The Roku Express ($30) is the absolute cheapest name-brand streaming player on the market, and it’s also one of the least impressive. While the device is functional and offers a lot of channels, its ugly design and sluggish performance, and the plethora of better options available, undercut the Roku Express at every turn. This Roku is a viable choice for only the most cash-strapped videophile.

Design

I’m not entirely sure what to call the shape of the Roku Express. In truth, it resembles nothing so much as a small, black Twinkie. With a rectangular front and rounded edges at the back, this small box won’t take up much space, but it’s still bigger than the Roku Streaming Stick. The Express’s diminutive size and weight turn out to be something of a problem, as plugging the device into a TV will hoist this Roku into the air by the HDMI cord. You can attach it to the TV with an included adhesive strip, at which point it will stick out like an unsightly tumor.