Apple TV vs Chromecast – Which media streamer is the best?

Apple TV vs Chromecast: Platform and app support

As AirPlay is an Apple technology it is only supported in major apps by Apple devices. You can get AirPlay apps for Android devices, but these are limited to apps that can stream local music and video. AirPlay devices include MacBooks and iMacs, which can use AirPlay to mirror their screens, as well as sending content from iTunes. You get the best support through an iPad or iPhone. As well as supporting mirroring your device, AirPlay is supported through the OS, including letting you send your photos and home videos to an Apple TV.

Third-party app support also isn’t bad. Netflix supports it, letting you browse from your phone or tablet before sending the content to your TV. In addition, you get Amazon Prime Instant video support, too. BBC iPlayer and 4oD lets you watch catch-up TV properly. ITV Player also supports AirPlay mirroring from your iPad or iPhone, but you have to leave your device turned on for the stream to work.

There’s still no Demand Five support, nor can you get Sky Go. BT Sport is supported via AirPlay, but Sky’s Now TV is not. However, the most recent software update for Apple TV introduced a full Sky Now TV app, replacing the old one that only let you access the sports content. Now, you can view all of the available packages directly.

Chromecast has much better cross-platform support from apps that support the technology: if you can Cast from Android, you can Cast from the equivalent app on iOS. In addition, there’s a Cast extension for Chrome, which lets you send content from your browser to your Chromecast. It supports Mac, Linux, Chrome OS and Windows versions of the browser, so support is way ahead of what Apple offers. Chromecast also supports mirroring to cast anything to your TV (see next section for more details).

App support isn’t too bad, with Netflix, BBC iPlayer, BT Sport and Now TV the big stand-out names. There’s no Amazon Prime Instant Video support, despite their now being an Android app for it. You also can’t Cast from ITV Player, 4oD, Demand Five, or Sky Go. App support on Apple TV and Chromecast is a very close-run thing, with Apple only having a minor advantage if you want to watch Amazon Prime Instant Video.

Apple TV vs Chromecast: Mirroring and Tab Casting

Mirroring your entire desktop or phone is a way to send content from an unsupported app to your TV, so you can use this kind of trick to try and play any video file you want. With Apple TV, you can mirror any macOS device or iOS device, but there’s no Windows or Android support. Mirroring isn’t perfect and, depending on the speed of your network, video can be jerky. Content providers can also choose to disable AirPlay mirroring support. Try and use Sky Go, for example, and you’ll get a message telling you that the content’s not supported.

Chromecast has wider mirroring support with Windows, Linux and OS X all supporting Tab Casting (where you beam a single Chrome tab to the Chromecast) and mirroring of the entire desktop. The most recent Android devices also support mirroring. Currently, there’s no switch for content providers to turn off mirroring support, so you can use this trick with pretty much any app or video stream. However, the technology’s not always perfect and, despite a recent update that improved matters, video isn’t always played smoothly. Other problems have been reported, too, with some people finding that they don’t get audio when using Sky Go.

With both Apple TV and Chromecast, the big issue with mirroring and Tab Casting is that you have to leave your device turned on playing the content you want. Switch apps or turn the screen off and the stream will stop. This means that you’ll use more battery power this way and you’re effectively locking up your device, so you can’t use it for anything else. With proper AirPlay or Cast support, you can continue to use your device as normal or power the screen off without interrupting what you see on screen.

Apple TV vs Chromecast: Games

Both devices support basic games that can be played on the device. The Apple TV is relatively new to support this, but with the likes of Pac-Man 256 being available, we see many people picking up their Apple TV remote and playing games.

Google was ahead of the game, with the likes of the Chromecast Big Web Quiz being available to play. I feel that with time, Apple has seriously stepped up its gaming focus on the Apple TV – making it the better, more fun option for those who want to quickly play a game.

Apple TV vs Chromecast: Surround Sound Support

Both the Apple TV and Chromecast support Dolby Digital support where it’s available in streamed movies. Technically, the Apple TV should be a bit more flexible, as its Optical S/PDIF output means that you can connect it to an older amp that doesn’t have an HDMI input.

Chromecast supports Dolby Digital, where available, such as on Netflix, so you can plug it straight into your AV amp and enjoy surround sound straight away.

Apple TV vs Chromecast: US Netflix

One trick that Netflix lovers are fond of is spoofing their location, so that they get access to US Netflix from the UK and its larger content collection. With the Apple TV you can easily do this, as you have access to the necessary network settings – see how to get US Netflix on the Apple TV.

With the Chromecast, Google completely locked down the system, denying access to the required settings. It is possible to override the Chromecast, although any changes you make have to be network wide and you have to have a router that supports certain advanced functions. It was made even harder with the Android Netflix update. See how to get US Netflix on Chromecast for more information.

Depending on how important this feature is to you, you may have to buy an Apple TV if your home router doesn’t support the necessary settings. Do check out the Amazon Fire TV streamer if neither the Chromecast nor the Apple TV box float your boat. 

Apple TV vs Chromecast: DLNA media server support

If you want to stream video from your local network you can do, although neither devices support DLNA media servers directly. Instead, you need an app that will stream from your local media server that also supports AirPlay or Chromecast. You then select the media with your phone or tablet and then beam it to the media player.

Neither the Chromecast nor the Apple TV support many video file formats, with H.264 videos the main codec. This may mean that you have to convert your videos. Our guide on how to convert videos for Apple TV will work on both devices. For Apple devices and AirPlay we recommend that you use 8player (see how to connect your Apple TV to a DLNA server). Sadly, this app doesn’t support Chromecast. GoodPlayer will do the job, although it’s not a patch on 8player. Android users can use BubbleUPnP.

If you don’t want to convert your videos, both support Plex. With a Plex server you can transcode video on the fly, so you don’t need to convert any files to start with. Read more with our guide on how to use Plex with Apple TV and Chromecast.

Apple TV vs Chromecast: Which is better?

These are two products that keep evolving, particularly as more and more companies turn on AirPlay or Chromecast support in their apps. But, with Apple massively increasing the price of the Apple TV, it makes the decision a lot easier.

If you’re looking to stream content to your TV, the Chromecast or even the Amazon Fire TV provide everything (and more) than you’ll need. If however, you want an Apple-experience and want to use Apple’s tvOS platform, then you won’t find it on any other platform.