Kernel vs Runtime TV
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Kernel
This AI-powered app helps you discover, organize, and share movies and TV shows. Describe a title to find it, get recommendations directly from friends, and track upcoming releases. It also shows you where to stream content across various services.
- AI-powered search by description
- Direct friend recommendations
- Create movie/TV show playlists
- Automatic release tracking and notifications
- Streaming service availability
- Widgets and Apple Watch support
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Kernel is your AI-powered companion for movies and shows. Discover, organize, and share what to watch, all in one remarkably simple app. • Describe it, we’ll find it Forgot the name? Just describe the movie or show and Kernel AI will find it for you. • Recommend directly Effortlessly share what you’re watching. Your friends can now receive recommendations right on their Kernel profile. • Create playlists for Movies and TV Shows Save what you’ve seen, what you want to watch, and everything in between. • Track releases automatically Add upcoming titles and get notified as they approach. Stay on top of every release without any effort. • Know where to stream See exactly where to watch across services like Netflix, Apple TV, Prime Video, Disney+, and more. • Built-in widgets & Apple Watch support Keep your most anticipated releases front and center, on your home screen or your wrist. Available in English and Spanish. Photos and artwork used on Kernel are the property of their respective owners. Studio logos and other trademarks used herein are the property of their respective owners. Information about the auto-renewable Subscription: * Subscription terms are 1 week, 1 month or 1 year. The subscription is renewed every week, month or year. * Payments will be collected through your iTunes account after you confirm your purchase. * Auto-renewable Subscriptions will be renewed unless canceled 24 hours before the subscription expires. * You can cancel your subscription at this address: http://support.apple.com/HT202039 * Terms of use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Runtime TV
Stream award-winning movies and series for free, anytime and anywhere. Create personalized playlists of your favorite titles and enjoy live broadcasts or on-demand content from an extensive catalog.
- Free movie and series streaming
- Live and on-demand content
- Award-winning entertainment
- Cross-device compatibility
- Customizable playlists
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Runtime is your new favorite destination for the best in entertainment. Binge your favorite movies and series anytime, anywhere, and absolutely free! On Runtime you can: - Stream award-winning content from any device you want. - Watch titles live and see what is coming up next, or choose from our extensive catalog and stream it on demand. - Create your own fav playlist with the movies and series you love the most.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Runtime TV at 4.7 against Kernel's 4.0. Runtime TV also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 3) and ratings volume (1.2K vs 223). Kernel's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 3 months). On price, review sentiment and device support 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
Both are free to download. Kernel sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per 7 days. Runtime TV asks for nothing beyond the download.
Runtime TV holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Runtime TV has 1.2K ratings behind it against 223, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 63% of Kernel's written reviews are positive against 66% of Runtime TV's.
Kernel ships an update every 2 weeks, Runtime TV every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 4, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Kernel | Runtime TV |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.0 (223 ratings) | 4.7 (1.2K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 62.9% of reviews | 66.2% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 223 | 1.2K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks — better | Every 3 months |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Subscription | Ad-supported — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Vision Pro | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV, Vision Pro — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 10.2 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 34 MB | 70 MB |
| Age rating | 9+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Nikias Molina | Runtime Media |
Customer experience
Kernel
Runtime TV
User reviews
Kernel
From 223 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Gorgeous, minimalist design
- 🚀 Simple, clean, beautiful and intuitive design
- 💡 Great app to keep track of movies
- 💡 Fantastic UI, looks great and works smooth
Room to improve
- 🐛 Missing key features like rating movies/shows
- 🐛 Notifications don't work, app is unresponsive
- 🐛 Inconsistent, buggy, and crashes often
- 🐛 Annoying notifications prompt on every app launch
Runtime TV
From 1.2K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Great app
- 🚀 Smooth and easy to use
- 💎 Excellent content quality
- 🎥 Wide variety of movies and shows
Room to improve
- 🐛 App crashes or freezes
- 🔍 Limited search and filtering options
- 💰 Too many ads interrupting content
- 🌐 Unavailable in certain regions
Bugs and requests
Kernel
Reported bugs
3 issues- Apple Watch app doesn't work, shows blank screen
- Release dates are sometimes inaccurate
- Can't remove movies from 'Upcoming' playlist after release
Requested features
6 requests- Add ability to rate movies and shows
- Implement a 'mark all as seen' feature for TV shows
- Allow sorting playlists manually
- Add support for more streaming services
- Integrate Rotten Tomatoes ratings
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- Develop an iPad version of the app
Runtime TV
Reported bugs
4 issues- Unable to log in or create account
- Playback issues like audio/video desync
- Orientation lock not working properly
- Certain movies/shows not loading
Requested features
4 requests- Add Chromecast/TV casting support
- Provide original audio and subtitle options
- Improve content library with more recent titles
- Implement language translation and localization
In-app purchases
Kernel
- Weekly$0.997 Days
- Monthly$1.991 Month
- Yearly$15.991 Year
Runtime TV
No in-app purchases
