# Kanopy vs Light Widow

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Kanopy at 152K against Light Widow's 3. Kanopy also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 2 months) and chart position (#160 vs unranked). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Kanopy against 4.7 for Light Widow. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Kanopy has 152K ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Kanopy ships an update every 2 weeks, Light Widow every 2 months. Both last shipped on October 21, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Kanopy | Light Widow |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (152K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/kanopy/id1205614510/reviews)** | [4.7 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/light-widow/id1616199102/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **152K** | 3 |
| Positive reviews | 72.3% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 weeks** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | **#160** | — |
| Size | 104 MB | 40 MB |
| Requires iOS | **14.0** | 14.7 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Kanopy](https://appshunter.io/developer/1205614509) | [Light Widow LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1616199104) |

## What reviewers say

### Kanopy

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

**Currently charting:** #160 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


### Light Widow

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/light-widow/id1616199102)

This application enables connection to specific hardware products for programming filters and customizing their appearance. It offers a streamlined interface for managing the look and feel of supported devices.

**Highlights:** Connect to FRS-Light, CineTag, ARRI LMB4x5, Program filters, Customize product look and feel, Streamlined interface

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Kanopy free?

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

### Is Light Widow free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Kanopy or Light Widow?

Kanopy is rated higher. Kanopy averages 4.8 out of 5 from 152K ratings, while Light Widow averages 4.7 from 3 ratings.

### Do Kanopy or Light Widow have ads?

Neither Kanopy nor Light Widow shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Kanopy or Light Widow?

Kanopy ships an update every 2 weeks, and Light Widow every 2 months. Most recently, Kanopy was updated on October 21, 2026 and Light Widow on October 21, 2026.

---

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