Best Streaming Players Under $100: February 2021

Updated: July 23rd, 2021 at 04:28 pm

There’ll never be a better time to get into streaming than right now and there are plenty of great streaming players available for less than $100. With so many streaming services having now launched and many offering exclusive access to movies and shows, choosing the right streaming player has never been more important.

The Max and Plus services aside, streaming doesn’t mean consumers need to miss out on their favorite TV channels and shows. There are a number of live TV streaming services now available with different channel lineups to suit the needs of different homes. All in all, investing in a good streaming player is investing in a one-stop entertainment device.

This guide specifically focuses on the best streaming players priced between $50 and $100. This is an interesting section of the streaming player market, as it is somewhat of a middle ground. On one side, there are the best streaming players under $50 that are more budget oriented, and on the other side there are the premium streaming players priced at under $200. In between is an area where you get a mixture of value and features. Arguably, this makes the $50 to $100 streaming players where a consumer is likely to find the best value overall, with a mix of features at a reasonably low cost.

Best streaming players under $100 summary

There’s a lot of information below highlighting the various benefits and disadvantages of the different streaming platers. However, if you just want to see the list, then here it is:

Roku Ultra 2020: The best Roku player ($99.99)

Put simply, if you want the best experience Roku has to offer then the Roku Ultra is the streaming player for you.

Running on Roku OS, the Roku Ultra comes with access to a wide selection of apps, as well as Bluetooth, Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos support. In addition, Roku Ultra plays nicely with many other devices, thanks to its ability to work with Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri.

Another benefit of the Roku Ultra is access to The Roku Channel. This is the company’s own service that provides access to a selection of TV shows and movies for free. Although there is also the option to add premium subscriptions for easier management and billing.

Software aside and the Roku Ultra is just a more premium player in general. It’s an extremely powerful device compared to other Roku players and also comes with more connection options, including a USB port for connection a hard drive.

Roku Ultra also comes with a more advanced remote control, featuring voice support, shortcut buttons that you can customize, and the ability to find the remote when lost by pressing a button on the player. There’s also a 3.5mm headphone port for a more private listening experience.

Live TV apps available on Roku Ultra:

• AT&T TV
• fuboTV
• Hulu Live TV
• Philo
• Sling TV
• YouTube TV

Popular streaming services available on Roku Ultra:

Roku Ultra is available to buy directly from Roku, as well as various retailers, including Amazon.

Refurbished Fire TV Cube ($99.99)

While this is a refurbished product, it is the newest Fire TV Cube and has been tested and certified as looking and working like new. It also comes with the same warranty as the new version, making it a good option to save on a device that would otherwise cost more than $100.

Unlike Amazon’s other Fire TV products, the Fire TV Cube is literally a cube. More importantly, it is not only a streaming player, but a highly capable voice assistant device that’s capable of communicating and controlling many other smart devices in the home.

One of the more unique elements with the Fire TV Cube is that it is equipped with its own speaker, making Alexa capable of responding to questions and commands without the TV needing to be own. It also features eight microphones so Alexa can hear the user from any direction. Essentially, it is much an Amazon Echo as it is A Fire TV Stick. Albeit a far more powerful Fire TV Stick, considering this is Amazon’s most powerful Fire TV device to date.

Alexa aside, the Fire TV Cube also comes with 4K ultra HD, Dolby Vision, HDR and HDR10+ support. Not to mention, as this is an Amazon device, it also comes with a highly integrated Prime Video and IMDb TV experience.

Live TV streaming apps available on Fire TV Cube:

• AT&T TV
• fuboTV
• Hulu Live TV
• Philo
• Sling TV
• Vidgo
• YouTube TV

Popular streaming services available on Fire TV Cube:

The Fire TV Cube is available to buy from Amazon.

AirTV Mini ($79.99)

The AirTV Mini is a little different to the other devices on this list. It is a streaming player, but it’s one designed with a particular streaming service in mind – Sling TV. However, that shouldn’t be too surprising considering both AirTV and Sling TV are owned by Dish Network.

The idea here is simple. If you plan to, or already use Sling TV then this is basically the player for you. The Sling TV app is preloaded and there’s even a shortcut button on the remote for quick and easy access to the live TV streaming service. In fact, the whole interface is very tightly integrated with Sling TV and tends to run Sling much better than other devices.

The AirTV Mini also does come with an emphasis on local over-the-air live channels. This feature does require the purchase of additional AirTV hardware, but when purchased AirTV Mini can seamlessly access both OTA and live TV channels through the same interface.

AirTV Mini is also a device that runs on the Android TV platform. As a result, the AirTV Mini is capable of downloading many other streaming apps through the Google Play Store, including alternatives to Sling TV.

Live TV streaming apps available on AirTV Mini:

In this section we usually detail the live TV streaming apps you can download, but things are a little different with the AirTV Mini.

Technically, as this device runs on Android TV, many Android apps can be downloaded, including alternate live TV streaming services. However, this is a device designed for Sling TV. If you’re not using Sling TV then there’s no way to disable the app or stop the player from booting into Sling’s interface each time.

Based on this, we do not recommend the AirTV Mini for use with live TV streaming services other than Sling TV. That said, below are the live TV streaming services that can be downloaded on AirTV Mini:

• fuboTV
• Philo
• Vidgo
• YouTube TV

Popular streaming services you can download on AirTV Mini:

AirTV Mini is available to buy directly from AirTV as well as some retailers, including Amazon.

Xiaomi Mi Box S ($69.99)

The Xiaomi Mi Box S is another device that runs on the Android TV platform, making it a good option for apps.

The Xiaomi Mi Box S is actually a very popular product. The combination of a low price and named brand has led to a lot of Xiaomi Mi Box sales over the years. Not to mention, this is not the company’s first product. The Xiaomi Mi Box S is a follow up device to the original Xiaomi Mi Box. In other words, this version boasts a number of improvements based on lessons learned.

At around $70, the Xiaomi Mi Box S is one of the cheapest ways to get started with Android TV. With access to the Google Play Store, users have access o a very wide selection of apps. In addition, Google Assistant is on board to help with smart home integration and control. The Mi Box S also comes with 4K HDR support, as well as a voice-enabled remote control..

Live TV streaming apps available on Mi Box S:

• fuboTV
• Hulu Live TV
• Philo
• Sling TV
• Vidgo
• YouTube TV

Popular streaming services available on Mi Box S:

Xiaomi Mi Box can be purchased from a number of retailers, including Amazon.

Last updated: February 25, 2021