NFB Films vs Cascade PBS
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.
Cascade PBS
Stream prestige dramas, landmark documentaries, inspiring nature, and science programs. Access PBS favorites, local original series, and international content from a nonprofit streaming service for the Pacific Northwest. Enhance your viewing with an extended library through membership.
- Prestige dramas
- Landmark documentaries
- Nature and science programming
- Local original series
- International programming
- Extended library with membership
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Prestige dramas, landmark documentaries, inspiring nature, science and more! Enjoy your PBS favorites, local original series and a unique collection of international programming with this nonprofit streaming service for the Pacific Northwest, Cascade PBS. Catch up on recently aired PBS shows or become a Cascade PBS Passport member to discover an extended library of popular programs, including the best in science, nature, history, documentary, arts and drama.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is monetization model: NFB Films at free against Cascade PBS's free with in-app purchases. NFB Films also leads on rating (4.0 vs 3.7) and review sentiment (41% vs 17%). Cascade PBS's advantage is ratings volume (32 vs 8). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
NFB Films holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 3.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 8 and 32 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 41% of NFB Films's written reviews are positive against 17% of Cascade PBS's.
NFB Films ships an update every 3 weeks, Cascade PBS every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | NFB Films | Cascade PBS |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.0 (8 ratings) — better | 3.7 (32 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 41.0% of reviews — better | 17.2% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 8 | 32 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — better | iPhone, iPad, Apple TV |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 36 MB | 45 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | National Film Board of Canada – Office national du film du Canada | KCTS TELEVISION |
Customer experience
NFB Films
Cascade PBS
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
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- 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
Cascade PBS
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
NFB Films
No in-app purchases
Cascade PBS
No in-app purchases
