Apple TV vs Google TV is the ecosystem fight of streaming. On one side, Apple’s £199 box: the fastest, most polished streamer money can buy, built for iPhone households. On the other, Google’s £99 TV Streamer: half the price, with the best casting on earth and a smart-home hub built in. I have lived with both for over a year. Here is the honest version of which one deserves your TV.
Apple TV vs Google TV: The 60-Second Answer
Buy Apple TV 4K if you live in Apple’s world. At £199, the A15 chip, Dolby Vision, and iPhone integration are unmatched, and nothing feels as premium.
Buy Google TV Streamer if you want the smart buy. At £99, you get 4K Dolby Vision, Google Cast, and a Thread smart-home hub for half the money.
The one-line rule: iPhone in your pocket? Apple TV. Android in your pocket? Google TV Streamer. It really is that simple for most people.
Price: Google Wins by Half
- Google TV Streamer: £99 (often £79 on sale)
- Apple TV 4K (64GB Wi-Fi): £199 / €229
- Apple TV 4K (128GB Wi-Fi + Ethernet): £249 / €299
Google’s box costs half the Apple TV, and the gap is real. The old Chromecast with Google TV 4K was £59.99, so the Streamer is a step up in price, but it is still the value pick here. Apple never discounts much: £199 is £199, with only occasional refurbished deals softening it. For the full European price breakdown, see my Apple TV 4K price guide.
Picture and Sound Quality
Both do proper 4K HDR, and the gap is smaller than the price suggests.
The Apple TV 4K supports Dolby Vision, HDR10+, and frame-rate matching, with the A15 chip doing excellent upscaling and colour calibration via iPhone. Dolby Atmos is handled superbly, especially paired with AirPods or HomePods.
The Google TV Streamer matches the formats: 4K, Dolby Vision, HDR10+, and Dolby Atmos. Its processor is about 22% faster than the old Chromecast, so menus stay smooth and 4K starts quickly. Side by side on the same TV, most people would struggle to tell them apart on picture alone.
Winner: Apple TV 4K, narrowly, on processing finesse. On pure formats, it is a tie.
Interface: Polished vs Content-Forward
Apple tvOS is the most polished streaming interface: fast, clean, consistent, with the Apple TV app aggregating your shows. No ads on the home screen. It feels expensive because it is.
Google TV is content-forward: rows of recommendations pulled from your services, “continue watching” front and centre. It is great at surfacing things to watch, but the home screen carries sponsored rows and can feel busy next to Apple’s calm.
Winner: Apple TV 4K for polish, Google TV for discovery. Pick your preference.
Casting: Google’s Home Turf
This is where the comparison gets philosophical. Google Cast is baked into the Streamer and into thousands of apps: tap the cast button on your Android phone and video appears on the TV, with your phone free for other things. It is the smoothest casting experience on earth, and iPhone users can cast too via supported apps.
AirPlay 2 on Apple TV does the same job for iPhone, iPad, and Mac: mirror your screen, throw photos and videos to the TV, use your phone as a private listening device. Inside Apple’s world it is seamless. Outside it, it barely exists.
Winner: depends on your phone. Android phone? Google TV, no contest. iPhone? Apple TV.
Smart Home: Hub vs Hub
- Google TV Streamer has a Thread border router and Matter support built in. It is a proper smart-home hub for the Google Home world, and it shows: device control is fast and reliable.
- Apple TV 4K works as a HomeKit hub (128GB model adds Thread too). If your home runs on HomeKit, this is the hub you want.
- Voice: Google Assistant (with Gemini expanding) vs Siri. Google is better at general knowledge and smart-home queries; Siri is better inside Apple’s ecosystem.
Winner: tie, by ecosystem. Google Home household? Streamer. HomeKit household? Apple TV.
Apple TV vs Google TV: Full Comparison (2026)
| Spec | Apple TV 4K (2022) | Google TV Streamer |
|---|---|---|
| UK price | £199 / £249 | £99 |
| EU price | €229 / €299 | ~€119 |
| Processor | Apple A15 Bionic | Custom SoC (22% faster than Chromecast) |
| RAM / Storage | — / 64GB or 128GB | 4GB / 32GB |
| 4K / Dolby Vision | Yes / Yes | Yes / Yes |
| HDR10+ | Yes | Yes |
| Dolby Atmos | Yes | Yes |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 6 | Wi-Fi 5 |
| Ethernet | 128GB model only | Built in |
| Voice assistant | Siri | Google Assistant / Gemini |
| Casting | AirPlay 2 | Google Cast |
| Smart home hub | HomeKit (Thread on 128GB) | Thread border router + Matter |
| Gaming | Apple Arcade | GeForce NOW, Xbox Cloud |
| UK catch-up apps | Full lineup | Full lineup |
| Interface | Most polished | Best at discovery |
Which Should You Buy? By Situation
| Your situation | My pick |
|---|---|
| iPhone, iPad, Mac household | Apple TV 4K, the integration earns it |
| Android phone, Google Home | Google TV Streamer, no contest |
| You cast from your phone a lot | Google TV Streamer, best casting on earth |
| Home cinema, Dolby Vision OLED | Apple TV 4K, for the processing |
| Best value 4K streamer | Google TV Streamer at £99 |
| You want Apple Arcade gaming | Apple TV 4K |
| Smart-home hub duties | Whichever matches your ecosystem |
| You just want Netflix and iPlayer | Google TV Streamer, save £100 |
Apple TV vs Google TV: Pros and Cons
✔ Apple TV 4K: Why it wins
- Fastest streamer you can buy (A15)
- Most polished, ad-free interface
- Deep iPhone, AirPods, HomeKit integration
- Excellent upscaling and colour calibration
- Apple Arcade gaming
✘ Apple TV 4K: Where it falls short
- £199 is double the Google TV Streamer
- Best features need other Apple products
- Ethernet only on the £249 model
- Overkill for basic streaming
✔ Google TV Streamer: Why it wins
- Half the price at £99
- Best casting experience (Google Cast)
- Thread border router + Matter built in
- Great content discovery interface
- Ethernet included as standard
✘ Google TV Streamer: Where it falls short
- Slower chip than the A15
- Home screen has sponsored rows
- Only Wi-Fi 5
- 32GB storage vs 64GB+ on Apple
Apple TV vs Google TV in Europe: What to Know
- Availability: both sold officially across the UK and EU. Apple has full retail and warranty everywhere; Google sells via its store and retailers.
- Prices: Google TV Streamer £99 (often £79 on sale). Apple TV 4K £199/€229 and £249/€299, rarely discounted.
- Apps: the UK gets the full catch-up lineup on both. Google has the edge on YouTube integration, naturally.
- Languages: Google Assistant supports more European languages for voice than Siri does.
Apple TV vs Google TV: Your Questions Answered
Is Apple TV better than Google TV?
In absolute terms, yes: the A15 chip is faster and tvOS is more polished. But at double the price, “better” depends on your budget and your phone. For Android households, the Google TV Streamer is the smarter buy.
Is Google TV Streamer worth it over Chromecast?
Yes. It is faster, has double the storage, adds Ethernet and a Thread smart-home hub, and the remote is better. The old Chromecast with Google TV 4K is discontinued, so the Streamer is Google’s current streamer.
Can I cast to Apple TV from Android?
Not natively. AirPlay is Apple-only. Some third-party apps offer limited workarounds, but for proper Android casting, the Google TV Streamer is the answer.
Does Google TV Streamer work with iPhone?
Yes for streaming and most apps, and you can cast from iPhone apps that support Google Cast (YouTube, Netflix, and others). But you will not get AirPlay screen mirroring.
Which is better for a smart home?
Match it to your ecosystem: Google Home households should get the Streamer (Thread border router included), HomeKit households should get the Apple TV 4K.
Apple TV vs Google TV for Plex?
Apple TV 4K is the better Plex client: the A15 handles everything and the tvOS Plex app is excellent. The Streamer is a capable second choice at half the price.
Should I upgrade from Chromecast with Google TV to the Streamer?
If your Chromecast still works, no rush. Upgrade when it feels slow or you want the Thread hub and Ethernet. The Streamer is the natural replacement, not a revolution.
Which has better sound?
Both do Dolby Atmos. Apple TV 4K has the edge with AirPods spatial audio and HomePod pairing; through a soundbar, the difference is minimal.
Related Guides
- 👉 Apple TV 4K Review
- 👉 Chromecast with Google TV 4K Review
- 👉 Apple TV 4K Price in Europe
- 👉 Best Google TV Devices in Europe
- 👉 Roku vs Apple TV: Which Is Better?
Final Verdict: Apple TV vs Google TV
The Apple TV 4K is the best streamer in this comparison, and the Google TV Streamer is the best value. Both statements are true at once, and your phone decides between them more than any spec sheet does.
Buy the Apple TV 4K when you live in Apple’s world and want the finest streaming experience money can buy. Buy the Google TV Streamer when you want 90% of that experience for half the money, with the best casting and a smart-home hub thrown in.
My final word: check which phone is in your pocket. Then buy the matching box and do not look back.
