Best Roku Alternatives in 2026, Now That Fox Is Buying Roku

Last updated: October 17, 2026

In June 2026 Fox Corporation agreed to buy Roku for about $22 billion. Shareholders of both companies approved the deal on October 14, 2026, and it is expected to close in the first half of 2027 once the Justice Department finishes its review. When it closes, the company that makes the shows will also own the box that records what you watch.

If that bothers you, here are the alternatives I’d look at, ranked by privacy and how much setup they take. For background on how smart TV platforms collect viewing data, RTINGS’ smart TV tracking research is a good read.

Quick comparison

Device	Privacy	Price (Oct 2026)	Setup
Jellyfin (self-hosted)	Highest	$150 to $500 in hardware	High
Raspberry Pi + Kodi	Highest	$90 to $120	Medium-high
Apple TV 4K	Medium-high	$299 (new 2026 model)	Minimal
Nvidia Shield TV Pro	Medium (configurable)	$299	Moderate
Google TV Streamer	Low-medium	$149.99	Minimal
Amazon Fire TV	Low	Varies, often on sale	Minimal
Roku	Low	$30 to $100	None

Prices move a lot in 2026. Memory costs pushed several streaming boxes up this year, so check the current price before you buy.

The best Roku alternatives in 2026

Ordered roughly from “willing to do some setup” to “just want to plug something in.”

1. Jellyfin (self-hosted)

Running your own media server is the most complete escape from corporate tracking. Jellyfin is open source and free. Your data stays on your network and nobody is logging what you watch.

You need something to run it on: a NAS, an old PC, or a Raspberry Pi 5. You also need media files, which means ripping your own discs or owning DRM-free copies.

Cost: Free software. Hardware runs $150 to $500 depending on what you already have. A Raspberry Pi 5 with a case and a 2TB external drive gets you started for around $200.

You get a Netflix-style interface you host yourself. It handles movies, TV, music and photos, pulls in artwork automatically, and has apps for smart TVs, phones, tablets and browsers. You don’t get Netflix, Max, Disney+ or any other subscription. Jellyfin is for media you own.

Good fit for: anyone with a media collection who will spend an afternoon on setup to get zero telemetry afterward.

2. Apple TV 4K

If you want a commercial box and don’t want to self-host anything, Apple TV is the least bad option, even at its new price. Apple collects some usage data, but advertising is not its core business, so the incentive to harvest your viewing habits is weaker than at Roku or Amazon.

You can opt out of personalized ads, limit app tracking, and check what each app collects through the App Store privacy labels.

Cost: Apple announced a new Apple TV 4K on October 13, 2026 at $299, shipping November 13. The previous model, which had crept up to $199 and $249, is being phased out, so watch for discounted leftovers.

The app library is strong but narrower than Android TV, and sideloading is not an option. Where it earns its price is the home screen: no ads and no promoted rows. After using Fire TV or Roku, that matters more than it sounds.

Good fit for: people who want a set-and-forget device with better privacy defaults and are willing to pay for it.

3. Nvidia Shield TV Pro (Android TV)

The Shield TV Pro is still the most capable streaming box you can buy. It runs Android TV, so you can sideload apps and replace the default launcher with something like FLauncher. That removes the ad grid and recommendation rows.

Cost: $299. Nvidia raised the price from $199 in October 2026, citing component costs, and the cheaper tube-shaped Shield TV has been discontinued. The Pro can also run Plex or a Jellyfin server, which softens the price a little.

Its AI upscaler makes older 1080p content look better on a 4K screen. The catch is setup time: swapping the launcher means enabling developer options and sideloading over ADB. Budget about an hour once.

Good fit for: power users who want the full app library, maximum control, and a box that can double as a media server.

4. Google TV Streamer

Google discontinued the Chromecast with Google TV in 2024 and replaced it with the Google TV Streamer. It is now $149.99 after a price increase in 2026. Like the Shield it runs Android TV underneath, so sideloading and launcher swaps work.

Privacy reality check: Google is an advertising company, and its incentive to collect data is about the same as Roku’s. The upside is that Google’s privacy settings are documented and easy to find. This is a convenience pick, not a privacy pick.

Good fit for: people already in the Google ecosystem who want the Android app library without the Shield’s price or setup.

5. Amazon Fire TV (with caveats)

A lot of people already own a Fire TV stick and ask whether it’s an upgrade from Roku. From a privacy standpoint, no. Amazon’s ad business is as aggressive as Roku’s, the home screen is full of promoted content, and Fire OS is a locked-down fork of Android without Google Play.

If you live in Prime Video it is a smooth experience, and the sticks are frequently on sale. Just treat it as a sideways move, not an escape.

Good fit for: Prime subscribers who are switching for convenience rather than privacy.

6. Raspberry Pi + LibreELEC and Kodi

If Jellyfin feels like too much infrastructure, Kodi on a Raspberry Pi is simpler. LibreELEC is a minimal Linux system built only to run Kodi, and a Pi 4 or Pi 5 handles it well.

Cost: Raspberry Pi 5 starter kits run $90 to $120.

Kodi is a local player, not a client and server. Plug in a drive or point it at a network share and it plays files directly. It’s less work than Jellyfin but less polished for multi-room or phone playback. Same caveat: no streaming services.

Good fit for: people with a media collection who want the simplest self-hosted setup and don’t mind a little Linux.

One step worth taking whatever you pick

Add a Pi-hole or a similar DNS blocker at the router. It stops telemetry calls before they leave your network, for every device in the house, not just the TV.

A Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W running Pi-hole costs about $15 in hardware. If you’d rather not run anything locally, NextDNS does the same job from the cloud for $1.99 a month.

Even a device with good privacy settings makes system-level calls you can’t switch off in its menus. Network-level blocking catches those.

Why the Fox deal changes things

Roku’s business was already built on tracking what you watch and selling ads against it. Its privacy policy covers automatic content recognition (ACR), ad identifiers, and sharing with partners.

Under Fox, that data would sit inside a company that also produces content and sells the ads around it. Viewing habits could feed straight into what gets made and how ad inventory is priced. That is a different incentive structure from Google owning Android TV, where an ad company happens to have a streaming product.

None of this happens until the deal closes, which is expected in the first half of 2027. That gives you time to switch on your own schedule instead of after the next firmware update.

FAQ

Is Roku still safe to use now that Fox is buying it?

Nothing has changed yet. Fox agreed to buy Roku in June 2026, shareholders of both companies approved the deal on October 14, 2026, and it is expected to close in the first half of 2027 after a Justice Department review. Roku’s existing data collection has not improved, though, so if privacy bothered you before, it is worth planning a switch now.

Does Apple TV collect viewing data?

Apple collects usage data and crash reports, but it does not sell targeted ads against your viewing the way Roku does. Apple collecting less is not the same as Apple collecting nothing, but the incentives are different.

Can I use Jellyfin to watch Netflix?

No. Jellyfin serves media files you own. For Netflix, Disney+, Max and other subscriptions you still need their apps on a separate device or your TV.

What is the cheapest Roku alternative?

The smart TV platform you already own costs nothing extra. LG webOS and Samsung Tizen have their own tracking but cover the major apps. If you want a box, Fire TV sticks are often on sale for well under $50, but they are not a privacy upgrade.

Should I use a VPN instead?

A VPN hides traffic from your internet provider, but the streaming device still sends its telemetry through the tunnel. Network-level blocking with Pi-hole or NextDNS is what actually stops those calls.