Comparison

The Criterion Channel vs HEINetwork

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

Head to head
About

The Criterion Channel

Stream a curated collection of classic and contemporary films from around the world. Discover Hollywood, international, art-house, and independent movies with special features and exclusive series. Enjoy daily refreshed selections and in-depth film analysis.

Highlights
  • Criterion Collection streaming library
  • Thematic film programming
  • Director and star retrospectives
  • Guest-curated film series
  • Supplemental film features
  • Original Criterion Channel series
Features
Read full description

A movie lover’s dream, the Criterion Channel offers classics and discoveries from around the world, thematically programmed with special features, on a streaming service brought to you by the Criterion Collection. With constantly refreshed selections of Hollywood, international, art-house, and independent movies, plus access to Criterion’s entire streaming library of more than 1,000 important classic and contemporary films, there’s something new to choose from every day of the week on the Criterion Channel. Start with Sunday Spotlights on directors, stars, genres, and themes; Tuesday’s Short + Feature; or the Friday double bill. Try out our 15-minute-a-month film school, Observations on Film Art, or choose from suggestions by friends like Barry Jenkins, Guillermo del Toro, or Mira Nair. Go deep with the Criterion Collection’s archive of special features for context that no other service can match. FEATURES - The Criterion Collection’s streaming library, including many complete editions released on Blu-ray and DVD, as well as unreleased titles - Ongoing programs of Hollywood, international, art-house, independent, documentary, and short films, including thematic programming, director and star retrospectives, and guest-curated series - Original Criterion Channel series such as Observations on Film Art, Adventures in Moviegoing, and Art-House America - Supplemental features to deepen your appreciation of the art of film, including audio commentaries, behind-the-scenes footage, scholarly analyses, introductions, new and archival interviews, and trailers To access all features and content you can subscribe to The Criterion Channel 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.criterionchannel.com/tos Privacy Policy: https://www.criterionchannel.com/privacy

About

HEINetwork

Access a unique comedic cinematic universe and a satirical take on American culture. Stream every season and special from a popular movie review show, exclusively on this independent network.

Highlights
  • Exclusive access to On Cinema content
  • Stream all seasons
  • Watch Oscar Specials
  • Comedic cinematic universe
  • Satire of American culture
Features
Read full description

The Official HEI Network App - Your portal to On Cinema at the Cinema, a comedic cinematic universe, a grand satire of America itself. Tim Heidecker and Gregg Turkington’s On Cinema has built a dedicated cult following as a sprawling comedic soap opera masquerading as a disastrous movie review show. Join the On Cinema Family and watch every Season, every Oscar Special, and much more content, exclusively on the independent HEI Network.

Screenshots

The Criterion Channel3 screens
HEINetwork3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: HEINetwork at none against The Criterion Channel's 2. HEINetwork also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 6 weeks). The Criterion Channel's advantage is ratings volume (13K vs 50) and chart position (#76 vs unranked). On price, rating, review sentiment and ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. The Criterion Channel sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $10.99 per month. HEINetwork asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for The Criterion Channel against 4.8 for HEINetwork. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: The Criterion Channel has 13K ratings behind it against 50, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 91% of The Criterion Channel's written reviews are positive against 89% of HEINetwork's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

The Criterion Channel ships an update every 6 weeks, HEINetwork every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
The Criterion Channel versus HEINetwork: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThe Criterion ChannelHEINetwork
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (13K ratings)4.8 (50 ratings)
Positive reviews91.1% of reviews — better89.4% of reviews
Number of ratings13K — better50
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationSubscriptionFree — better
Best chart rank#76 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple TViPhone, iPod, Apple TV
Requires iOS16.615.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size71 MB35 MB
Age rating12+12+
DeveloperThe Criterion Collection, Inc.On Cinema, Inc.

Customer experience

The Criterion Channel

All ratings13,348 ratings
Positive94.9%
Neutral1.4%
Negative3.8%
Written reviews1,285 reviews
Positive91.1%
Neutral2.3%
Negative6.6%

HEINetwork

All ratings50 ratings
Positive96.0%
Neutral2.0%
Negative2.0%
Written reviews47 reviews
Positive89.4%
Neutral4.3%
Negative6.4%

User reviews

The Criterion Channel

From 13K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🎥 Excellent collection of films
  • 🎨 Great curation and themed collections
  • 🔍 Ability to discover new and classic films
  • 🎬 High-quality film viewing experience
  • 🤓 Educational and informative supplementary content

Room to improve

  • 🔍 Difficult to browse full catalog
  • 🔍 Limited search and filtering options
  • 🐛 Playback issues and interruptions
  • 🔌 Problems with offline viewing and downloads
  • 🤖 Lack of personalized recommendations

HEINetwork

From 50 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🍿 Certified Popcorn Classic
  • 🍿 Bags to stars conversion
  • 🍿 Film buffs rejoice!
  • 🍿 John Greatman of apps!
  • 🍿 5 bags of popcorn

Room to improve

  • 😞 Terrible app created by an incompetent businessman/criminal

Bugs and requests

The Criterion Channel

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Frequent playback interruptions and freezing
  • Unreliable offline viewing and download issues
  • Inconsistent app performance across devices

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to view full catalog of available titles
  • More advanced search and filtering tools
  • Improved playback stability and offline functionality
  • Personalized recommendations based on viewing history
  • Ratings and user reviews system

HEINetwork

Reported bugs

1 issue
  • Confusion with Heineken EN

Requested features

1 request
  • Ads and HEI points bonuses and betting

In-app purchases

2 purchases

The Criterion Channel

Subscriptions2
  • Criterion Channel Subscription7 Days trial$10.991 Month
  • Criterion Channel Subscription7 Days trial$99.991 Year
None

HEINetwork

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is The Criterion Channel free?
The Criterion Channel is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is HEINetwork free?
HEINetwork is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, The Criterion Channel or HEINetwork?
The Criterion Channel and HEINetwork are both rated 4.8 out of 5 on the App Store, from 13K and 50 ratings respectively.
Do The Criterion Channel or HEINetwork have ads?
Neither The Criterion Channel nor HEINetwork shows ads.
Which is updated more often, The Criterion Channel or HEINetwork?
The Criterion Channel ships an update every 6 weeks, and HEINetwork every 3 weeks. Most recently, The Criterion Channel was updated on September 24, 2026 and HEINetwork on September 5, 2026.

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