Comparison

HighballTV vs NoBudge

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Curated film festival selections
  • Community commentary and discussion
  • Behind-the-scenes content
  • Filmmaker and curator interaction
  • Algorithm-free discovery
  • Monthly and yearly subscription options
Features
Read full description

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

About

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.

Highlights
  • Daily new film releases
  • Exclusive content
  • Extensive browsing and curation
  • Diverse filmmaker selection
  • Focus on low-budget cinema
Features
Read full description

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

HighballTV4 screens
NoBudge4 screens

Verdict

The call

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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
HighballTV versus NoBudge: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHighballTVNoBudge
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (24 ratings) — better
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—24 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple TViPhone, iPad, Apple TV
Requires iOS16.616.6
Further details — not scored
Size69 MB68 MB
Age rating9+12+
DeveloperInternext Entertainment Distribution IncorporatedNoBudge LLC

Customer experience

HighballTV

Written reviews9 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

NoBudge

All ratings24 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

HighballTV

Subscriptions2
  • HighballTV Subscription$4.991 Month
  • HighballTV Subscription$49.991 Year
2 purchases

NoBudge

Subscriptions2
  • NoBudge Monthly$5.991 Month
  • NoBudge Yearly$54.991 Year

Questions

Is HighballTV free?
HighballTV is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is NoBudge free?
NoBudge is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do HighballTV or NoBudge have ads?
Neither HighballTV nor NoBudge shows ads.
Which is updated more often, HighballTV or NoBudge?
HighballTV ships an update every 3 months, and NoBudge every 3 months. Most recently, HighballTV was updated on October 8, 2026 and NoBudge on October 24, 2026.

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