Comparison

NFB Films vs BibliMags

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

Head to head
About

NFB Films

Explore a vast library of Canadian films, including award-winning documentaries, animations, and Indigenous productions. Stream content in English or French, with options for offline viewing and personalized recommendations. Discover cinematic classics and new releases without any subscription fees or ads.

Highlights
  • Thousands of Canadian films
  • Award-winning works
  • Indigenous-made films
  • Documentaries and animation
  • English and French content
  • Offline viewing
  • Personalized recommendations
Features
Read full description

Access the largest collection of Canadian films online, with no subscription and no ads. Award-winning works with more than 7,000 accolades, including 13 Oscars®. The NFB Films app offers: * Thousands of films, series, and collections * GROUND-BREAKING works by the biggest names in Canadian cinema * 500+ INDIGENOUS-MADE films * Documentaries, animation and auteur cinema, featuring both CLASSICS AND NEW RELEASES * Available in both ENGLISH AND FRENCH * Easily find your WATCHLIST on NFB.ca, mobile, and TV * Sign in to CONTINUE WATCHING anywhere and get PERSONALIZED recommendations * Cast films to your TV through AIRPLAY or CHROMECAST * Download content for OFFLINE viewing * Find NFB Events near you The National Film Board is Canada's public producer and distributor of audiovisual works. Find out more at http://www.nfb.ca/about   Enjoying this app? Please write a review for the App Store. Please send your feedback to info@nfb.ca.

About

BibliMags

Access over 7500 free digital magazines and newspapers from Quebec, Canada, and worldwide with your library membership. Enjoy unlimited reading and discover a vast selection of popular and specialized titles in over 60 languages.

Highlights
  • Over 7500 magazines and newspapers
  • Unlimited reading
  • Access in 60+ languages
  • French/English Canadian content
  • Reading Zones for instant access
  • Download and read offline
  • Sync across devices
Features
Read full description

OVER 7500 MAGAZINES AND NEWSPAPERS FROM QUEBEC/CANADA AND WORLDWIDE FOR FREE AND WITH UNLIMITED READING! - FOR LIBRARY USERS NEW: "BibliMags Reading Zones" with instant access based on your location! Are you a registered library user from a participating library in Quebec? All you have to do is to to sign-in by selecting your library and use your valid library ID, and you'll get access freely to an amazing digital magazine and newspaper offer. Hundreds of local Canadian magazines and newspapers in English and French, and the best US magazines, are at center stage, as part of our extensive catalog of over 7500 titles from around the world in over 60 languages! BibliMagsTM presents an extensive catalog both on popular and specialized titles, sometimes difficult to access otherwise. You'll be able to access a whole world of cultural diversity from local and worldwide communities! Users will enjoy the simplicity and ease to find their preferred magazines and newspapers, navigate and read on iPhone and other smartphones and tablets, PC or Mac. BibliMagsTM is the official app operated by Bibliopresto.ca, an organism founded by over 1000 public libraries in Quebec. For libraries in the US, Australia, New Zealand and Canada outside of Quebec, please use the « cloudLibary NewsStandTM by BibliMagsTM » app and service from Bibliotheca, LLC. Features: - Browse over 7500 titles from the most popular to the most specialized magazines and newspapers in many categories: culture, entertainment, fashion, well being, health, teen, sport, celebrities, history, travel, journals, nature, etc. - Find an extensive French/English Canadian offer, along with the most complete international catalog in 50 languages such as: Spanish, Portuguese, German, Italian, Japanese, Chinese, Hindi, Swedish… - NEW: Get instant access when you are in a "BibliMags Reading Zone"! within a specific geographical area defined by your library - Get latest issues and back issues - Get our daily featured magazines, newspapers and news - Read online or download and keep issues on your devise - Mark and share your readings - Sync your magazines, newspapers and account info on all your compatible devices on PC/Mac, iPhone, iPad, iPod and other smartphone/tablet devices All this for free with your participating library membership!

Screenshots

NFB Films4 screens
BibliMags3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: NFB Films at 4.0 against BibliMags's 3.0. NFB Films also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). BibliMags's advantage is review sentiment (63% vs 41%) and iOS requirement (9.0 vs 15.6). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

NFB Films holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 3.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 8 and 4 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 41% of NFB Films's written reviews are positive against 63% of BibliMags's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

NFB Films ships an update every 3 weeks, BibliMags every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
NFB Films versus BibliMags: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNFB FilmsBibliMags
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (8 ratings) — better3.0 (4 ratings)
Positive reviews41.0% of reviews62.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings8 — better4
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.69.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size36 MB81 MB
Age rating12+12+
DeveloperNational Film Board of Canada – Office national du film du CanadaMagzter Inc.

Customer experience

NFB Films

All ratings8 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%
Written reviews161 reviews
Positive41.0%
Neutral9.9%
Negative49.1%

BibliMags

All ratings4 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews24 reviews
Positive62.5%
Neutral4.2%
Negative33.3%

Bugs and requests

NFB Films

Reported bugs

14 issues
  • App crashes on launch or during playback
  • Blank white screen on startup
  • Freezing after pausing for several minutes
  • Video plays without audio or audio without video
  • Offline downloads lost upon app restart
Show 9 more
  • Favorites list deleted after updates
  • Crashes when removing favorites
  • Language switching doesn't work
  • Incompatibility with iOS 9, iOS 11, and older iPad models
  • App closes unexpectedly after watching films
  • Search results don't match query terms
  • Requires local network access permission (iOS 14+)
  • Streaming continuously stalls at dark screen
  • App won't open on certain devices despite compatibility claims

Requested features

10 requests
  • Chromecast support
  • Language selection for audio tracks
  • Watch later/queue list feature
  • Cross-device favorites synchronization
  • User account login system
Show 5 more
  • Full-screen landscape mode support
  • Better search and sort options
  • Improved navigation menu
  • More subtitle language options
  • Better film descriptions and summaries

BibliMags

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

NFB Films

No in-app purchases

None

BibliMags

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is NFB Films free?
NFB Films is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is BibliMags free?
BibliMags is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, NFB Films or BibliMags?
NFB Films is rated higher. NFB Films averages 4.0 out of 5 from 8 ratings, while BibliMags averages 3.0 from 4 ratings.
Do NFB Films or BibliMags have ads?
Neither NFB Films nor BibliMags shows ads.
Which is updated more often, NFB Films or BibliMags?
NFB Films ships an update every 3 weeks, and BibliMags every 2 months. Most recently, NFB Films was updated on October 26, 2026 and BibliMags on October 24, 2026.

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