Comparison

Kanopy vs Disney+

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

Head to head
About

Kanopy

Access a vast library of films and documentaries for free with your library card. Enjoy ad-free streaming of award-winning movies, The Criterion Collection, and curated content for children, with new titles added regularly.

Highlights
  • Free film streaming
  • Ad-free viewing
  • Library card required
  • Festival award-winning films
  • Documentaries
  • The Criterion Collection
  • Kanopy Kids with parental controls
Features
Read full description

Stream thousands of films for free without ads through your library. Sign up with your library card and start watching festival award-winning films, thought-provoking documentaries, The Criterion Collection, and more with new titles added weekly. Browse Kanopy Kids for unlimited age-appropriate shows and movies with access to parental controls. Available on mobile, web, and living room devices.

About

Disney+

Stream a vast library of movies and series from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and National Geographic. Enjoy exclusive Originals, new releases, and timeless classics with features like 4K UHD, IMAX Enhanced, and multi-screen viewing. Parental controls ensure a safe experience for all.

Highlights
  • Exclusive Originals
  • New releases and classics
  • 4K UHD and HDR streaming
  • IMAX Enhanced viewing
  • Multi-screen simultaneous viewing
  • Parental controls
  • Curated Hulu and ESPN content
Features
Read full description

Disney+ is the streaming home of your favorite stories. With beloved movies and series from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic, there's always something to explore. Stream the latest movie releases, exclusive Original series, and highly anticipated matchups all in Disney+. Stream Originals like Marvel Studios’ Loki and fan favorites like Encanto and The Simpsons. With a Disney+ subscription plan you will get to experience: • Exclusive new Originals from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and National Geographic. • Access to new releases, timeless classics, and past seasons of your favorite TV shows. • A live feed of ABC News and Streams that offer carefully curated, continuous programming based on seasonality or interest, from across the Disney+ library* • Over 100 titles in 4K UHD and HDR. • The ability to watch on multiple screens at once at no extra cost. • Multiple parental control features including Profile PIN and Kid-Proof Exit. Easily adjust a profile’s Content Rating settings for a viewing experience that suits everyone • IMAX Enhanced, see the full scale and scope with IMAX's expanded aspect ratio. Available with certain Marvel and Pixar titles and accessible on all devices where Disney+ is supported. • A curated selection of unlocked Hulu content in the Hulu hub within the Disney+ app.** • A curated selection of highly anticipated live sports events, ESPN Originals, and studio programming in the ESPN hub within the Disney+ app** For help with Disney+, please visit: http://help.disneyplus.com For our Subscriber Agreement and other policies please visit: https://disneyplus.com/legal/subscriber-agreement Your California Privacy Rights: https://www.disneyplus.com/legal/your-california-privacy-rights Do Not Sell My Information: https://www.disneyplus.com/legal/privacy-policy The content available on Disney+ may vary by region. Some titles shown above may not be available in your country. *Select Streams are currently available only with the Disney+ Premium plan. ABC News is not rated and will require a profile's Content Rating settings to be set to TV-MA. All other Streams are rated on a program-by-program basis. **Content subject to change. U.S. residents, 18+ only. A limited selection of content from Hulu and ESPN+ are now available to all Disney+ subscribers. To access the full ESPN+ on Disney+ and Hulu on Disney+ experiences, you must bundle those services with your Disney+ subscription.

Screenshots

Kanopy4 screens
Disney+4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Kanopy at 72% against Disney+'s 28%. Kanopy also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 12) and ads (none vs shown). Disney+'s advantage is chart position (#6 vs #149) and ratings volume (2M vs 153K). On price, device support and iOS requirement 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. Disney+ sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $12.49 per month. Kanopy asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Kanopy holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Disney+ has 2M ratings behind it against 153K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 72% of Kanopy's written reviews are positive against 28% of Disney+'s.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Kanopy ships an update every 2 weeks, Disney+ every 8 days. Both last shipped on October 28, 2026.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
Kanopy versus Disney+: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterKanopyDisney+
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (153K ratings) — better4.6 (2M ratings)
Positive reviews72.0% of reviews — better28.2% of reviews
Number of ratings153K2M — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 8 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterSubscription
Best chart rank#149#6 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TViPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Vision Pro
Requires iOS15.0 — better16.5
Further details — not scored
Size103 MB304 MB
Age rating12+12+
DeveloperKanopyDisney

Customer experience

Kanopy

All ratings152,540 ratings
Positive95.9%
Neutral2.1%
Negative1.9%
Written reviews814 reviews
Positive72.0%
Neutral7.7%
Negative20.3%

Disney+

All ratings1,977,917 ratings
Positive89.7%
Neutral4.1%
Negative6.1%
Written reviews8,127 reviews
Positive28.2%
Neutral10.1%
Negative61.7%

User reviews

Kanopy

From 153K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🎥 Eclectic and engaging selection of films and series
  • 🎬 Great movies and documentaries
  • 🏆 Excellent content and thoughtful entertainment
  • 🌍 Wide selection of various international material
  • 🧠 Fantastic educational content like The Great Courses

Room to improve

  • 🐛 App crashes, freezes, and has stability issues
  • 🔍 Difficult to search and navigate, poor user experience
  • 🕰️ Losing credits just for resuming a movie
  • 🔇 No way to turn off closed captions
  • 📺 Chromecast and TV integration problems

Disney+

From 2M App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Smooth streaming
  • 💎 Excellent content library
  • 🌟 Childhood favorites available
  • 🤩 Exciting new original shows

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Buggy app with crashes
  • 🤔 Confusing navigation
  • 🔍 Difficult to find content
  • 🕰️ Lack of 'continue watching' feature

Bugs and requests

Kanopy

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • App crashes and freezes frequently
  • Login issues, unable to sign in or access account
  • Chromecast and TV streaming problems
  • Video playback issues, including blurry or out of sync
  • Inconsistent behavior when resuming or rewatching movies

Requested features

6 requests
  • Add ability to pause, rewind, and resume movies without using credits
  • Improve search and browsing functionality
  • Provide more content filtering and parental control options
  • Add support for offline viewing and downloads
  • Enhance Chromecast and TV integration
Show 1 more
  • Improve video quality and playback stability

Disney+

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Frequent app crashes
  • Issues with Chromecast and casting
  • Incorrect episode order for some shows
  • Disappearing content from watchlist

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add 'continue watching' section
  • Improve episode tracking and resume
  • Allow customizable profiles
  • Expand language and subtitle options

In-app purchases

None

Kanopy

No in-app purchases

6 purchases

Disney+

Subscriptions5
  • Disney+ Basic Monthly2 variants$12.491 Month
  • Disney Bundle Duo Basic$12.991 Month
  • Disney+ Premium5 variants$21.491 Month
Show 2 more
  • Disney+, Hulu Bundle Premium$21.991 Month
  • Disney+ Premium$214.991 Year
One-time1
  • Disney+ Premier Access: Mulan$29.99

Questions

Is Kanopy free?
Kanopy is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Disney+ free?
Disney+ is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Kanopy or Disney+?
Kanopy is rated higher. Kanopy averages 4.8 out of 5 from 153K ratings, while Disney+ averages 4.6 from 2M ratings.
Do Kanopy or Disney+ have ads?
Disney+ shows ads; Kanopy does not.
Which is updated more often, Kanopy or Disney+?
Kanopy ships an update every 2 weeks, and Disney+ every 8 days. Most recently, Kanopy was updated on October 28, 2026 and Disney+ on October 28, 2026.
Which is more popular, Kanopy or Disney+?
Kanopy currently peaks at #149 in the App Store charts, and Disney+ at #6. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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