I bought a Roku to keep things simple, and now I regret my decision

Published Aug 9, 2026, 3:00 PM EDT Based in rural Minnesota, Brian Burgess worked in IT for 10 years before finding his passion for writing about consumer technology. Brian earned his degree in computer and network technology in 2000. He held various IT positions, including help desk support, router installations for IBM, database administration, and other associate network administration roles. He's been a personal technology journalist for 18 years and has written thousands of articles about Microsoft products and services, Android, iOS, streaming, and more. He has written for notable tech sites including XDA, InformationWeek, How-To Geek, Byte, groovyPost, and others. When he is away from the keyboard, you will hear him playing guitar, working outdoors, and watching Star Trek. There are plenty of different streaming devices available on the market, and picking the right one for what you need is essential. I purchased a Roku Stick — thinking it would be straightforward to use. It is cheap and has the essential apps you'd expect and a store where I can pick from what is missing. However, the number of ads and lack of customization abilities I'm used to on Google TV (or sideloading on Fire OS) were a letdown. In the end, it was a bad decision to go with Roku. Roku is a platform with its own agenda I was using a Hisense with Google TV, but it died when a major storm hit and lightning burned through my cheap surge protector. I had a Roku years ago and remembered it was simple to use. So, I bought a Roku Streaming Stick HD since it was on sale. I just wanted a straightforward way to stream content until I revived my Android-based TV setup. However, the move from Android TV OS to a Roku experience is jarring. The home screen on my Roku is packed with ads for shows and apps I don't want. The most glaring example is the large ad on the right side that takes up most of the screen. It's not only a static ad for something I don't need, but at times it's an animated or video. Sometimes the ad has audio — usually for a credit card or other Roku or Fox product. It ends up looking like a full-blown commercial playing while I try to navigate the menu. There is no way to remove the obstruction, either. Banner ads appear at the top or bottom of the screen throughout the experience. There are also ads mixed in with apps I've installed, which I find irksome. In fact, the ad annoyance changes every time I power on the device or close an app and go back to the home screen. It's a very random advertising experience on Roku, which inevitably isn't simple. Ads appear throughout Roku OS. For instance, when I search for something or want to change categories from the left menu, a banner ad appears in the lower-left corner of the screen. Too many ads on the home screen and no tangible way to get rid of them. Customization is virtually non-existent I can't make it feel like my own Having the ability to change the look and feel of the Roku experience is limited on the platform. Sure, I can rearrange those blocky tiles or change the wallpaper and screensaver. It's possible to change tile size and hide or tweak recommendation rows. I can also add my own photos via the Dropback app, but that's essentially where customization ends. There aren't enough options for getting out of the locked ecosystem so I can make Roku feel like something I own and not rent. I am used to the ability to customize the look and feel of the home screen by using launchers like Projectivy on Google TV. The desire to immediately change the home screen is similar to the Fire TV homescreen mess. At least with Fire OS (not Vega), I can sideload alternative launchers to make it feel manageable. The Fox Corp acquisition problem A corporate takeover of Roku For better or worse, Fox acquired Roku for $22 billion, and it's not just the sticks. It now controls Roku OS, Roku TVs, The Roku Channel, and other devices. That means I'm seeing more Fox-oriented ads and content throughout the experience. When I set up the new Roku, I was greeted with a full-page ad on my phone to subscribe to Fox Sports, which was hard to get around. What the Fox acquisition means for the future of Roku OS remains to be seen, but I don't foresee it becoming any less locked down and can expect more Fox junk floating around the experience. Fox also owns Tubi, which is essentially a monopoly on free streaming TV content. So, in addition to more ads inspired by Fox content displayed throughout the Roku experience, there will be similar ads during commercial breaks while watching the free streaming platforms. Apps and features aren't created equal Some features are missing Enthusiasts in the self-hosted media community will also be disappointed. For instance, I can get the official Jellyfin client and some alternative clients like Moonfin and Jellyrock, but playback and feature consistency are lacking. Also, many of the clients I want to try aren't available through the store. It's an issue with how Roku limits what developers can do to integrate with Roku OS. In contrast, the commercial-grade Plex media server works without issue since it is larger and has an army of engineers and developers. The platform makes it more difficult for open-source projects like Jellyfin to design reliable clients that will work with my server. It's also worth noting that some apps aren't available at all, like Google Play and Proton VPN. Casting media from my Pixel isn't the easiest either. I can cast YouTube to YouTube, but sending other media from my phone requires using an alternative casting or mirroring app, which has its own caveats. There are better options than Roku's messy platform I thought a cheap Roku stick would make things easy, and to some extent it is. However, the locked-down home screen experience makes me yearn for the chaos of Fire TV — I can sideload an alternative launcher to bypass it. I can't wait until I get a Google/Android TV back up and running. Roku is locked down enough that everything is simply frustrating. At least the stick is cheap, and I can plug it into the TV in the guest bedroom.