The Fire TV Cube is the odd one out in Amazon’s streaming lineup — it costs two to three times more than any Fire TV Stick, and at a glance the interface looks identical. So what are you actually paying for? The short answer is hands-free control and noticeably faster hardware. Here’s how the Cube’s price, specs, and Cube-only features stack up against the stick lineup.

What Is the Fire TV Cube?

The Fire TV Cube, now in its third generation, is Amazon’s flagship streaming device — a set-top box rather than a stick, built around far-field microphones that let you control your TV with Alexa without pressing a button first. It runs the same Fire OS as the Android-based Fire TV Sticks, so every app, every remote shortcut, and every menu works exactly the way it does on a stick. The difference is entirely in the hardware wrapped around that software.

Price Breakdown

At full price, the Cube costs $80–$110 more than any Fire TV Stick — a real gap, and one worth understanding before you decide it’s worth paying:

Price Breakdown

Fire TV Cube vs. Fire TV Stick Pricing

$0 $40 $80 $120 $160 Fire TV Stick Lite $29.99 Fire TV Stick 4K Plus $49.99 Fire TV Stick 4K Max $59.99 Fire TV Cube $139.99

MSRP as listed on Amazon. The Cube regularly discounts during sale events, sometimes closing the gap with the 4K Max.

That premium buys you a genuinely different device, not just a faster version of the same one. Whether it’s worth it comes down to how much you value hands-free voice control and how demanding your setup is — more on both below.

Specs at a Glance

  • Processor — octa-core, roughly double the cores of even the fastest Fire TV Stick.
  • Storage — 16GB, matching the Stick 4K Max and double the entry-level sticks.
  • Audio — built-in speaker, so it can respond to Alexa and play audio even when your TV is off.
  • Connectivity — a built-in Ethernet port for a wired connection, something no Fire TV Stick offers without a separate adapter.
  • Microphones — far-field array for hands-free, wake-word Alexa control from across the room.

The extra processing power shows up most in multitasking — switching between apps, running picture-in-picture, and controlling other smart home devices all feel noticeably snappier than on a stick.

Why Choose the Cube Over a Stick

Every one of the Cube’s signature features is something no Fire TV Stick can do at any price, because it comes down to hardware Amazon simply didn’t include in the stick form factor:

Feature Comparison

Cube-Exclusive Features (out of 4)

0 1 2 3 4 Fire TV Cube 4 / 4 Fire TV Stick (any model) 0 / 4

Features tracked: hands-free Alexa, built-in speaker, Ethernet port, and an octa-core processor. No Fire TV Stick model includes any of these.

If you never say “Alexa” without holding a remote, don’t have a wired network drop near your TV, and don’t need the extra horsepower, none of these features matter much and a stick will serve you just as well for a fraction of the price. But if you want a true hands-free smart-home hub built into your entertainment setup, the Cube is the only Fire TV device that does it.

Should You Buy the Fire TV Cube?

The Cube makes the most sense if you already lean on Alexa throughout your home and want that same hands-free control at the TV, if your router isn’t close enough for reliable Wi-Fi and you’d rather run Ethernet, or if you’re using picture-in-picture and smart-home camera feeds heavily enough to want the extra processing headroom. For most people who just want to stream, though, a Fire TV Stick 4K Plus or 4K Max delivers the same picture quality and the same Fire OS experience for a lot less money.

If you’re on the fence, think about how often you’d actually use hands-free Alexa versus just picking up the included remote — that single habit is usually what decides whether the Cube’s premium is worth paying.