The short answer
Roku does not allow apps to be installed from outside its own channel store, and the store has never carried the mainstream IPTV players that dominate other platforms. If your plan was to buy a Roku stick, install a player and enter your login the way you would on a Firestick, that route is closed.
What remains is workable but indirect: mirror from another device, plug a different stick into a Roku TV, or use whatever playlist-capable channels happen to be in the store at the time. None of them is as clean as the equivalent on Android TV, and it is worth knowing that before you buy hardware.
Why Roku behaves differently
Fire TV and Android TV are both built on Android. That is why the same handful of players turn up on both, and why sideloading an installer file is a normal thing to do on them.
Roku OS is not Android. It has its own development model, its own store, and no consumer-facing way to install an application the platform has not approved. There is no file manager, no browser to download an installer with, and no equivalent of the sideloading apps people use elsewhere. The restriction is deliberate, and it applies to every Roku player and every television with Roku built in.
The three routes that actually work
Mirroring from a phone, tablet or computer
Most Roku devices support screen mirroring from Windows and Android. You run the player on the other device and send the picture to the television.
It works, and it costs nothing. The trade-offs are real though: the source device has to stay awake and on the same network, the picture is re-encoded on the way across so quality drops a little, and live sport in particular tends to pick up a delay. It is a reasonable fallback, not a way to watch every evening.
A separate stick plugged into a Roku TV
If your television has Roku built in, it still has HDMI inputs. A cheap Android TV stick in one of them gives you the full range of players and leaves the Roku side of the television untouched for everything else.
This is the route most people end up on, and it is usually the right one. You are not replacing the television, only adding an input to it.
Playlist-capable channels in the Roku store
A small number of store channels can take an M3U playlist. Which ones are available changes over time and by country, and they come and go without notice, so it is not something to plan a purchase around.
If you want to try this route, check the store on your own device before you buy a subscription rather than trusting a list you read somewhere. Anything you find should be treated as a bonus rather than the plan.
What each route costs you
There is no option here that gives you a first-class IPTV player natively on Roku OS. If that is what you are after, the honest recommendation is to spend a little on a second device rather than fight the platform.
- Mirroring: free, but ties up a second device and adds delay
- A stick in a Roku TV input: a one-off hardware cost, then the same experience as any Android TV device
- A store channel: free if one exists for you, but you are dependent on it staying in the store
If you already own a Roku TV
You are in a better position than someone with a Roku stick, because you have HDMI inputs to work with. Adding a small streaming stick turns the television into a normal Smart TV for IPTV purposes, and you keep Roku for the apps you already use.
Our guide on whether you need a streaming box covers how to decide what to buy, and the comparison of a Firestick, an Android box and a Smart TV app covers which type suits which household.
Testing before you commit
Whatever route you pick, test it before you pay for a long subscription. Ask for a trial, set the whole chain up exactly as you intend to use it, and watch something live for a while rather than flicking through channels for two minutes.
If you are mirroring, check a live event specifically. Mirroring holds up reasonably well on a film and less well on fast sport, and the difference only shows once something is moving quickly. Our guide on what to test during a trial has a checklist worth working through.
Which to choose
If you own a Roku TV and watch regularly, add a stick to an HDMI input. It is the only route that gives you a proper player, a proper guide and proper favourites.
If you own a Roku stick and rarely watch, mirroring may be enough. If you have not bought anything yet and IPTV is a main reason for the purchase, buy a device built on Android instead and skip the problem entirely. Our Smart TV guide sets out what each platform can run.
Frequently asked questions
Can I install IPTV Smarters or TiviMate on a Roku?
No. Roku does not allow apps from outside its own store, and those players are not in it. There is no sideloading route on Roku OS the way there is on Fire TV or Android TV.
Does a Roku TV work any better than a Roku stick?
The Roku software is the same. The advantage is the HDMI inputs, which let you plug in a different streaming device and use that for IPTV instead.
Is screen mirroring good enough for live sport?
Usually not for a match you care about. Mirroring re-encodes the picture and adds delay, which shows up most on fast movement. It is more comfortable for films and series.
Are there any IPTV channels in the Roku store?
Some playlist-capable channels appear from time to time, and availability differs by country and changes without warning. Check your own store before assuming one will be there.
What should I buy if I want IPTV to just work?
A device built on Android — a Fire TV stick, an Android TV box or a Google TV dongle. All of them run the mainstream players directly, with no workaround.