Chromecast vs Fire TV comparison: price
The Chromecast costs £30, but can be found online for as low as £15. If you buy one from Google, you’ll get 90 days of free access to Google Unlimited Music. See our music streaming services comparison
Chromecast vs Fire TV comparison: design
The Fire TV connects via an HDMI cable (which isn’t included in the box), and requires a separate power supply. The Chromecast looks like an over-sized USB flash drive, but plugs into one of your TV’s HDMI inputs. It still requires power, but many modern TVs have a handy USB port which can be used for this. It relies on another device to control it and act as a remote. This could be an Android smartphone or tablet, an iPhone or iPad, or a PC or laptop. For the most part, the remote control device simply begins the video stream, rather than beaming a video to the Chromecast. With certain apps, though, you can do this or display photos and videos directly from a phone or tablet.
Chromecast vs Fire TV comparison: What’s on?
You’ll find a comprehensive list of which services are supported by each device in our Fire TV Stick vs Chromecast vs Roku Streaming Stick comparison
Chromecast vs Fire TV comparison: Which is best?
As we’ve said, the two devices are quite different even though they’re both video streamers. The Chromecast is inexpensive, but requires you to have a compatible device to control it. Realistically, that should be a smartphone or tablet rather than a PC or laptop, since a handheld touchscreen device is much better suited to being a remote. There still aren’t as many apps with Chromecast support as we’d thought there would be by now, which is a bit of a problem if you want the full range of UK catch-up TV. If you want to play your own collection of videos, both devices support the Plex app, but here the Fire TV is your best bet as it’s way more powerful than the Chromecast and won’t have any problems with large media libraries. Currently, the array of games on offer via the Fire TV is small, and some are really suitable as they’re designed for touchscreens, so don’t be persuaded that it will double as a games console just yet. Jim has been testing and reviewing products for over 20 years. His main beats include VPN services and antivirus. He also covers smart home tech, mesh Wi-Fi and electric bikes.
