11 Best Fire Stick Apps in 2024
With the recently concluded Amazon Prime Day festivities, people have been buying the Fire TV Stick and several other Amazon products at throwaway prices. Well, if you’re one of the customers who recently bought a Fire TV Stick, you may be wondering what kind of apps you can download on this tiny device. Well, the answer is pretty much anything. Thanks to support from developers, Amazon’s Fire TV Stick can hold its own against competitive offerings like the Google Chromecast, which lacks some of the features that the Fire TV Stick possesses.
So what are some of the best apps for the Fire TV Stick? Well, there are quite a handful of them out there, and it’s only a matter of knowing where to look. We have compiled some of the best apps for the Fire TV Stick to make it easier for you. So without waiting any further, let’s have a look at some of these apps.
11 Best Fire Stick Apps in 2024
Netflix
One of the primary motives of the Fire TV Stick is to allow users to stream high-definition content with minimal effort. Knowing that Netflix is one of the largest streaming networks in the world, it’s no wonder that there’s a dedicated app for the platform. Even though the app has been built for the Fire TV Stick, it contains all the essential features that you see on other versions of Netflix. Since it’s built for the larger screen, I feel the Netflix experience on the Fire TV Stick is second to none.
For those unaware with how Netflix works, it’s a subscription service that requires users to pay monthly. In return, you get access to thousands of movies and TV shows, including Netflix’s original content that you cannot find elsewhere on the internet. These factors have made Netflix one of the primary streaming providers in the market today. It goes without saying that if you’ve already got a Netflix subscription, you shouldn’t wait too long to get this app for your Fire TV Stick.
The Netflix app is free to download on the Fire TV Stick, although using your account will require a subscription. You can setup family accounts if you have multiple users in the same house, making this one of the best apps you can have for the Fire TV Stick.
Pluto TV
This app may not be as popular as Netflix, but there’s very little to differentiate between this and some other streaming apps. Pluto TV gives you access to 100+ channels pertaining to general news, sports and a variety of other categories. You can also access a ton of free VOD content on Pluto TV. The best part about Pluto TV is that it’s absolutely free. In fact, you can start using its services without even signing up or creating an account, which makes it one of the best free TV streaming apps available for the Fire TV Stick.
Your choices may be limited, though, since it’s mostly TV channels. However, Pluto TV diversifies its portfolio by also offering other content that’s available on demand. A combination of these factors makes Pluto TV one of the best free apps for the Fire TV Stick. It is also compatible with Amazon’s other devices like the Fire tablets lineup.
One annoyance that customers mention is the commercials that run on the app. This is a minor sacrifice to make for a free app that doesn’t charge you for viewing thousands of content at will. Navigating the UI on the Fire TV Stick is a breeze thanks to the updated version of Pluto TV.
Cartoon Network
It goes without saying that entertainment is not just limited to adults. There have been cartoons and anime series since time immemorial and has been instrumental in the learning and growth of millions of children around the world. Keeping this in mind, it’s only fair that you download the dedicated Cartoon Network app for kids (or adults) at your home.
The app includes content and episodes from Teen Titans Go!, The Amazing World of Gumball, Adventure Time, Ben 10, Powerpuff Girls, Mighty Magiswords, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and several others. While most of the features on the Cartoon Network app are free, you may be required to have a cable subscription in order to access some of the premium cartoon content. Among other features of the app is the ability to watch exclusive premiere episodes even before they hit the TV airwaves, giving you bragging rights among your friends.
Accessing most of the app’s features doesn’t require a login, which makes things easy for new subscribers. If not full episodes, there are thousands of small clips to choose from ranging from older cartoons to some of the newer shows. The Cartoon Network app is free to download on the Amazon AppStore.
Euronews English
While it’s great to watch movies, TV shows and cartoons, customers also need to stay ahead of the curve to understand what’s happening in the world around them. Euronews English is an excellent news information service that provides breaking news and other important information from all over the world. Most importantly, Euronews is known for its coverage of news from an European perspective, something that U.S. customers don’t get a lot of.
Euronews is rated as an independent media hub with focus on news, favoring facts and analysis over emotions. With a reach of 415 million homes in 156 countries, Euronews is undoubtedly one of the most popular news apps out there. It works seamlessly on your Fire TV Stick, and you will find video reports from multiple sources.
Even if you’re not someone who follows the news everyday, I think an app like this can certainly do more good than bad to you and your family. As you would expect, Euronews is a free download on the Amazon AppStore. While this app is focused on English news, you can also choose to hear or watch your news in other languages. Euronews is available all throughout the day 24/7 in a total of 13 languages with a diverse set of journalists covering news from all over the world. Be sure to check out this app.
ESPN
This is the one app you need to have for American sports and analysis. The ESPN app for the Fire TV Stick gives you access to several videos and analyses on football, basketball etc. The app also allows you to watch live content like NFL – Monday Night Football. As is the case with most live sports streaming, it’s not really free.
However, the ESPN app offers you a decent amount of live sports particularly the games that are broadcast on ESPN 3. Having a separate cable subscription makes the ESPN app an extremely versatile offering. With access to a large screen and the Fire TV Stick, you can watch pretty much any major sporting event from your living room in real time.
As is the case with live streaming, some content requires you to login to a cable network before streaming the game. This mostly pertains to important games that have viewership in millions. But it’s still pretty cool that ESPN also offers free live streaming for some games. This is a blend of both free and paid offerings, which makes it a more than decent offering for sports fans in the U.S. ESPN for the Fire TV Stick is a free download on the Amazon AppStore.
Spotify Music
Spotify doesn’t need an introduction as it is one of the world’s most popular music streaming service. The best part about Spotify is that even though it has a paid subscription offering, it does offer free services to its users. The caveat here is that users will have to make do with ads and slightly lower quality playback. While playing tracks on your Fire TV, the app will display album art from your music on the large screen. Once setup, you can control music playback from your Fire TV Stick remote or your smartphone and tablet.
If you already have a premium subscription, Spotify becomes an even better offering on the Fire TV Stick. There are no ads for subscribers while the audio quality is pretty high as well. If you’re new to Spotify, it makes sense to try out the service first, and then maybe get the free trial to take it for a spin. The Spotify app for the Fire TV Stick doesn’t appear to have music videos, however, which is a bit of a letdown. The Spotify app for the Fire TV Stick is a free download on the Amazon AppStore.
Twitch
Twitch is one of the world’s most popular game streaming site with millions of gamers using the platform to stream their gaming sessions. The Twitch app for the Fire TV Stick comes with a variety of live and prerecorded content, including but not limited to esports events, art, cooking, music, and several other genres. The app also supports a fully-functional live chat feature, letting you interact with fellow gamers who are following the same stream. What makes Twitch stand out from other video streaming platforms is its partnership for interactive live shows with some of the biggest game developers in the business including Xbox, Sony, Riot Games, Blizzard and others.
The app also comes with a dark mode feature which can be greatly beneficial for watching streams in the night or simply for chats. Twitch is also an excellent service for content discovery, allowing you to find some unique multiplayer content that you may not have heard of before. It’s an ever growing community of gamers and developers, which makes Twitch one of the best game-related streaming apps out there, even leaving giants like YouTube behind. While most of Twitch’s services are free to access, the company also offers subscriptions with some added benefits. The Twitch app is a free download on the Amazon AppStore.
Mozilla Firefox
While the Fire TV Stick has its own web browser, a third-party browser like Mozilla Firefox can be a significant upgrade. The browser comes with all the modern tools that you expect from a web browser, and more. This browser has been built for the Fire TV Stick with videos in mind. Users will get a Video Feed on their homepage with specially curated videos from services like Pocket. You can also save videos and sites to your home screen, allowing you to quickly access them in the future.
Naturally, you can also browse the entire internet with this browser. Sites like YouTube, Vimeo, DailyMotion etc are compatible and require no additional drivers or apps to work. This app is highly recommended to existing owners of Firefox. Although this app may not have all the features of the desktop version, it’s still one of the best third-party web browsers for the Fire TV Stick. Mozilla Firefox is a free download on the Amazon AppStore. Given that Mozilla is an incredibly active group, you can expect frequent updates to the browser with additional features and the usual suite of bug fixes.
Downloader
Every platform has its own version of an online file downloader. But for those who can’t make do with it, the Downloader app for the Fire TV Stick is an excellent offering. In addition to letting you download files by simply providing their URLs, Downloader can also help you unpack APK files (Android app files) on the Fire TV Stick. Users do not need a separate keyboard or mouse to use this app, as merely the Alexa voice remote wll suffice on most occasions. Downloader also has its own built-in web browser, allowing you to navigate full pages and manually select what to download. This aspect makes it pretty similar to a standard web browser, but with the standard functionality being downloading files off the internet.
Users must be aware that while copyright free videos can be downloaded, you may hit a brick wall while trying to download protected content. As a rule, users are recommended not to download files that are not legally available for download. The app is completely free to download from the Amazon AppStore, but users have the ability to pitch in any amount they see fit. Donations are the sole source of income for the developers of this app, so it’s a pretty novel idea to donate directly using Amazon Coins.
Plex
Plex is one of the most popular media streaming apps out there, especially for locally stored files. The app lets you neatly organize all your files and eventually push them onto the device of your choice for streaming. One of the newer features supported by Plex is the ability to stream music from TIDAL, one of the industry’s favorite music streaming services supported by artists like Jay Z. You can either sign-in using your Tidal credentials or sign up for a new account. Tidal is not completely free, though, so you may be required to have a subscription in order to use it.
Users also have the option to purchase the Plex Pass subscription, which gives you the ability to record live TV shows and watch it anytime using Plex Live TV and DVR. This feature reportedly works with any supported digital antenna and tuner. Plex also has 190 global publisher partners including the likes of CBS, Financial Times, Euronews, etc, giving you up to date information on what’s happening around the world.
Some of Plex’s free features include remote access, sharing, security, and casting, so not all customers are required to pay in order to use this app. Plex also helps you find thousands of podcasts using a simple search tool. Plex is a free download on the Amazon AppStore although some of the features inside may require an in-app subscription.
YouTube
For some reason, YouTube (or Google) didn’t have an official app for Amazon’s Fire devices. This meant that users had to use the YouTube link or simply head over to a web browser to login to the site. However, YouTube was quick to rectify this and now offers an official app to watch millions of videos uploaded everyday on the platform. Users can sign in to see their recommendations or saved videos from the library. The app also supports multiple accounts, allowing an entire family to have their recommendations saved in one app. This app works with game controllers as well as the Alexa-powered Fire TV voice remote, which means a keyboard or mouse is not necessary to use this particular app.
This app is also the best source to enjoy 4K content on your Fire TV Stick. With so many 4K videos available to choose from, you’re surely going to be spoilt for choice. Users can also play YouTube videos from their phone and mirror it on the Fire TV Stick. This requires the user to be signed in from the same account on both the devices. Once done, you simply have to select the videos you want to mirror and simply swipe them over to the big screen. YouTube is a free app on the Amazon AppStore.