When comparing Apple TV vs Roku 4, the Slant community recommends Roku 4 for most people. In the question“What are the best devices to stream Netflix to a TV?” Roku 4 is ranked 3rd while Apple TV is ranked 7th.
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Seamless Airplay support
The Apple TV works seamlessly with Airplay for streaming from Apple devices.
Pro Simple consistent UI
All apps need to conform to the Apple TV UI, meaning they all act similarly.
Pro Built-in voice search
Pro Good 4K support
Pro Universal search
Roku's search will look through all available services and offer results in one place. You don't have to search through each app individually to find what you're looking for. It also remembers your previous searches.
Pro Offers the best selection of content
Roku offers more than 1800 entertainment channels.
Pro Simple, intuitive interface
Roku's interface is fairly straightforward.
Pro Headphone jack in the remote
You can plug in any set of headphones in the Roku's remote at which point Roku will mute the TV and allow you to listen to your content without disturbing anyone around you.
Pro Motion control capable remote
Cons
Con No built-in Chromecast
Unlike official Androidtv devices it has no Chromecast built-in.
Con Remote is very easy to lose
The remote is incredibly small and can easily fall between couch cushions.
Con Aged
Compared to newer internet TV options, the Apple TV is a lot less powerful, and has less capabilities, such as not supporting games or voice search.
Con If you don't want 4K content, Roku 3 might get you more bang for the buck
Since 4K content is still scarce it might be better to get Roku 3 instead. It's practically identical to Roku 4 except for voice search and 4K support that Roku 3 lacks.