· Firestick.io Team · News · 11 min read
Cord Cutting is Getting More Expensive, Roku Rolls Out Major Update to Roku TVs & Roku Players, & More
Streaming prices keep climbing in 2026 — Stars, AMC+, and Acorn TV all raised rates. Here's what changed, what Amazon is doing with Fire TV, and how to keep your monthly bill under control.
I cut the cord four years ago specifically to stop watching my monthly bill climb. The pitch was simple: pick exactly what you want, pay for that, and skip the rest. For a while, it worked. Then the price hikes started. Then the bundles came back. Then the password sharing crackdowns. And now, in May 2026, I’m looking at my streaming subscriptions and doing the same math I used to do with cable — except the cable company was at least honest about what it was charging me.
This week brought a few stories worth paying attention to if you’re a cord cutter with a Firestick, a Roku device, or anything else plugged into your TV. Let me break them down.
Cord cutting costs are rising again in May 2026 — Stars, AMC+, and Acorn TV all announced or rolled out price increases. Amazon is also moving to restrict sideloading on Fire TV, which changes the calculus for advanced users. If you want to keep costs down, the best move is a solid VPN to protect your connection and avoid ISP throttling, plus strategic use of free ad-supported apps like Tubi and Pluto TV to offset the paid subscriptions.
Story 1: Cord Cutting Is Getting More Expensive — Again
This one isn’t a surprise, but it’s worth documenting. In early May 2026, several streaming services announced price increases that take effect in June:
- Stars announced a price hike for June 2026
- AMC+ followed with its own rate increase
- Acorn TV quietly bumped its monthly subscription by $1 — which sounds small until you realize every service is doing the same thing
That $1 here, $2 there approach is deliberate. It’s designed to stay below the threshold where you actually cancel. But if you’re subscribed to five or six services — which most cord cutters are — those incremental increases add up to a real number fast.
The bitter irony is that cord cutting was supposed to be the antidote to this. The original promise was that you’d only pay for what you watch. Instead, we’ve drifted into a situation where the average cord cutter is paying for Netflix, Hulu, Max, Peacock, Disney+, and a live TV service on top of that — and each one raises prices once a year like clockwork.
The math on cord cutting still beats traditional cable for most people — but only if you’re disciplined about what you keep active. The era of “subscribe to everything and forget about it” is over.
Story 2: Amazon Is Moving to Restrict Fire TV Sideloading
This is the bigger deal for Firestick power users. Reporting from April and May 2026 indicates that Amazon is moving to end or significantly restrict sideloading on Fire TV — the ability to install apps outside of the official Amazon Appstore using APK files.
For casual Firestick users, this won’t matter much. If your streaming life consists of Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, and Prime Video, you’re using official apps and this change is invisible to you.
For advanced users? It’s a gut punch.
Sideloading has always been Fire TV’s hidden superpower. It’s how people install:
- Kodi and its addon ecosystem
- Stremio for third-party streaming with Real-Debrid
- TiviMate and other IPTV players that aren’t in the Appstore
- Third-party app stores like Aptoide TV
The Downloader app — which is the main conduit for APK installation on Fire TV — has already had its share of turbulence. Amazon briefly removed it from the Appstore earlier in 2026, then brought it back. The writing on the wall has been clear for a while. This latest move just makes it official.
If you’re in this camp — and many of you reading this are — check out our full guide to the best Firestick alternatives for a breakdown of which devices give you the most flexibility in 2026.
Story 3: Roku Rolls Out a Major Update to Roku TVs and Players
Roku pushed a significant software update to its TV and player lineup this week. The update brings UI improvements and feature additions across the Roku device ecosystem — both for first-party Roku TVs and Roku streaming players.
Roku’s update cadence has been more aggressive in 2026 than in prior years, and they’ve generally kept their interface cleaner than Amazon’s. If you’re considering switching from a Firestick to a Roku device — especially given the sideloading news — this is a good moment to take that option seriously.
The Firestick vs Roku vs Chromecast comparison we published earlier this year is still the most comprehensive breakdown of how these platforms stack up.
How These Platforms Compare in 2026
| Device | Price | Sideloading | Interface | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fire TV Stick 4K Select | $39.99 | Restricted | Ad-heavy | Amazon ecosystem users |
| Roku (Player/TV) Clean UI | Varies | No | Clean | Simplicity seekers |
 Google TV | Varies | Limited | Moderate ads | Google users |
| Apple TV 4K Best Performance | $129+ | No | Premium | Premium performance |
| 🏆 NVIDIA Shield TV Most Flexible | $149+ | Full Android | Minimal | Power users |
Fire TV Stick 4K Select
✓ Pros
- Competitive price at $39.99
- Strong app catalog for mainstream streaming
- Alexa integration is genuinely useful
- Easy setup for new users
✕ Cons
- Home screen is cluttered with ads and Amazon content promotions
- Sideloading restrictions remove the platform's biggest advantage for power users
- Older models slow down noticeably over time
- Amazon ecosystem lock-in gets more aggressive with each update
Roku
✓ Pros
- Cleaner, less ad-aggressive interface compared to Fire TV
- Broad app support across all major streaming services
- Available in a wide range of price points
- Frequent software updates with meaningful feature additions
✕ Cons
- No sideloading culture — you're limited to the Roku Channel Store
- Less useful if you're deep in Amazon's ecosystem
- Some features vary significantly by device tier
NVIDIA Shield TV
NVIDIA Shield TV
- Full Android TV — install virtually any APK
- Best-in-class performance for local media and Plex
- No sideloading restrictions
- Enthusiast favorite with long software support history
What to Actually Do About Rising Streaming Costs
This isn’t a doom-and-gloom situation — it’s a management problem. Here’s a practical approach to keeping your streaming bill under control in a world where every service raises prices annually.
How to Audit and Reduce Your Streaming Costs
5 stepsList Every Active Subscription
Go through your bank or credit card statements for the last 30 days. List every streaming service you’re paying for, the monthly cost, and the last time you actually watched something on it. Be honest. If you can’t remember the last show you watched on a service, that’s your answer.
Rotate Instead of Stack
You don’t need to keep everything active simultaneously. Cancel services you’ve exhausted, subscribe to new ones when they have content you want, then cancel again. Most services make it easy to pause or cancel — they’re just counting on you not to bother.
Maximize Free Ad-Supported Options
Before you pay for anything, check if it’s available free. Tubi, Pluto TV, Freevee, and Crackle have massive libraries and cost nothing. You’ll sit through ads, but you’re already doing that on services you pay for.
Use a VPN to Stop ISP Throttling
Buffering isn’t always a content problem — sometimes your ISP is deliberately slowing your connection during peak hours. A VPN like Surfshark encrypts your traffic so your ISP can’t identify and throttle your streams. Worth the few dollars a month if you’ve been fighting mystery buffering for a while.
Evaluate Your Device Every Year
If you’re on a 3-4 year old Firestick, it’s probably slowing down — and a slow device makes streaming worse even when the connection is fine. Check our guide on how to speed up your Firestick before buying new hardware, but don’t rule out upgrading if sideloading restrictions cut off features you actually use.
The Free Streaming Apps Worth Actually Using
The ad-supported tier of the streaming ecosystem has genuinely gotten better in 2026. Tubi alone has tens of thousands of titles. Pluto TV runs live channels. Freevee carries a solid selection of Amazon originals. Peacock’s free tier includes more than people realize.
These aren’t consolation prizes — they’re real options. Building your viewing habits around free apps first and supplementing with one or two paid subscriptions is a smarter approach than subscribing to six services and wondering why your bill is $100/month.
For a full breakdown of what’s actually worth your time, see our best free movie apps for Firestick roundup.
The Bottom Line
Cord cutting is still cheaper than traditional cable for most households — but the gap is narrowing, and it requires more active management than it used to. The services that were supposed to disrupt cable are now doing exactly what cable did: raising prices incrementally, bundling content, and hoping you don’t notice.
On the device side, Amazon’s move toward restricting sideloading on Fire TV is the most significant hardware-adjacent news of the month. If your streaming setup depends on third-party apps installed via APK, start planning your next move now. The NVIDIA Shield TV remains the most flexible Android-based option for advanced users, and Roku continues to be the clean, fuss-free choice for everyone else.
What stays constant through all of this: a VPN protects your connection, free ad-supported apps offset your paid subscriptions, and rotating services beats stacking them.
Get Surfshark VPN — Protect Every Stream
→Keep Exploring
- Best Firestick Alternatives in 2026 (No More Restrictions)
- Best Free Movie Apps for Firestick 2026
- How to Speed Up Your Firestick
- Firestick vs Roku vs Chromecast: Which Streaming Device Wins?
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Last updated: May 2026
