We recently told you about some of the best Firestick games you could sideload onto your streaming stick. Now it’s time to turn our attention to the main draw of the device – Firestick apps.

Out of the box, Amazon’s dongle provides you with plenty of content. From the top networks to smaller niches, there is a little something for everyone. If you’re new to the streaming world, our guide has you covered. We have also included something special for folks that are not afraid to tinker with their tech.

Getting Started

If you’re an old pro, feel free to skip ahead to the content or our side-loaded section. If not, get ready to hit your home buttons and fire up voice search.

From the apps tab on your fire tv device, you’ll see a splash screen that features some of the top choices Amazon wants you to check out. It doesn’t matter if you use Amazon Prime; the apps selection remains the same. You can browse by featured or hop over to the categories tab.

From here you can choose from 27 different sections that cover everything. We mean that literally as there are sections for business, local, magazines, transportation, social networking, utility, kids, and finance just to name a few. If you are familiar with the Google Play or App Store categories, you’ll have no trouble finding your way around.

Interesting Firestick Apps

While you’ll find plenty of apps like Netflix and Hulu, there are also some interesting Firestick apps available to download. Apps like CuriosityStream, Massage Therapy, and Smart Senior are hiding under the medical tab while the anti-dentite will want to steer clear from the aptly named “Dentists Channel.”

Do you like trains? If so you are in luck as there’s a dedicated Train Channel while money-savvy folks will appreciate oddities like CryptoStats for Fire TV or The Financial Channel. Like we said, there really is a Firestick app for everyone…

When you get past the filler and to the more popular sections, there are some nice options available. Below are a few popular areas of interest and some of the apps you’ll find within their section.

Sports

• NFL
• Gaia
• NBA App
• Daily Burn
• Pilates
• Simply Yoga
• Men’s Fitness
• Learn to Belly Dance

If you have one of Amazon’s newer Fire devices like the Echo Spot or Echo Show, you may find these Firestick Apps quite helpful in the kitchen.

• Low Carb 360
• Amie Oliver’s Food Tube
• BBQnGrill
• Le Gourmet TV
• Wine Shop
• Save the Kales!

Movies on the Firestick

While there are hundreds of ways to get movies on your Firestick through various methods or a sideloader app, there is no shortage of official options as well. This is also where things can get tricky as there are plenty of apps that aren’t exactly free.

One of the easiest ways to get your movies going is to simply go to the movies tab on your device. You can pull up purchased content from here, or access movies and TV shows on Amazon Prime. You don’t need to download a special Firestick app for these, you just have to find the tab.

The streaming quality is as strong as your connection and on par with others services like Netflix or Hulu. That said, you will only get “HD” through the regular Firestick and have to opt for the Firestick 4K if you want top quality. Pixels aside, you can rent films or shows from here as long as your account is synced.

If you are lucky enough to have access to Amazon Prime, the world is your oyster. There are hundreds of free films and shows available, even if they can be hard to find. Free titles always carry the “Prime” banner, anything else you will need to pay for.

Firestick TV and Movie Channels

Movies can come from many sources on your Firestick including regular channels like ABC or Fox. Again, there are some oddballs like Classic Sci-Fi Movies as well if you want to go down that road. Scattered among the usual suspects, you’ll find paid providers fan favorites alike. We have highlighted a few of the top options below, but there are plenty more to choose from.

• FXNow
• Starz
• Showtime Anytime
• HBO Go
• PlayStation Vue
• Hulu
• Disney
• Discovery
• TNT
• ID GO
• Popcorn Flix

We don’t have a hard count on the number of streaming apps Amazon has available on their service. That said, we can tell you firsthand it is an extreme amount. We actually got tired of counting a few hundred deep; somewhere between Epix and the Irvine California STV channel.

If you aren’t impressed by movies, healthy living or even food – we still have something for you in the utility section.

Firestick Programs

On mobiles, an app can be almost anything, but your options are somewhat limited on the big screen. That’s due to a lack of buttons in some cases, and a lack of power in others. If you want to browse the internet from your Firestick, calculate some bills or just set up a simple clock, they have a Firestick app for that as well.

We’re going to lie. Most of the apps in this section won’t be of use to a vast majority of our readers unless you want to try a dozen types of file managers or really dig clocks and calculators. There are a few apps you will want to download immediately, however, along with a few others that are just plain handy.

• ES File Explorer
• Firefox
• FireDL
• IPVanish
• ExpressVPN
• DroidAdmin

If you follow our site, you already know what half of those are for, if not you will soon find out.

Kodi and Sideloaded Apps

When you truly want to unlock the full capabilities of your Firestick, there is only one app to turn to. That would be Kodi, a media streaming solution that can fit all your needs and provide live TV. This is an app you will want to have on hand if you prefer things like TerrariumTV over standard fare like AMC.

Kodi is mainly used a media center or hub by the masses. It gives you the ability to share your media on your home network and works on a wide variety of devices. That includes Firesticks and the Fire TV 4K along with dozens of other gadgets.

Want to record live TV? You can do that through the software provided you have the proper backend. It also gives you access to the wild world of Kodi addons, which is where the fun comes into play. Unfortunately, it’s difficult to stay on top of things as repositories come and go. What’s hot today, may be gone tomorrow. With that in mind here are a few of the best Kodi addons available at the time of this writing.

• Exodus
• Covenant
• Neptune Rising
• Salts
• Maverick TV
• Incursion
• Placenta

While there is a bit of a learning curve, we’re pleased to say Kodi works perfectly on Fire TV stick and is what we consider a must-have app. If you’re curious about it and would like to learn more about Kodi or want to get started, you can follow our guide which walks you through the process. Regardless of where you get your Firestick apps, there are a wealth of options to choose from. You should also check back regularly and keep your stick up to date as Amazon adds new content frequently.

Do you plan to use your Firestick for official apps or are you more interested in Kodi?

Jackson