Roku Streaming Stick Plus: Two-minute review
The Roku Streaming Stick Plus has a lot to commend it. It’s very affordable, compact enough to take on the road, and power-efficient enough to run off a USB port on the back of a TV. Its only flaw, and it’s kind of a big one, is that there’s a little lag when navigating menus, possibly due to its older Wi-Fi standard. However, there are no performance issues once you get a show or movie streaming.
The Roku Streaming Stick Plus is ideal for someone on a budget or who wants a streamer that can tuck behind a mounted TV. If performance is a top priority, though, the more expensive Roku Ultra (2024), which I think is among the best streaming devices available right now, is worth the upgrade.
When first unboxing the Roku Streaming Stick Plus, it’s almost surprising how small it is. Measuring just 3.7 x 0.80 x 0.45 inches, it’s dwarfed by the Roku Voice Remote it comes with.
Since it’s so small, it has just an HDMI male port on one end for plugging directly into a TV and a USB-C female port situated on the other end for power. There’s also a very small reset button on the same end as the USB-C port.
Interestingly, the Roku Streaming Stick Plus doesn’t come with a power supply. Instead, it only comes with a cable with a USB-A port on the other end. The idea is that this streaming stick is so efficient that it draws all the power it needs from the powered USB port on the back of a TV – a pretty cool concept as you don’t see any of the device when looking at the TV.
The Roku’s Voice Remote is not the company’s best remote – that belongs to the Roku Voice Remote Pro (2nd edition) that comes with the Roku Ultra (2024) streaming box and the Roku Pro Series TVs – but it ticks all the usual boxes. It feels nice the way Roku remotes do with their rounded back, and there are separate Play / Pause buttons instead of the wheel of inputs a lot of remotes have these days. There are App buttons for various streaming services and, most importantly, there’s the voice command button, which lets you talk into the remote.
Now, performance is where the Roku Streaming Stick Plus can suffer a little bit. Before I discuss that, I do want to say that once I got something started and was streaming in 4K, there were no issues such as stuttering or other artifacts.
When first getting past setup, I started browsing the apps, and there was a small lag moving from tile to tile or from menu entry to entry. Though that was the worst, I still noticed a very short delay. This could be because the Roku Streaming Stick Plus uses the somewhat dated Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) standard. Also, its processor could be underpowered.
As far as the Roku interface goes, it’s the same standard layout the company uses for all its streaming products. It’s a tile-first view, where you browse various apps instead of recommended content from those apps as you would with a Google or Alexa streaming device. (There is a small selection of suggestions at the top of the interface, however.)
The Roku ecosystem has plenty of free content, offering 500 different channels along with the Roku Channel. There’s even a general Sports tab in the menu.
If you want to use the Roku Streaming Stick Plus for streaming movies, be aware that it doesn’t support every feature. It can stream in 4K with HDR10+, HDR10, and HLG high dynamic range, but it does not support Dolby Vision. On the smart home front, it supports Roku Smart Home, Apple HomeKit, Alexa, and Google Home. Also worth mentioning is that it will pass through Dolby encoded audio and DTS digital surround.
Roku Streaming Stick Plus: Price and release date
- $39.99 / £39.99 (about AU$70)
- Released April 2025
The Roku Streaming Stick Plus is affordably priced for a 4K streaming stick, selling for just $39.99 / £39.99 (about AU$70). Compare that to the Roku Ultra (2024), which goes for $99.99 (about £80 / AU$150).
The Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max (2023) is similar in a lot of ways, but uses the Alexa ecosystem and supports Dolby Vision. It’s also bigger despite having the same form factor. (When reviewing The Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max, I remember having to use the included dongle as the Fire TV Stick was too bulky to fit directly into my TV’s HDMI port.) Amazon’s streaming stick is priced much higher at $59.99 / £69.99 / AU$119, but it’s regularly discounted to around for the same price as the Roku Streaming Stick Plus.
If you want to go as cheap as possible, Roku also has the Roku Streaming Stick that only goes up to 1080p (HD) resolution, skipping out on 4K and HDR support. It’s a bit cheaper at $29.99 / £29.99, so if you have an older TV, it might be worth it to save the ten bucks.
Should you buy the Roku Streaming Stick Plus?
Attributes | Notes | Rating |
Features | 4K and HDR10+, HDR10, HLG, and Dolby Atmos support but no Dolby Vision | 4 / 5 |
Performance | Lags just a bit when browsing, which makes it feel a little underpowered. | 4 / 5 |
Design | Not only is it really small, but it can draw power from your TV, eliminating the need for a power cable. | 4.5 / 5 |
Value | This streaming device might be Roku’s best value proposition, with its low price and 4K / HDR support. | 4.5 / 5 |
Buy it if...
You want 4K on a budget
The Roku Streaming Stick Plus is one of the cheapest ways to get streaming in 4K. Go any cheaper and you’ll be stuck with 1080p (HD) options.
You want to hide your streaming player
The Roku Streaming Stick Plus hides discreetly behind your TV, even drawing power from it, so you won’t even notice that it’s there.
You want to be in the Roku ecosystem
If you’ve used Roku devices before, you know the company’s ecosystem. This is a very affordable way to stay current with the Roku interface.
Don't buy it if...
You want the most robust streaming device
The Roku Streaming Stick Plus is efficient, but it’s not the most powerful, using an older Wi-Fi standard. If you want the fastest Roku streamer, go with a Roku Ultra.
You don’t have a TV that supports 4K
If your TV is a little older and doesn’t support 4K, save a little money and get the entry-level model from Roku or one of its competitors.
Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K (2023) review: Also consider
Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max (2023)
If you have a whole host of Alexa smart home products and want to stick with first-party options, the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max (2023) is almost as discreet as the Roku Streaming Stick Plus. It’s fast enough with Wi-Fi6E support, not to mention Dolby Vision, HDR10+, and Dolby Atmos support. It is very Prime-centric, however, showing ads for Prime content every time it’s on idle.
Read our full Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max (2023) review
Roku Ultra (2024)
The Roku Ultra (2024) is a bit more expensive and larger, so it can’t easily be tucked away behind the TV. But the Ultra is Roku’s best and most robust streaming device, and it supports just about every feature, including Dolby Vision, and comes with the company’s best remote.
Read more about the Roku Ultra (2024)
How I tested the Roku Streaming Stick Plus
- Used regularly for a week
- Tested with all sorts of apps
- Tested the remote
I used the Roku Streaming Stick Plus regularly for a weekend, just enough to see everything it can do. I used it with free Roku content and popular third-party apps like Max. I also spent time testing the remote and its various functions.
I’ve tested a lot of tech gear over the years from laptops to keyboards and speakers, and so have been able to use my expertise towards giving an honest and fair opinion, not to mention a critical eye, to any product I test.
First reviewed May 2025
