When comparing Amazon Fire TV vs Roku 4, the Slant community recommends Roku 4 for most people. In the question“What are the best set-top boxes?” Roku 4 is ranked 1st while Amazon Fire TV is ranked 5th.
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Voice search
There is a dedicated voice search button on the remote so you can quickly bring up the voice search prompt from any app that works fast and accurately.
Pro Has support for tons of media service integrations
The Fire TV has support of the following of services: Netflix, Amazon Instant Video, Hulu Plus, ESPN, Pandora, Showtime, MLB, iHeart Radio, Vevo, Vimeo, Crackle, Bloomberg, Twitch, NBA, Amazon Music, Plex, YouTube, Tune In, Flixster, Quello, AOL on, WWE, HuffPost Live, Frequency, Red Bull TV, and Smithsonian Channel.
Pro Has a simplified kids mode
There is a mode called "freetime" that lets you whitelist specific apps and set watch time limits for kids, or for a simplified interface with only certain apps.
Pro Most powerful set top box
Even though it's only $99, it's far more powerful than its competitors, with a quad core processor and 2GB of ram, and that power really shows in the fluidity of the UI.
Pro Bluetooth Remote
The Fire TV remote doesn't require line of sight, and has a microphone for voice search, thanks to bluetooth support.
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 Lots of Amazon advertisement
The Fire TV prefers Amazon services, and is tailored to purchasing shows and movies through Amazon. The voice search does not clearly expose if it's already available on a non amazon service.
Con Inconsistent UI between apps
Each app has a unique UI making it harder to jump between each app, and requires you to learn a slightly different UI for every app.
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.