Android TV and Google TV are two solid operating systems used to power various smart TV models and Google’s own Chromecast devices. While Google TV is the newer operating system, Android TV still gets a lot of support and shouldn’t be ignored. We’ve reviewed both to help you better understand their different functions, features, and slightly different design aesthetics.

Android TV and Google TV are excellent operating systems for smart TVs and Chromecast streaming devices. Google TV is the newer of the two and has a few improvements, but it’s not as different from Android TV as you might think. Both operating systems are based on Android, with Google TV acting more like a rebranded Android TV update than a complete reinvention.

Switching from an Android TV device to a device with Google TV is more like upgrading from an older Android smartphone to a newer Android model than it is like switching from an Apple iPad to something completely different, like a Windows tablet. All the Android apps that run on Android TV also run on Google TV, and both offer strong support for Google Assistant voice commands, smart home controls, Chromecast casting, and media streaming.

Whether you choose Google TV over Android TV or not depends on how interested you are in the various improvements, such as user profiles, kids settings, better personalization, and the focus on live TV.