HighballTV vs NoBudge
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
HighballTV
Discover curated, independent films from major festivals like Sundance and Cannes. Engage with a community of film lovers, curators, and filmmakers through comments and behind-the-scenes content. Experience a human-centered approach to film discovery, free from algorithms.
- Curated film festival selections
- Community commentary and discussion
- Behind-the-scenes content
- Filmmaker and curator interaction
- Algorithm-free discovery
- Monthly and yearly subscription options
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HighballTV makes it possible for you to bring film festival cinema to every screen in your life. We are actual, real-life humans who track down exquisite films for you from major festivals like Sundance, Cannes, TIFF, and Venice, and we hand-curate them in fresh and innovative ways, so we can constantly bring you fascinating films you'll love. We missed that feeling of a video store and the in-person relationship shared by cinephiles, so we encourage our community to comment on films, and the film-curators and film-makers get in on the conversation with you. You'll also find the kind of behind-the-scenes and Q&A special features that make you feel like you're at the festival. We're proudly algorithm-free, because we believe in the essential humanity of film. HighballTV is a community of film-lovers, and we'd love for you to join us. To access all features and content you can subscribe to HighballTV 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.highballtv.com/tos Privacy Policy: https://www.highballtv.com/privacy
NoBudge
Discover a curated daily selection of new short films and features from emerging filmmakers. This platform celebrates low-budget cinema, DIY visions, and student films across various genres, offering exclusive content not found elsewhere.
- Daily new film releases
- Exclusive content
- Extensive browsing and curation
- Diverse filmmaker selection
- Focus on low-budget cinema
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NoBudge is a streaming platform for young & emerging filmmakers. Curated daily, it's a unique collection of short films and features from new talent in the indie film world. Operating since 2011, it's a well-established platform started by filmmakers and focused on low-budget cinema, DIY visions, youth culture, and student films. It features a wide range of narrative, experimental, animation, documentary, sketch, web series and dance/music videos. -New films daily -Exclusive films not available anywhere else -Extensive browsing and curation -Diverse selection of filmmakers -Filmmaker friendly "One of the best places to sample what’s happening in low-budget cinema worldwide." -Glenn Kenny, The New York Times. "NoBudge celebrates the creative freedom often only found in work made free from commercial considerations. It’s a place to discover fun, stimulating short works from artists you didn’t previously know." -Mark Asch, Vulture "One of the most singular streaming outlets on the block." -Guy Lodge, The Guardian. "Like a great film festival shorts section beamed into your home, NoBudge is one of the internet’s top showcases for independent work. The scope of its programming spans and defies genres; it’s a place where the concept of film-as-art always feels honored." -Eric Allen Hatch, Endcrawl. "One of the premier destinations for true independent movies" -No Film School. To access all features and content you can subscribe to NoBudge 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.nobudge.com/tos Privacy Policy: https://www.nobudge.com/privacy
Screenshots
Verdict
HighballTV and NoBudge are too close to call on the numbers: across 8 compared parameters — price, review sentiment, update cadence and ads among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. HighballTV sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and NoBudge sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | HighballTV | NoBudge |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | 5.0 (24 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | — | 24 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 3 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple TV | iPhone, iPad, Apple TV |
| Requires iOS | 16.6 | 16.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 69 MB | 68 MB |
| Age rating | 9+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Internext Entertainment Distribution Incorporated | NoBudge LLC |
Customer experience
HighballTV
NoBudge
In-app purchases
HighballTV
- HighballTV Subscription$4.991 Month
- HighballTV Subscription$49.991 Year
NoBudge
- NoBudge Monthly$5.991 Month
- NoBudge Yearly$54.991 Year







