works well and you can quickly switch between apps and navigate the menus and rapidly stream videos up to 1080p.

Pros

• Very affordable
• Has lots of streaming services
• Very easy to setup
• Its small size makes it portable

Cons

• Can’t stream 4k HDR content
• Has a basic IR remote

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Google Chromecast

Google Chromecast is also a very affordable streaming device that can stream thousands of apps and games to your TV using your smartphone, tablet, or PC and even use voice control. The Chromecast has a very simple and easy to understand interface because you use your phone, tablet, or PC to control everything. You just need to install the Google Home app on your phone or click the cast option on your computer’s Chrome browser so you can cast any content you’re watching onto your TV. However, you can’t stream Amazon prime videos because they’re not supported by Chromecast also iTunes isn’t compatible with Google cast.

The new Chromecast version is a bit faster and responsive than the original. It uses an upgraded 802.11b/g/n/ac wifi antenna that helps to boost its performance. It can quickly load and stream YouTube and Netflix, play video in an instant and respond to command while the old Chromecast is slightly sluggish. Chromecast has a guest mode feature is very helpful, especially when you have guest over and you want them to have some control over what you watch on your TV.

Pros

• Has a versatile design
• Uses Google assistant for voice control
• It’s inexpensive
• Responsive and fast when loading and streaming

Cons

• Needs a phone, tablet or PC to control
• Doesn’t support Amazon prime video

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Conclusion

Both the Roku Express and Chromecast are affordable and easy to use streamers that you can stream all your favorite movies, shows, and games. The Ruko Express has a user-friendly interface with easy to find free content while the Chromecast allows you to cast a screen from any device on your home in an instant.

So which one is better Roku Express or Chromecast?

The Ruko Express is better because it costs slightly less than the Chromecast and it has an actual remote and on-screen menus instead of relying on your phone to control everything.

FAQ

Can Chromecast be used without the internet?

Normally, a Chromecast connects directly to the internet through a wifi connection, but if you don’t have a wifi connection, you can install a local wifi network that will allow you to use Chromecast without web access.

Does Chromecast use a lot of bandwidth?

When you’re not using Chromecast, it can use over 15GB of data every month when it’s idle which is a pretty significant amount.