Media streaming devices have been out on the market for a while now, and the Apple TV and the Amazon Fire TV are examples of those types of devices. However, those models and brands tend to be expensive, with the Amazon Fire TV coming in at $99 and the Apple TV at $400. For the budget-oriented consumer, cheaper alternatives might be a better selling point.

This is where the Roku Streaming Stick and Google Chromecast comes in. The Roku Streaming Stick has a $50 price tag while the Google Chromecast is $35. The two may seem similar in terms of function, but they cater to different markets.

The two work the same as well, you plug the HDMI stick to the HDTV and plug the stick to a USB device port on a desktop PC, or a gadget like a tablet.

First, the Roku Steaming Stick. It's fairly easy to use, just plug it into the TV, connect it to the Wi-Fi and users can interact with the device via the on-screen interface using the provided remote. Through the Roku Stick, users can browse and stream videos from major streaming services like Netflix, Hulu Pro, or even YouTube.

Streaming from a tablet or smartphone will require the Roku app that can be downloaded for free. Even so, the use of the remote is essential for navigating the TV's on-screen interface.

The Google Chromecast on the other hand is different from Roku. It does not have a remote included and instead, it makes use of the device it is connected to for interaction. Desktop PC users for example, can control the Chromecast stick via a Chrome browser extension. From the extension, the PC user can transfer a tab with the streamed content to the TV.

The extension even lets PC users utilize the TV as a secondary screen. Some would think this would be a great resource to stream gaming, but there is considerable lag when attempting to do so.

In other words, the Roku Streaming Stick caters more to tablet and smartphone users while the Chromecast works better for desktop PC users.