The Roku OS is the most popular TV operating system in the U.S., reaching an estimated 90 million households as of 2025.

[13] The Roku OS was reportedly based on Linux with kernel version 2.4.18, and leveraged open-source software, including Samba, Busybox, jpeglib, and zlib.

This release allowed television viewers using Roku’s streaming devices to "follow" actors, directors, as well as TV shows and films.

[20] April 2019 saw the release of Roku OS 9.1 adding "automatic account linking" (sparing users from re-entering login credentials previously entered on a Roku streaming device or TV), genre search, smarter voice control and other features.

[23] In March 2023, the Roku OS was reported to have 70 million active accounts[24] and to have led the US smart TV and streaming device sector in 2022.

[25] In April 2024, the Roku OS was reported to be the TV operating system with the largest share of TVs sold in the U.S. and Mexico during January-March 2024, accounting for approximately 40% of sales in each country.

The update was said to offer enhancements to content discovery, browsing and other features including auto-adjusted picture modes and personalized "backdrops".

[7][8][14] According to Roku, the operating system is able to run on "low power chips" using small memory footprints.

[34] The operating system allows users to browse streaming channels available, displayed in a grid format.