Android OS has the one best thing that no other is having that is “user customization”. In Android smartphones, you can customize the device in any way you want. Like that, Android TV also having the same functionality. You can install apps from Play Store and third-party installers. In Android smart TV, you can add any number of apps based on the storage. In this post, we listed the best apps for Android TV from different categories. Take a look at these apps.
In Android TV, you can install most of the Android smartphones apps due to the similar OS. In the Play Store, you can find millions of apps. To pick the best from those millions is not an easy task. We listed some of the best apps from each category.
Best Apps for Android TV
Here are the best apps for Android TV under different categories:
- Streaming Apps
- Live TV apps
- Social Apps
- Essential Apps
- Other Best Apps for Android TV
Best Streaming Apps for Android TV
Here are a few best streaming apps for Android TV:
- Netflix
- Amazon Prime Video
- Hulu
- Disney Plus
- HBO Max
Netflix
Netflix is the most used streaming app in the world. It has a lot of movies and series to watch. New video contents are added frequently and you will always have new to watch. The subscription starts at $8.99 per month. Apart from Netflix’s original shows, it also has popular content like Game of Thrones, Friends, Big Bang Theory, and more. It is one of the best streaming apps for Andriod TV. If you are a binge-watcher, Netflix is a must-have app for you.
Play Store Link: Netflix
Amazon Prime Video
If there is one streaming platform that is a major competitor to Netflix, then it would be Amazon Prime Video. Like Netflix, Prime Video is available all over the world. The subscription price is the same as Netflix, $8.99 per month. But on content-wise, Prime Video offers more video content. Original shows are added frequently. If you want a good streaming platform, you can either choose Netflix or Amazon Prime Video.
Play Store Link: Amazon Prime Video
Hulu
Hulu is an American-based streaming platform. The best thing about Hulu is that it offers both movies & series packs and live TV packs. The Hulu (Movies & Series) pack costs $5.99 per month and the live TV pack costs $54.99 per month. For ad-free streaming, you need to pay an extra $6. The availability is the only issue in Hulu. It is available only in the USA and Japan. If you want to access the app in other countries, you need to use VPNs.
Play Store Link: Hulu
Disney Plus
Disney Plus has a lot of content to offer. The platform has video titles from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, National Geographic, and Star Wars. Like Netflix, Disney Plus has a lot of video titles to offers. But like Hulu, it is available only in 20+ countries. In India, the app is integrated with Hotstar. With the Hotstar subscription, you can access the Disney Plus content. The subscription starts at $6.99 per month and $69.99 per year.
Play Store Link: Disney Plus
HBO Max
HBO Max arrived with a bang. Already having a successful streaming app, HBO NOW, HBO launched its new streaming app, HBO Max, on May 27, 2020. Within 5 months, the app has a lot of users and providing more video content than its predecessor HBO NOW. In the app, you will get all the HBO originals shows and movies. New content is added every week. Like Hulu, availability is the major issue. HBO Max is available only in the USA. The subscription starts $14.99 per month.
Play Store Link: HBO Max
Best Live TV Apps for Android TV
Here are a few Best Live TV apps for Android TV:
- YouTube TV
- Sling TV
- FuboTV
- Philo
- Pluto TV
YouTube TV
YouTube TV is the best live TV app that you can install on your Android smart TV. It offers more than 85 live TV channels from Sports, News, and more. It is the only live TV provider that offers unlimited DVR storage space. With one subscription, you can stream live TV contents on 3 devices simultaneously. YouTube TV has a price tag of $64.99 per month. it is available only in the USA. The channels count may vary based on your ZIP code.
Play Store Link: YouTube TV
Sling TV
Sling TV is more similar to YouTube TV. It offers three subscription plans: Sling Orange and Sling Blue costs $30 per month and Sling Orange + Blue costs $45 per month. Sling Orange is for news channels and Sling Blue is for sports events. If you want, you can also add-on packs starting $5 per month to get more video content. Sling TV is available only in the USA. To access the platform in other countries, you need to use a VPN.
Play Store Link: Sling TV
fuboTV
fuboTV is a sports-orientated streaming platform. With fuboTV, you will get to watch all the live sports events happening in the USA. The subscription is priced at $59.99 per month, which is $5 less than the Sling TV. In fuboTV, you will get channels like BBC America, Big Ten Network, AMC, and more. If you are a sports fan, then the fuboTV is the must-have app on your Android smart TV. Like Sling TV, fuboTV is only available in the USA.
Play Store Link: fuboTV
Philo
Philo is yet another popular streaming platform that offers more than 60 live TV channels. Unlike fuboTV, Philo has channels from all the categories. With just $20 per month, it is one of the cheapest live TV apps that you can on your Android smart TV. Like most of the live TV platforms, Philo is available only in the USA. With Philo, you will get to know all the latest events and happenings in the USA. It is one of the best live TV apps for Android smart TV.
Website: Philo
Pluto TV
Pluto TV is one of the fewest live TV platforms that are available for free. With Pluto TV, you will get more than 250 live TV channels and thousands of on-demand movies & series. Pluto TV is available in the USA, Europe, and Latin America. As the platform is free, you will get ads while streaming video content. It has a lot of exciting shows like MinecraTV, My5 Crime, and more. If you want a free live TV app for your Android smart TV. Pluto TV is the best choice you have.
Play Store Link: Pluto TV
Best Social Apps for Smart TV
Here are the best social apps for Smart TV:
- Twitch
- YouTube
- Haystack News
- Bloomberg
Facebook is the best way to get socialized with peoples. The app is available for smart TVs too. By installing Facebook on your Android smart TV, you don’t have to use your smartphones to know what your friends are doing on Facebook. The Facebook app is optimized for smart TV UI and you can navigate between the icons with ease. Like smartphones, you can install the app for free on your Android smart TV.
Play Store Link: Facebook
Twitch
Twitch is the best social apps for gamers. If you are a PUBG gamer or any game lover, Twitch is the must-have app for you. In Twitch, you will get the gameplay videos from pro gamers. With that, you can improve your gameplay and learn gameplay tricks. If you are a pro gamer, you can upload or live-stream your gameplay and let others know how good you are gamer. You can install and use the app for free.
Play Store Link: Twitch
YouTube
YouTube is the best video sharing platform. You can find a video about everything on YouTube. The app is the best spare time killer, you can watch short videos, or you can get educational content to improve yourself, and more. You can install and use the app for free with ads. If you want ad-free watching, you can subscribe to YouTube Premium which costs $11.99 per month with a 7-day free trial. YouTube is one of the best apps for Android smart TV.
Play Store Link: YouTube
Haystack News
Haystack News is a new app that is available for free. In the app, you will get all the local and world news for free. You can also customize your news feed with the preferred topics and categories. The best thing about Haystack News is that you will get live TV coverage from popular news channels like CBSN Live. In the app, you will get news updates from more than 300 channels. If you are an avid news reader, Haystack News is the best app for you.
Play Store Link: Haystack News
Bloomberg
Bloomberg is a news app similar to Haystack News. But it covers news from only Business & Finance. In the app, you will get to know about share values of popular companies, Bloomberg exclusives interviews, and more. The app is available for free. Like the Haystack News, you can choose your preferences and will get curated news for you. Bloomberg app is recommended for those users who are interested in shares and trading.
Play Store Link: Bloomberg
Best Essentials Apps for Smart TV
- AirScreen
- VLC Media Player
- Total Commander
- Google Drive
- Send files to TV
AirScreen
AirScreen is one of the must-have apps on your Android smart TV if you have any iOS devices. With the app, you can cast or mirror media files from your iOS devices. All you need to do is connect your iOS device and Android smart TV to the same WiFi network. Then open the AirScreen app and start mirroring your iOS device. The app is available for free in the Play Store. Not only iOS, but you can also mirror contents from macOS and Windows. It is one of the best casting apps for Smart TV.
Play Store Link: AirScreen
VLC Media Player
VLC Media Player is the best media player for any device. With the app, you can play video and audio files in any format. In addition to that, you can also stream online video content with the URL. If you have movies and series stored in offline, VLC Media Player is the best app to watch those contents. The app has a lot of customization option, you can change the equalizer, audio settings, aspect ratio, and more. Like the AirScreen, the app is available for free.
Play Store Link: VLC Media Player
Total Commander
Total Commander is the best file manager app for Android smart TVs. With the app, you will get to create and manage all the different types of media files in one place. Some Andriod smart TV will have a pre-installed file manager and some won’t. If your smart TV doesn’t have one, you can install the Total Commander app from the Play Store for free. It is one of the most used file manager apps for smart TVs.
Play Store Link: Total Commander
Google Drive
Google Drive is the best place to manage all your online files. To use Google Drive, all you need is a Gmail ID. With one Gmail ID, you will get 15GB of free cloud space. If you want more, you can buy an extra 100GB of storage for $1.99 per month. If you are using an Android smartphone, you can sync your Gmail ID with your smart TV and can access the Google Drive files on both smartphone & smart TV. It is one of the best apps for Android smart TV.
Play Store Link: Google Drive
Send files to TV
Android smartphones have a popular file-sharing app, SHARTit. But the app is not available for smart TV. Instead, you can install the Send files to the TV app. With the app, you can send and receive media files from your smartphone. The app is developed specially for smart TV like the Facebook app. So, the navigation between the options will be easy. The app is available for free in the Play Store. Send files to TV is faster than the SHAREit app.
Play Store Link: Send files to TV
Others Best Apps for Android TV
- NordVPN
- The Weather Network
- Spotify
- Kodi
- Google Chrome
NordVPN
NordVPN is the most used VPN in the world and one of the best VPNs. The VPN has servers in more than 90 countries in the world. In the digital world, online data is one of the most important things to protect. With powerful VPNs like NordVPN, you can protect your personal data. By connection to NordVPN, you will hide your real IP address and change your real location. One of the additional advantages of using VPNs is that you will have access to geo-restricted content on the internet. You can also try ExpressVPN and CyberGhost VPN.
Play Store Link: NordVPN
The Weather Network
If you want to keep track of the climate and weather in your location, The Weather Network is the best app for you. In the app, you will get weather reports from any location in the world. This app will be handy for those who plan vacation trips. You can plan your trip based on the wether conditions. The app is available for free in the Play Store. The app has a rating of 4.6 out of 5 stars in the Play Store.
Play Store Link: The Weather Network
Spotify
If you are a music lover, Spotify is the best music app for your Android smart TV. The app has more than 50 million songs and 4 billion playlists to listen to. Apart from songs, the app also has podcast from different genres. You can use the app for free with ads. If you want ad-free listening, you can buy the subscription which costs $9.99 per month. Spotify is the most used music streaming app in the world. The app is available in most of the countries and with songs in multiple languages. It is one of the best apps for Android smart TV.
Play Store Link: Spotify
Kodi
Kodi is the best app to stream online videos and on-demand content for free. In the app, you can install add-ons from different repositories and get the latest movies and video content. Exodus Redux is one of the most popular Kodi add-ons which offers all the latest movies, series, live TV, and on-demand video content. Like Exodus Redux, you can install many add-ons from different categories to get the necessary content. Kodi is the go-to app for all your streaming needs.
Play Store Link: Kodi
Google Chrome
In some smart TVs, Google Chrome will be a pre-installed app. If not, you can install the app from the Play Store. Google Chrome is the best browser for any device. For smart TVs, the browser is optimized for big-screen and navigation controls are sightly changes that suit the smart TV remote. If you use your smart TV for your browsing needs then Google Chrome is the best app for you. With the app, you can also sync your smartphone by signing in with the same Gmail account.
Play Store Link: Google Chrome
These are the best apps under categories, based on your preference choose the apps mentioned above. New apps are added frequently on the Play Store, keep tabs on Play Store and check all the new apps to find more. Mention your most frequently used app on your Andriod TV in the comments below.