The Amazon Fire TV Stick (the 4K or Max versions in particular) is one of our favourite streaming devices – and one of its best features is that it comes with a library of thousands of apps.
But one might get a little overwhelmed with so many things you could download. So whether you just bought a new Fire TV device (there are now four different Fire TV Sticks, as well as the Fire TV Cube) or you’ve had it for a while and want to find new apps to try – here’s our list of some of the best firestick apps for UK users.
Keep in mind, there’s no way to cover them all – and new ones come out every day – but this list should get you started (Some apps, like Amazon’s Prime Video, come pre-installed – so we didn’t list them here).
Most of these apps are free (though some belong to a paid service, like Netflix), and can be downloaded either directly on the device, or via the Amazon App Store on your desktop (and choosing to “Deliver It To Fire TV” after you’ve registered your device).
And if you still need to buy yourself a Fire TV 4K Stick – check out my review here, and go buy one on Amazon.
Table of Contents
The Essential Firestick Apps
Once you get your new Fire TV Stick out of the box, these are the apps almost any Firestick user in the UK should install first.
1. Netflix
The company that’s practically synonymous with cord cutting and streaming TV. Netflix stopped offering free trials in the UK, but once you subscribe, there are no long contracts – so you can unsubscribe and re-join at any point.
2. YouTube
Up until 2019, the YouTube app was absent from Amazon’s Fire devices, due to a feud between Amazon and Google. Thankfully, that was resolved, and you can get the official YouTube app on your Firestick.
With a big-screen interface, 4K videos and the ability to “cast” YouTube videos directly from your phone – this app will give you the ultimate YouTube experience.
3. BBC iPlayer
While the BBC’s TV-streaming app can’t quite compete with the likes of Netflix – it certainly improved over the years. Watch catch-up shows from all the BBC channels, get up to date with BBC News, and binge on a selection of box-sets from the vast BBC archives – if you love UK programming, this is the app to get.
Just don’t forget to pay for a TV licence. Also, remember that you can’t normally watch BBC iPlayer when you’re outside the UK – though there are ways around that geo-block.
4. Disney+
Disney’s streaming service is full to the brim with blockbusters and classics from the worlds of Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars and National Geographic, as well as more “mature” content on the Star category.
With 4K streaming, up to seven user profiles, and several subscription tiers (including an ad-supported one), it’s the ultimate service for the whole family. (See our full Disney+ UK review here)
5. ITVX
If you’re a fan of shows such as Love Island, I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! and Coronation Street, you can watch them all on-demand via the ITVX Firestick app, which replaced ITV’s previous app – ITV Hub.
Just remember – the adverts are still there, and you can’t skip them, unless you get the paid Premium plan, which removes the adverts and adds content from BritBox and Studio Canal.
6. Channel 4 (Formerly All4)
Another popular commercial TV channel with its own on-demand app is Channel 4. With catch-up episodes of shows like The Great British Bake Off, and 100s of box-sets like It’s A Sin, you’re likely to find interesting things to watch – just remember, you can’t skip the adverts…
7. My5
Your selection of UK broadcast channels won’t be complete without Channel 5. You get catch-up episodes of brand-new shows, as well as box sets of past shows.
From reality shows to popular Australian and American shows – the selection is quite vast. Though, again – adverts are part of the package…
Sometime in 2024, My5 is set to be merged with Pluto TV – but for now, it’s still a standalone app.
8. Apple TV
Apple’s streaming TV service gives you the ability to purchase movies and TV shows on-demand, as well as watch the subscription-based Apple TV+, which offers original content, with shows like Ted Lasso, Foundation and Severance.
Apple TV+ offers a 7-day free trial, or you can get three free months if you buy an iOS device.
9. NOW (Formerly NOW TV)
The streaming subscription service from Sky, and their answer to Netflix, offers several separate “memberships” – Entertainment (TV + Kids), Cinema and Sports.
NOW (they changed the name from NOW TV) was missing from the Fire TV for a long time – but in 2020, we finally got an app for it. Pricing differs depending on which pass you go for – but there are often ways to find cheaper prices for it – see our guide on NOW deals.
10. Paramount+
The American streaming service is finally available in the UK, with content from CBS, Showtime and Paramount Pictures, as well as several exclusive, original programmes (see our full Paramount+ UK review).
The service has more than 8,000 hours of content, including most of the Star Trek series and films, Yellowstone, Tulsa King and more.
Paramount+ costs £6.99/month or £69.90/year in the UK (with a free 7-day trial), and you can sign up for it either directly, or as a Prime Video Channel.
11. UKTV Play
A set of channels (that now belongs fully to the BBC) – Dave, Yesterday and Drama – you’ll get on-demand boxsets of entertainment, comedy and reality shows like Taskmaster and even classic episodes of Eastenders.
12. Plex
Sometimes you want to stream and watch your OWN video files. From home videos you took with your camcorder 20 years ago, to old VHS and DVD tapes that you ripped to your computer (with a VHS to DVD converter).
If you have the video as a file on your computer – you can stream it to your Firestick, with the Plex app. (You need their desktop app installed on your desktop, and the Fire TV app installed on your Firestick.)
In 2020, Plex also added an ad-supported library of free movies and TV programmes – though, for now at least, the selection in the UK is not very impressive.
Note: While the app is “free”, you’ll need to pay for some of the premium features. See our full Plex review here.
Firestick Streaming Apps
Besides the essentials, there are so many more streaming services and apps these days, with an abundance of content for your Firestick. Here are some of the best ones.
13. Discovery+
A streaming subscription service that focuses on lifestyle and nature. Discovery Plus replaced Discovery’s Dplay streaming service (which was totally free), with a combined offering of both free and “premium” channels.
In the free tier, you can watch content from channels such as Quest, Really, HGTV and others, and on the Premium tier, you get content from Animal Planet, Discovery Channel, TLC and more. There’s also a tier that includes sports from Eurosport Player.
In 2023, BT Sport turned into TNT Sports – and is now a part of Discovery+, if you subscribe to the Premium tier.
You can either sign up directly and watch via the app – or sign up for the Prime Video Channels version of Discovery+, and watch on any device that has the Prime Video app.
14. Dazn
DAZN, is a streaming sports service that focuses on boxing, along with other popular sports such as NFL, Basketball, MMA and more.
In the UK, DAZN’s boxing lineup includes 50 fights a year featuring international superstars such as Anthony Joshua, Canelo Álvarez, Katie Taylor and Ryan Garcia, alongside a daily dose of boxing news on the DAZN Boxing Show.
There are three pricing tiers for streaming subscribers – £19.99/month for the flexible pass (which you can cancel with a 30 days notice), £9.99/month if you pay in 12 instalments, and £99/year if you pay upfront for a full year.
15. BritBox
The subscription-based streaming TV service offers a variety of past and current British TV programmes from ITV, BBC, Channel 5 and Channel 4, as well as classic British films, originals, and 600+ episodes of Classic Doctor Who.
With BritBox’s content moving over to ITVX’s Premium tier, standalone subscriptions to BritBox are no longer available. But if you still have an existing one – you can continue using the standalone BritBox app – for now.
You can also still subscribe to BritBox on its own via its Prime Video Channel.
16. Freevee (Formerly IMDb TV)
This streaming service, owned by Amazon, is totally free (with adverts), and includes licensed films and TV programmes, as well as original productions – such as Leverage: Redemption, Bosch: Legacy and Alex Rider.
It was originally known as IMDb TV, but Amazon changed to name to Freevee.
At launch, Freevee’s on-demand content was only available in the UK via Amazon’s Prime Video app, as a Prime Video Channel – but now it’s also available via a standalone app, which also includes live linear channels that cover topics such as food, home improvement, true crime and more.
17. Pluto TV
If you miss the “live” TV experience, Pluto will be right up your alley. You get 40+ free streaming “live channels”, which you can flip through with an on-screen TV guide. From movies, true crime shows, sports and even poker – this is the ultimate screen saver, or something to watch when you really don’t know WHAT you want to watch.
18. STV Player
STV Player is the on-demand video streaming service of the popular Scottish broadcaster STV. But via broadband, it’s available UK-wide (except for their “Channel 3 Network” which is only available in Scotland), and, everything is free to watch – with adverts.
The streaming version has a long list of box-sets, documentaries and films.
19. Twitch
If you like watching other people playing video games, as well as esports, Twitch is the app for you.
It lets you watch people who live-stream their games, as well as recorded shows – and you can even join the chat (though don’t count on using the regular remote for chatting…)
20. Vevo
The ultimate place to watch official music videos and live performances. Although you can also find most of this content on YouTube, there are some exclusives – plus, it really is more convenient when you’re mostly looking to lose yourself in music videos and artists.
21. ROXi
A video-on-demand music app that features 70 million music videos, along with karaoke and musical games. While you can easily find the music videos on YouTube, ROXi is all about curation and discovery, grouping music videos into genres, decades and artists.
The Karaoke aspect is fun (and you can even order a branded karaoke microphone – with a built-in speaker and echo function), showing you the words on the screen as you hear the songs and singalong.
The basic version is totally free (with adverts), and there’s also a premium, £6.99/month option that removes the adverts.
22. TalkTV
The right-leaning news and current affairs channel which features Piers Morgan with a daily show, is available on Freeview – but also has a streaming app with live broadcasts and on-demand shows.
23. Amazing Classics
If you like old, peculiar films and TV shows (mostly American) – and we don’t mean the Oscar-winning classics, but weird, B-style horror films, sci-fi and comedies – then you’ll get your fix with the Amazing Classics app. It’s all free, and you’re likely to find some fascinating stuff – as well as a lot of oddballs…
24. TED TV
You’re probably familiar with TED, the non-profit organisation that posts inspiring talks, or as they call them – “ideas worth spreading”.
With the TED app for the Firestick, you get a convenient interface where you can scroll through and stream hundreds of short TED talks, in a wide variety of topics.
25. Viaplay
A streaming service that offers a combination of live sports from the former Premier Sports, along with original Nordic films and TV shows.
Viaplay offers three pricing tiers in the UK: The Films & Series plan costs £3.99/month (after a free 7-day trial), Viaplay Total costs £14.99/month, and Viaplay Total Annual is £9.99/month (a saving of 20%), but you have to sign up for 12 months.
Viaplay is leaving the UK – but sometime in 2024, Premier Sports is set to take over its sports broadcasting.
26. hayu – Reality TV On Demand
Moving from boxing to a different type of on-screen fighting: reality TV. hayu offers UK viewers more than 200 reality TV shows, mainly of the… ehm… let’s call it ‘guilty pleasure’ type. From Keeping Up With The Kardashians to The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.
You can start with a free trial, but going forward you would need to pay £4.99/month. You can also subscribe to hayu via Amazon Prime Channels.
27. Spotify
The Amazon Firestick isn’t just for TV watching – you can also use it to stream music, which you listen to via your TV’s speakers/soundbar.
With Spotify, which is one of the leading music streaming services, you can stream more than 50 million songs – either via the free, limited tier (with adverts), or with a monthly subscription.
28. Amazon Music
Amazon has its own streaming music service, Amazon Music, which is quite similar to Spotify. There are two tiers – there’s Amazon Prime Music, which you get for free with your Amazon Prime subscription, but only has limited functionality. And then there’s Amazon Music Unlimited, which requires a separate monthly subscription, with more than 50 million songs. (You can try it free for 30 days).
29. BBC Sounds
This app replaced iPlayer Radio back in 2018, offering live radio streaming from the various BBC Radio stations, as well as on-demand audio programmes from the BBC archives, and a selection of podcasts and audiobooks.
Some of the highlights available on BBC Sounds include 90+ episodes of the popular Desert Island Discs radio series, Grounded with Louis Theroux, popular true crime podcasts, standup recordings from BBC studios, and more.
30. TuneIn Radio
Listen to live radio stations from all over the world – more than 100,000 stations with music, talk shows, podcasts and on-demand shows. It’s not just a way to listen to stations from the UK – but it’s a great way to discover new music all around the world.
31. Audible for Fire TV
Build a library of top-notch audiobooks, from all types and genres, and then listen to them on your telly, with the Firestick. First, you should subscribe to the service (you can get your first free audiobook via this link), and then – if you keep it going – it’ll cost you £7.99/month for one additional audiobook credit every month. Read my full Audible review here.
32. Sky News
If you want to stay updated by reading and watching the news from the Sky News team, this app gives you a 24/7 live feed of the news channel, as well as top news stories.
Firestick Utilities And Misc. Apps
The Amazon Fire TV Stick isn’t limited to just streaming video/audio. It’s a mini-computer connected to your TV – so these apps help you do some unique things with it…
33. Facebook for Fire TV
It might feel a bit strange, at first, to browse Facebook on your telly. But we do it everywhere else these days, so why not on the big screen? The Facebook app for the Firestick lets you browse your regular feed, see photos, watch videos – and even post to Facebook.
34. NordVPN for Fire TV
There are several reasons to use a VPN app on your Fire TV device. First, it gives you more privacy – so your ISP, or someone trying to listen-in on your WiFi, can’t see the things you’re doing – and watching – on your device.
But also, a VPN can help you get over Geo-blocks with some of the streaming apps – so it can let you watch American Netflix in the UK (though that doesn’t always work on the Fire TV), watch BBC iPlayer from abroad, etc’. I usually recommend NordVPN, as it’s the one I use mostly, but you can also check out ExpressVPN.
35. VLC For Fire TV
While Plex is a much more robust streaming app, sometimes you don’t need all those options and features which make it a bit complicated. So VLC (which is also a popular desktop app) does one thing, which it does very well – it streams and plays video/audio files from your desktop/phone, onto the Firestick.
VLC supports almost every media file format, just remember you also need to run the VLC server software on your desktop PC.
36. NASA For Fire TV
Reach for the stars, right from your sofa! The NASA app on the Firestick lets you watch live NASA-TV streams, look at more than 16,000 space images, thousands of space videos, and even see what the Earth looks like from the International Space Station – in real time.
37. White Log Fireplace
This one might sound silly, but it’s perfect for those cold winter nights, or just for Christmas. It won’t ACTUALLY keep you warm – it just shows an endless loop of a fireplace on your telly – but it’s a wonderful, soothing screensaver.
If you want a few more options and a selection of fireplaces, you can try this Fireplace App – but it’s a paid one.
Games For The Firestick
The Amazon Fire TV line always supported games – some as native apps, and some part of the new Luna cloud gaming service, which launched in the UK in 2023.
While some of the native games can work with the regular Fire TV app – for more serious gaming (via Luna), you can get the Luna Wireless Controller.
Also, note that the first-generation Firestick is a bit under-powered for some of these games, so I would recommend them mostly with the Fire TV Stick 4K.
38. Amazon Luna
Amazon Luna is a cloud gaming service that transforms your Fire TV device into a full-featured gaming console.
It provides instant access to console-quality games via streaming, eliminating the need for an expensive gaming device. The service is compatible with multiple platforms and can be controlled via a smartphone app or the Amazon Luna Wireless Controller.
Luna requires a subscription for most games – but Amazon Prime subscribers get a rotating list of free games every month.
39. Crossy Road
A classic hit, similar to the old Frogger game but with modern (though retro) graphics and gameplay. Basically, you help the chicken cross the road – but it gets more and more complicated… and it works well with the regular Firestick remote.
Oh, and it’s free (With in-app purchases).
40. Hungry Shark Evolution
Grow your shark over 75 missions, letting him eat other fish, as well as humans, and arm him to his big teeth with weapons… Yeah, it’s as crazy as it sounds – but it’s a lot of fun, with 3D graphics. And it works with the Firestick remote, though a controller would probably work better in this case.
The basic game is free, with in-app purchases.
41. Asphalt 8: Airborne
Most Firestick games are pretty casual – but this game proves that even high-end games with advanced graphics can work well – though you would do better with the more-powerful Fire TV 4K Stick.
It’s a fully-featured racing game with 56 cars (some from licensed brands such as Lamborghini and Ferrari) and tracks in 9 different settings. It does technically work with the Fire TV remote, but should really be used with a Fire TV game controller.
The basic game is free, with in-app purchases. Also, note that the game needs 1.42GB of free space on your Fire TV device.
Amazon & Now (Sky) really need to have a big group hug and sort things out so that Now TV can be used. Side loading the app no longer works and are they really going to lose that many sales of a Firestick/Now TV?
Hi
Bob Ross -The joy of painting is not free unless you are an Amazon Prime Member
Bob Ross -The joy of painting is free on iplayer… You do need a TV licence but you should already have one….
You can’t watch US Netflix on a Firestick via NordVPN any more. I spoke to them last week to confirm this.