Comparison

OVID vs BFI Player (US)

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

Head to head
About

OVID

Discover a curated selection of independent documentaries, art-house films, and global cinema. This subscription service offers unique titles not found on other platforms, with new content added monthly. Enjoy high-quality independent films and television series.

Highlights
  • Curated streaming for indie films
  • Documentaries and global cinema
  • Art-house film collection
  • Exclusive titles not on other platforms
  • 20-35 new films added monthly
Features
Read full description

A curated streaming destination for documentaries, art-house films, and global cinema. A new subscription video-on-demand service, OVID draws from the collections of the leading distributors of high-quality, independent, art-house, documentary, and social issue films and television series. Most of the films on OVID are not available on any other subscription streaming platform. We add 20-35 new films every month. To access all features and content you can subscribe to OVID 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.ovid.tv/tos Privacy Policy: https://www.ovid.tv/privacy

About

BFI Player (US)

Stream a curated selection of acclaimed films, including classics and modern discoveries, on this US-only service. Subscribe for full access to a diverse library of cinematic content across multiple devices.

Highlights
  • Curated film selection
  • Landmark titles and rare classics
  • Modern discoveries
  • Multi-device support
  • Auto-renewing subscription
  • Free trial period
Features
Read full description

Watch acclaimed movies selected by the British Film Institute (BFI) on their US-only streaming service. Explore landmark titles, rare classics & modern discoveries on multiple devices today. To access all features and content you can subscribe to BFI Player Classics on a monthly 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.bfiplayerclassics.com/tos Privacy Policy: https://www.bfiplayerclassics.com/privacy

Screenshots

OVID4 screens
BFI Player (US)4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: OVID at 95% against BFI Player (US)'s 8%. OVID also leads on rating (4.8 vs 2.3). BFI Player (US)'s advantage is monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs subscription). On price, ratings volume, update cadence 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. OVID sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month and BFI Player (US) sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

OVID holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 2.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 41 and 24 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 95% of OVID's written reviews are positive against 8% of BFI Player (US)'s.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 19, 2026 and August 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
OVID versus BFI Player (US): the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterOVIDBFI Player (US)
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (41 ratings) — better2.3 (24 ratings)
Positive reviews95.5% of reviews — better8.3% of reviews
Number of ratings41 — better24
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationSubscriptionFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple TViPhone, iPad, Apple TV
Requires iOS16.616.6
Further details — not scored
Size66 MB66 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperDocuseek, LLCThe British Film Institute

Customer experience

OVID

All ratings41 ratings
Positive95.1%
Neutral0.0%
Negative4.9%
Written reviews22 reviews
Positive95.5%
Neutral0.0%
Negative4.5%

BFI Player (US)

All ratings24 ratings
Positive33.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative66.7%
Written reviews12 reviews
Positive8.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative91.7%

In-app purchases

6 purchases

OVID

Subscriptions2
  • OVID Subscription7 Days trial$6.991 Month
  • OVID Subscription7 Days trial$69.991 Year
One-time4
  • OVID.tv - 499$4.99
  • OVID.tv - 999$9.99
  • OVID.tv - 1299$12.99
Show 1 more
  • OVID.tv - 1499$14.99
2 purchases

BFI Player (US)

Subscriptions2
  • BFI Player Classics Monthly14 Days trial$5.991 Month
  • BFI Player Classics$59.001 Year

Questions

Is OVID free?
OVID is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is BFI Player (US) free?
BFI Player (US) is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, OVID or BFI Player (US)?
OVID is rated higher. OVID averages 4.8 out of 5 from 41 ratings, while BFI Player (US) averages 2.3 from 24 ratings.
Do OVID or BFI Player (US) have ads?
Neither OVID nor BFI Player (US) shows ads.
Which is updated more often, OVID or BFI Player (US)?
OVID ships an update every 3 months, and BFI Player (US) every 3 months. Most recently, OVID was updated on September 19, 2026 and BFI Player (US) on August 29, 2026.

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