# Kanopy vs Nebula⁣

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Kanopy at none against Nebula⁣'s 10. Kanopy also leads on review sentiment (72% vs 54%) and ratings volume (153K vs 14K). On price, rating, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Nebula⁣ sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Kanopy asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Kanopy against 4.8 for Nebula⁣. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Kanopy has 153K ratings behind it against 14K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 72% of Kanopy's written reviews are positive against 54% of Nebula⁣'s.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 weeks. Both last shipped on November 13, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Kanopy | Nebula⁣ |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (153K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/kanopy/id1205614510/reviews)** | [4.8 (14K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nebula/id1447033725/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **153K** | 14K |
| Positive reviews | **71.9% of reviews** | 54.4% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | Every 2 weeks |
| Monetization | **Free** | Subscription |
| Best chart rank | **#177** | — |
| Size | 103 MB | 63 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV** | iPhone, iPad, Apple TV |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Kanopy](https://appshunter.io/developer/1205614509) | [Standard](https://appshunter.io/developer/1447033724) |

## What reviewers say

### Kanopy

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/kanopy/id1205614510)

**Currently charting:** #177 Top Free · Entertainment (US App Store)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🎥 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

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 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

**Reported bugs**

- 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**

- 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


### Nebula⁣

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nebula/id1447033725)

Access a curated collection of videos, podcasts, and classes from independent creators. Enjoy exclusive original content, extended cuts, and offline downloads. Support creators directly through this ad-free streaming platform.

**Highlights:** Full catalog access, Exclusive Nebula Originals, Nebula Plus extended content, Creator release notifications, Offline video downloads

**Features:** Family Sharing, SharePlay

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| MONTHLY | $2.99 | per month |
| MONTHLY | $4.99 | per month |
| MONTHLY | $5.00 | per month |
| MONTHLY | $7.00 | per month |
| YEARLY | $30.00 | per year |
| YEARLY | $49.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Ad-free experience
- 💡 Creator-owned platform
- 🚀 Smooth app performance
- 🤩 Excellent content quality
- 💰 Affordable subscription

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Buggy app with crashes and glitches
- 🔍 Poor content discoverability
- 🔀 Confusing navigation and lack of user-friendly features
- 🔇 No background playback or audio-only mode
- 🔒 Lack of platform-wide login persistence

**Reported bugs**

- Downloaded videos disappearing from the app
- Inability to exit full-screen mode without restarting the app
- Inconsistent behavior when switching between portrait and landscape modes
- Frequent app crashes and freezes, especially on older devices

**Requested features**

- Add Chromecast and AirPlay support
- Implement a 'Watch Later' or 'Continue Watching' feature
- Allow users to adjust video quality and playback speed
- Introduce a comments section for user feedback
- Improve content organization and recommendation algorithms


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Kanopy free?

Kanopy is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Nebula⁣ free?

Nebula⁣ is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Kanopy or Nebula⁣?

Kanopy is rated higher. Kanopy averages 4.8 out of 5 from 153K ratings, while Nebula⁣ averages 4.8 from 14K ratings.

### Do Kanopy or Nebula⁣ have ads?

Neither Kanopy nor Nebula⁣ shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Kanopy or Nebula⁣?

Kanopy ships an update every 2 weeks, and Nebula⁣ every 2 weeks. Most recently, Kanopy was updated on November 13, 2026 and Nebula⁣ on November 13, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*