Fire Stick vs Android TV Box vs Mi Stick: Which Runs Sideloaded Apps Best?

If you're buying a device specifically to run sideloaded Android streaming apps — not just whatever's in an app store — the three most common choices are an Amazon Fire TV Stick, a generic Android TV box, or Xiaomi's Mi Box/Mi Stick. They're not interchangeable once you look past the price tag.

Fire TV Stick

Best for: people who already own other Fire TV devices, or want the cheapest reliable option.

• Runs Fire OS, Amazon's own Android fork — sideloading works well but requires the extra Developer Options steps covered in our Fire Stick setup guide.
• Important caveat: the newest Fire TV Stick 4K Select ships with Amazon's new Vega OS, which does not currently support sideloading at all. Older Fire OS models (Stick, Stick 4K, Stick 4K Max, Cube) are unaffected.
• Remote and interface are polished, but the home screen pushes Amazon's own content heavily.

Android TV / Google TV boxes (generic)

Best for: people who want the closest thing to a "real Android" experience, with full Play Store access alongside sideloaded apps.

• Since these run stock Android TV or Google TV, sideloading is generally the most straightforward of the three — Play Store install of Downloader, toggle one permission, done.
• Quality varies enormously by brand and price — a $25 no-name box and a $150 NVIDIA Shield are both "Android TV boxes" but perform nothing alike.
• Worth checking the specific box has Google TV / Android TV certification rather than a forked, uncertified Android build — uncertified builds sometimes restrict sideloading despite technically running Android.

Xiaomi Mi Box / Mi TV Stick

Best for: a balance of price and a clean, certified Google TV experience.

• Runs certified Android TV / Google TV, so sideloading works the same reliable way as generic boxes — see our Mi Box sideloading guide for the exact steps, including a USB-drive method that skips installing a downloader app entirely.
• Generally more affordable than NVIDIA Shield while still being a certified, well-supported device — a solid middle option.

Side-by-side

• Cheapest to get sideloading working: Fire TV Stick (basic model) or a budget Mi Stick.
• Least friction to sideload: Mi Box / Google TV boxes — no vendor-specific Developer Options hunting.
• Best long-term performance for the price: Mi Box over a generic no-name box of the same price, thanks to certified software and consistent updates.
• Avoid if buying specifically to sideload: the newest Fire TV Stick 4K Select (Vega OS) and any no-name box advertised as "fully loaded" — these often ship with modified firmware that restricts installing apps outside a preset list.

The bottom line

All three device families run NetflixKing well once installed — the real differences are in how much friction you hit getting there, and how much you trust the device's software over its lifetime. If you already own one of these, there's a good chance it already works; check our device-specific setup guides above before buying anything new.