Summary
- Fire TV seems to have inherent performance issues, particularly on budget TVs from third-party vendors. In worst-case scenarios, the software can come to a crawl.
- The homescreen interface is heavily Amazon-centric, focusing on Prime Video and partner promotions. So much so that it can become obnoxious.
- You can’t bet on Fire TV devices supporting Google Cast or Apple AirPlay, although there are some workarounds and exceptions. There’s no Matter or Thread compatibility, either.
I’ll admit, there’s some hyperbole going on with the title of this article, but the core sentiment is bang-on — I’m probably not going to buy a Fire TV device again anytime soon, not unless there are some significant improvements. If you’re unfamiliar, Fire TV is Amazon’s video streaming interface. You can get TVs with the software preloaded, or if you want to add it to an existing set, you can buy a product like the Fire TV 4K Stick Max or the Fire TV Cube. You can even get the tech on a smart display like the Echo Show 15, which is actually pretty handy if you want to watch YouTube while doing your weekly meal prep.
What’s the matter with Fire TV as a whole, you ask? I’m about to explain the details, but for a top-level summary, it’s not that Fire TV is inherently terrible or unusable. It’s just that, in the current streaming landscape, you can do better with Roku, Google, or an Apple TV 4K, sometimes even for less money. It might surprise you, but I’d choose one of those platforms even if I was all-in on Prime Video and an Alexa-based smart home.
1
Performance is all over the board
Beware the budget third-party TV
If you buy one of the most recent Fire TV devices straight from Amazon, you may not have any major problems. I reviewed the Fire TV 4K Stick Max a few years ago, as well as the first-generation Echo Show 15, and the experience was smooth enough to be unremarkable. That’s a compliment — users should be focusing on their movies and shows, not how hard it is to get to them.
The software itself seems to degrade over time, putting too much of a burden on processors and storage.
Where things become a gamble is with third-party TVs. For the most part, it’s only budget sets that use Amazon’s software, and the internet is full of complaints about these products becoming unbearably slow. I had that experience myself with an Insignia TV. Part of it has to do with the budget factor, but the software itself seems to degrade over time, putting too much of a burden on processors and storage. Conversely, any recent Roku device tends to run as smooth as butter, and an Apple TV 4K has more power and storage than you could possibly need.
If you do decide to buy a Fire TV device from Amazon, I’d strongly recommend choosing the most expensive one you can afford. You’re more likely to get a fast processor and a reasonable amount of storage space.
2
The interface is too Amazon-centric
Perhaps I shouldn’t be surprised
Amazon really, really wants you to watch Prime Video, especially if it spent a fortune on a series like Jack Ryan or The Rings of Power. That sounds obvious, but Fire TV foregrounds the service to the point of it being obnoxious. And if Prime promotions aren’t getting in the way, it’s an ad banner for a show like House of the Dragon, or a partner service like Pluto or HBO Max.
To be fair, you will see ads and highlighted content on all the major streaming devices. But Apple, Roku, and Google seem to know their limits, making it easier to find the things you’re actually trying to watch. Amazon could probably have its cake and eat it too if it decluttered its interface a little bit.
3
You can’t count on Google Cast or Apple AirPlay support
C’mon Amazon — play nice
Too often, Amazon likes to pretend that rival platforms don’t exist. The situation has improved a little in recent times, but exceptions remain — if you search for a Google Nest Hub on Amazon.com, for instance, the site’s algorithm inevitably makes sure you see an Echo Show too.
The best example, however, is Fire TV’s omission of the two main casting technologies. There are workarounds to this, such as Miracast, third-party apps, and the AirPlay and HomeKit settings on some third-party sets. But in 2025, you should be able to count on AirPlay and Google Cast out of the box, given how much easier they make it to share personal photos and videos, or at least cast a specific movie or show you’ve already located on your phone. Now that I think about it, I wonder how many businesses have bought a Fire TV device for casting presentations, only to realize they’d have to use a direct HDMI connection instead.
4
Smart home support is lagging behind Apple and Google
Matter does matter to some of us
Fire TV is deeply integrated into Alexa, and that can open up a world of possibilities when it comes to automation and voice control. Imagine, for instance, a “movie night” command launching Netflix, dimming the lights, and closing the blinds, all in one fell swoop. If you’ve got a pair of identical Echo speakers, Alexa can set them up for wireless TV audio.
If Amazon is serious about maintaining its place in the smart home world, it needs to offer at least one add-on with both Thread and Matter.
Curiously though, none of Amazon’s add-on streamers can act as a Matter controller, not even the Fire TV Cube. This wouldn’t be shocking except that many, many Echo devices can, including the ultra-cheap Echo Pop and Echo Flex. Matter lets you pair accessories like light bulbs and vacuums to an ecosystem without needing native support — something you’d think Amazon would want to encourage at any opportunity. It’s a chance to steal users from other platforms.
Similarly, no Fire TV streamer can serve as a border router for Thread accessories. If Amazon is serious about maintaining its place in the smart home world, it needs to offer at least one add-on with both Thread and Matter. Those technologies are already baked into the Google TV Streamer and the top-end Apple TV 4K.
