Comparison

Classix vs The Criterion Channel

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Classix

Access a vast library of classic movies and TV shows across numerous genres. Enjoy curated content, live channels, and personalized recommendations on all your Apple devices. Stream anytime, anywhere, and save your favorites for later.

Highlights
  • Curated library of classic movies and TV shows
  • 25 exclusive live TV channels
  • Personalized recommendations
  • Save to your list and resume watching
  • Universal search with Siri and Spotlight
  • Picture-in-Picture support
Features
Read full description

Dive into a treasure trove of thousands of classic movies and TV shows, handpicked to bring you the very best in timeless entertainment. From vintage comedies and thrilling dramas to iconic cartoons and family-friendly favorites, Classix has something for everyone to love. Stream anywhere, anytime. With Classix, the golden age of Hollywood is always at your fingertips. Download now and enjoy an ever-growing library of classic entertainment across iPhone, iPad, Apple TV and Apple Vision Pro. A CLASSIX MADE FOR YOU • Personalized Home: Tell Classix what you love and discover a Home experience built around your tastes. • Smart Recommendations: Discover movies and shows selected for you, with insights into why you might love them. • AI Search: Search naturally by mood, topic, actor or title, and refine your search with follow-up questions. • Private, On-Device Intelligence: Personalization and AI Search are powered directly on your device. DISCOVER & WATCH • A Curated Library: Explore thousands of classic movies and TV shows across every genre, from unforgettable Westerns and suspenseful mysteries to beloved cartoons and comedies. • Live Channels: Stream 25 exclusive Classix Live TV Channels for a nostalgic trip through cinematic history. • Generated Subtitles: Generate captions on-device in your preferred languages. • Siri: Ask Siri to play or search for your favorite classics on Classix. • Spotlight: Find Classix titles directly from system search and jump straight into the app. • Your List, Your Way: Save your must-watch classics so your list and pick up right where you left off. WHY CHOOSE CLASSIX+? Get full access to our entire library of movies, TV shows and 25 live TV channels. MADE FOR APPLE • Beautifully designed for iPhone, iPad, Apple TV and Apple Vision Pro. • Seamless playback controls and Now Playing integration. • Picture-in-Picture support for watching while multitasking. • Resizable layouts designed for the latest iPhone and iPad experiences. Classix is your ultimate gateway to the past. Relive the charm, magic and nostalgia of the classics, all in one place. Download Classix today and rediscover the art of timeless entertainment! Privacy Policy: https://classixapp.com/privacy Terms of Use: https://classixapp.com/terms

About

The Criterion Channel

Stream a curated collection of classic and contemporary films from around the world. Discover Hollywood, international, art-house, and independent movies with special features and exclusive series. Enjoy daily refreshed selections and in-depth film analysis.

Highlights
  • Criterion Collection streaming library
  • Thematic film programming
  • Director and star retrospectives
  • Guest-curated film series
  • Supplemental film features
  • Original Criterion Channel series
Features
Read full description

A movie lover’s dream, the Criterion Channel offers classics and discoveries from around the world, thematically programmed with special features, on a streaming service brought to you by the Criterion Collection. With constantly refreshed selections of Hollywood, international, art-house, and independent movies, plus access to Criterion’s entire streaming library of more than 1,000 important classic and contemporary films, there’s something new to choose from every day of the week on the Criterion Channel. Start with Sunday Spotlights on directors, stars, genres, and themes; Tuesday’s Short + Feature; or the Friday double bill. Try out our 15-minute-a-month film school, Observations on Film Art, or choose from suggestions by friends like Barry Jenkins, Guillermo del Toro, or Mira Nair. Go deep with the Criterion Collection’s archive of special features for context that no other service can match. FEATURES - The Criterion Collection’s streaming library, including many complete editions released on Blu-ray and DVD, as well as unreleased titles - Ongoing programs of Hollywood, international, art-house, independent, documentary, and short films, including thematic programming, director and star retrospectives, and guest-curated series - Original Criterion Channel series such as Observations on Film Art, Adventures in Moviegoing, and Art-House America - Supplemental features to deepen your appreciation of the art of film, including audio commentaries, behind-the-scenes footage, scholarly analyses, introductions, new and archival interviews, and trailers To access all features and content you can subscribe to The Criterion Channel on a monthly or yearly basis with an auto-renewing subscription right inside the app.* Pricing can vary by region and will be confirmed before purchase in the app. In app subscriptions will automatically renew at the end of their cycle. * All payments will be paid through your iTunes Account and may be managed under Account Settings after the initial payment. Subscription payments will automatically renew unless deactivated at least 24-hours before the end of the current cycle. Your account will be charged for renewal at least 24-hours prior to the end of the current cycle. Any unused portion of your free trial will be forfeited upon payment. Cancellations are incurred by disabling auto-renewal. Terms of Service: https://www.criterionchannel.com/tos Privacy Policy: https://www.criterionchannel.com/privacy

Screenshots

Classix4 screens
The Criterion Channel3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: The Criterion Channel at 91% against Classix's 28%. The Criterion Channel also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.5) and chart position (#80 vs unranked). Classix's advantage is monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs subscription) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 6 weeks). On price, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Classix sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and The Criterion Channel sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $10.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

The Criterion Channel holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4K and 13K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 28% of Classix's written reviews are positive against 91% of The Criterion Channel's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Classix ships an update every 3 weeks, The Criterion Channel every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
Classix versus The Criterion Channel: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterClassixThe Criterion Channel
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (4K ratings)4.8 (13K ratings) — better
Positive reviews27.5% of reviews91.1% of reviews — better
Number of ratings4K13K — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 6 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterSubscription
Best chart rank#80 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Apple Watch, Vision Pro — betteriPhone, iPad, Apple TV
Requires iOS18.016.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size82 MB71 MB
Age rating12+12+
DeveloperClassix Media Inc.The Criterion Collection, Inc.

Customer experience

Classix

All ratings3,975 ratings
Positive86.7%
Neutral5.0%
Negative8.4%
Written reviews287 reviews
Positive27.5%
Neutral9.1%
Negative63.4%

The Criterion Channel

All ratings13,348 ratings
Positive94.9%
Neutral1.4%
Negative3.8%
Written reviews1,285 reviews
Positive91.1%
Neutral2.3%
Negative6.6%

User reviews

Classix

From 4K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Great selection of classic movies and TV shows
  • 👍 Lifetime subscription is good value
  • 🚀 Lots of content available
  • 👍 Brings back nostalgic memories

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and app not working
  • 🔍 Poor video and audio quality
  • 🔍 Incomplete movies/shows, missing content
  • 🔍 Buggy app with many issues
  • 💰 Paid subscription not worth it

The Criterion Channel

From 13K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🎥 Excellent collection of films
  • 🎨 Great curation and themed collections
  • 🔍 Ability to discover new and classic films
  • 🎬 High-quality film viewing experience
  • 🤓 Educational and informative supplementary content

Room to improve

  • 🔍 Difficult to browse full catalog
  • 🔍 Limited search and filtering options
  • 🐛 Playback issues and interruptions
  • 🔌 Problems with offline viewing and downloads
  • 🤖 Lack of personalized recommendations

Bugs and requests

Classix

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • App crashes on launch
  • Videos won't load or play
  • Account and subscription issues
  • Playback controls not working
  • Syncing issues across devices

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add closed captions/subtitles
  • Improve video and audio quality
  • Fix bugs and crashes
  • Expand content library
  • Allow resume playback from where left off

The Criterion Channel

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Frequent playback interruptions and freezing
  • Unreliable offline viewing and download issues
  • Inconsistent app performance across devices

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to view full catalog of available titles
  • More advanced search and filtering tools
  • Improved playback stability and offline functionality
  • Personalized recommendations based on viewing history
  • Ratings and user reviews system

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Classix

Subscriptions2
  • Classix+ – Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Classix+ – Annual$29.991 Year
One-time2
  • Classix+$49.99
  • Classix+ – Lifetime$49.99
2 purchases

The Criterion Channel

Subscriptions2
  • Criterion Channel Subscription7 Days trial$10.991 Month
  • Criterion Channel Subscription7 Days trial$99.991 Year

Questions

Is Classix free?
Classix is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is The Criterion Channel free?
The Criterion Channel is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Classix or The Criterion Channel?
The Criterion Channel is rated higher. Classix averages 4.5 out of 5 from 4K ratings, while The Criterion Channel averages 4.8 from 13K ratings.
Do Classix or The Criterion Channel have ads?
Neither Classix nor The Criterion Channel shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Classix or The Criterion Channel?
Classix ships an update every 3 weeks, and The Criterion Channel every 6 weeks. Most recently, Classix was updated on September 21, 2026 and The Criterion Channel on September 23, 2026.

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