I've been using both a Roku Streaming Stick 4K and a Fire TV Stick 4K Max lately, and it's really opened my eyes to just how much they have in common. While their user interfaces are distinct, both are incredibly easy to use and make it simple to access a wide variety of streaming apps, including staples like Netflix, Disney+, and Prime Video, as well as many others.
Both Roku and Amazon's Fire TV sticks also shine when it comes to free content. Thanks to the huge selection of FAST (free ad-supported TV) apps available — like Pluto TV, Tubi, Plex, and, of course, The Roku Channel — you're not exactly hurting for things to watch for free. Each platform even offers a dedicated live TV channel guide, making it easy to scroll through hundreds of free channels in a very cable-like way.
Streaming quality is another area where the two are nearly identical. While Roku and Amazon each offer several tiers of devices — from their HD sticks to the Roku Streaming Stick 4K and Fire TV Stick 4K Max — an apples-to-apples comparison of quality shows that the top-tier models are basically on equal footing. Both support 4K HDR streaming, along with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos, and in my experience, the difference in picture and sound quality has been negligible.
That said, despite their similarities, I have discovered one major area where Fire TV completely runs laps around Roku: support for cloud gaming. Right now, all of Amazon's Fire TV Sticks and the Fire TV Cube support cloud gaming, while Roku's streaming sticks and the Roku Ultra don't support cloud gaming at all. And I think this is an area that could sway many minds now and into the future about which streaming device to buy.