Roku Express vs Fire Stick. Which one is right for you?

If you’re looking for affordable streaming devices that will allow you access to YouTube, Netflix, Disney+, Pandora, and more without the need to pay for cable, Ruko Express, and Fire stick are just the devices you’re looking for.

Both streamers are affordable, easy to use, and can deliver all the apps and services you would ever want including free TV options and subscription services from Disney+, Netflix, and Amazon prime video. They’re also quick responsive and reliable provided you have a solid internet connection. With Ruko Express, you can use both Google and Alexa for voice commands, but you can only use Alexa with the fire stick.

What are the differences between Roku Express and Fire Stick?

Product	Ruko Express	Fire stick
Remote voice commands	No	Yes
Smart assistant	Alexa and Google	Amazon Alexa
Ports	HDMI and micro-USB ports	HDMI
Picture quality	1080p	1080p
	Check price	Check price

Roku Express vs Fire Stick. How do they differ?

Apps

Ruko Express and Fire stick will not only stream movies and TV shows, but they will also let you play games. Although Ruko doesn’t support as many games as the fire stick, you can still find games to play by yourself or with family and friends. With Ruko Express you have access to thousands of movies and TV shows plus more free channels on the Ruko channel. You can stream your favorite movies and series from Netflix, HBO NOW, Now, Prime Video, Showtime, ad cable TV from Sling TV and YouTube TV. There are also lots of kid’s content and free live channels. With the fire stick, you can access all its apps and services from Amazon app store with most of the major streaming services like HBO NOW, YouTube, Amazon, Netflix, Hulu, Spotify, Sling TV, and Vue, but Google play movies, Vudu and Google play music are missing.

Ruko Express has thousands of apps and services with more free movies and TV shows on the Ruko channel.

User-friendly interface

Ruko Express has a more user-friendly interface that is very easy to customize. You can easily arrange the apps you frequently use on the device on your home page. However, with the fire stick, the interface has large icons for the apps and content on the homepage. When you search for the content you get more reliable results on Ruko than on the fire stick. Amazon will also give you its recommendations on movies and shows to watch, especially from Prime videos instead of what you want, and you’ll mostly find the prime video on the home screen even if it’s not your preferred service.

The Ruko Express has a better user interface that allows you to control the apps and services on your homepage.

Private listening

If you love to watch late-night movies or shows and play games without disturbing other people, the Ruko Express remote has a built-in headphone jack where you insert your headphones and adjust the volume using the remote. If you don’t want to use the remote, the Ruko mobile app will be better so you just plug your headphones into your smartphone then mute the soundbar to get audio in your headphones. The fire stick also provides private listening, but with Bluetooth headphones because the remote doesn’t have a headphone jack.

The Ruko Express has an easier way of doing your private listening and there are no delays with the audio.

Roku Express vs Fire Stick – A comparison review

Ruko Express

Ruko Express is an affordable and easy to use a mini streamer that you can use to access thousands of apps. The Express has 2 ports at the back, one for the HDMI and the other for the USB charger. It has some adhesive strip that you use to stick it at the back of your TV or on your TV stand. The remote is very plain with navigation and playback buttons and dedicated service buttons for Netflix, Hulu, Sling TV, and ESPN+. It’s an IR remote so you need to point it directly at the Express to work.

It doesn’t have a microphone so you can’t use your voice for searching content, but the free mobile Ruko app makes your phone a wireless remote that enables voice search. The Express can only stream its apps and services up to 1080p and it works very well because you can quickly switch between apps, navigate menus, and stream rapidly even if the device can only support the single-band 2.4 GHz band that is a bit slower than the 5 GHz band. Apart from all the free content to watch on your home screen, the Ruko channel has its own free selection.

Pros

• Plenty of streaming apps and services
• Has a user-friendly interface
• The built-in headphone jack makes it convenient for private listening
• Very affordable

Cons

• Missing control on the remote
• The remote is infrared-based

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Fire stick

The Amazon Fire TV stick is a media streaming device that uses Alexa’s voice control for search functions by holding the microphone button on your remote. You can also use it hands-free and also pair it with an Echo device for hands-free voice control of even your smart home devices like your lights, thermostat, and other smart appliances. This fire stick has an HDMI plug on one end that you insert at the back of your TV and a micro-USB port on the other end.

The remote has a large directional pad and big select buttons at the center with a pinhole mic and power button at the top. You can use the Amazon Fire TV remote app to control your fire stick with your phone or tablet. Alexa provides a lot of conveniences and you can add skills to Alexa to improve on its functionality and usefulness. The fire stick may be a small device, but it’s very fast when it comes to navigation and loading content with no buffering delays. Its performance is aided by a quad-core processor that significantly helps to speed things up, but it’s not quite as fast when navigating menus as it is with the Fire TV Cube. The stick is still very responsive and can deliver up to 1080p video resolution.

Pros

• The Amazon Alexa voice control is very useful
• Very fast navigation
• A wide selection of apps and services
• Good picture quality

Cons

• No Ethernet connection
• Search limited to Amazon content

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Conclusion

Both the Roku Express and Fire Stick are excellent streaming devices, but it will all come down to your personal preference. While the Ruko Express is an easy to use streamer with tons of apps to choose from, while the fire stick uses an Alexa remote to make it easier and more convenient for voice control.

So which one is better Roku Express or Fire Stick?

The Ruko Express is a better streaming device because it’s affordable, easy to use, has tons of apps and services, and has a better interface than the fire stick.

FAQ

Do you need the internet for a fire stick?

Yes, you do. Since the fire stick doesn’t have an Ethernet port, so using wifi is the only way to connect your device and TV to the internet.

Can you get local channels with Ruko?

You can access dozens of local channels on Ruko. You can also watch local content for free on some Ruko channels from both national and independent providers, but some streaming options need a subscription.