NFB Films vs CineStarz
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Thousands of Canadian films
- Award-winning works
- Indigenous-made films
- Documentaries and animation
- English and French content
- Offline viewing
- Personalized recommendations
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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.
CineStarz
Find daily movie showtimes and discover upcoming attractions. Access ticket pricing and theater details. Stay updated with the latest showtime information and receive promotional notifications so you never miss a film.
- Daily showtimes
- Coming soon attractions
- Ticket pricing
- Theater information
- Promotional notifications
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The CineStarz app features daily showtimes and coming soon attractions. The app provides access to available showtimes, pricing, and theatre information. Get the latest showtime information and promotional notifications. Never miss another show!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: NFB Films at 41% against CineStarz's 0%. NFB Films also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 15 months) and device support (4 vs 2). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
NFB Films ships an update every 3 weeks, CineStarz every 15 months. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 27, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | NFB Films | CineStarz |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.0 (8 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 41.3% of reviews — better | 0.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 8 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks — better | Every 15 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 36 MB | 6 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | National Film Board of Canada – Office national du film du Canada | READY THEATRE SYSTEMS, L.L.C. |
Customer experience
NFB Films
CineStarz
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 moreShow fewer
- 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
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- Full-screen landscape mode support
- Better search and sort options
- Improved navigation menu
- More subtitle language options
- Better film descriptions and summaries
CineStarz
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
NFB Films
No in-app purchases
CineStarz
No in-app purchases
