Comparison

NFB Films vs ARTE.tv

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

ARTE.tv

Access a vast library of documentaries, reports, magazine shows, and concerts from ARTE. Stream content on demand, download for offline viewing, and cast to your TV. Enjoy personalized recommendations and continue watching where you left off.

Highlights
  • Documentaries, reports, and concerts
  • Offline viewing with downloads
  • Chromecast and AirPlay support
  • Automatic episode playback
  • Personalized 'MyARTE' space
  • Multi-language support
Features
Read full description

Compatible with AirPlay and Chromecast Documentaries, reportages, magazine shows and concerts, all on the ARTE app. Watch your favourite ARTE shows whenever and wherever you want. A whole world of ARTE in one App New programmes every week: documentaries on social issues and engaging exposés. Reportage, live concerts and more… Find what you want to watch by browsing our categories. Are you a Binge-watcher? With automatic play you don’t need to move. We will automatically play the next episode for you. Sit back and relax. Watch ARTE offline With our download option you can now watch ARTE programmes offline. That means on the plane, on the beach or wherever you like. Download videos by pressing the download button (before you go off grid). Your downloads are stored in your “MyARTE” space for 72 hours and are accessible abroad. Linkup to your TV screen If you have a Chromecast key or Apple TV you can connect the ARTE app to your TV screen. Just click on the ‘Cast’ icon in the video player. MyARTE In your “MyARTE” space you can continue watching videos from where you left off, select your favourites and add content to watch later. Language - Choose your language by clicking on the cog on the bottom-right of the video player. (English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Polish). You can also change languages in the app settings. For optimal performance the ARTE app needs to access to - Calendar in order to add upcoming programmes - Bluetooth for access to Chromecast - Microphone to configure Chromecast Authorisation for access will be asked when you navigate the app. You can refuse access at any time. If you have any comments or suggestions https://www.arte.tv/sites/en/corporate/users-guide/contact/ For legal reasons some of our programmes are only available in France and Germany whereas others are only available in Europe.

Screenshots

NFB Films4 screens
ARTE.tv4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: ARTE.tv at 4.5 against NFB Films's 4.0. ARTE.tv also leads on ratings volume (393 vs 8) and review sentiment (61% vs 41%). NFB Films's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 6 weeks) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 18.0). 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

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

ARTE.tv holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ARTE.tv has 393 ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 41% of NFB Films's written reviews are positive against 61% of ARTE.tv's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

NFB Films ships an update every 3 weeks, ARTE.tv every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
NFB Films versus ARTE.tv: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNFB FilmsARTE.tv
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (8 ratings)4.5 (393 ratings) — better
Positive reviews41.0% of reviews61.4% of reviews — better
Number of ratings8393 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 6 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TViPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Vision Pro
Requires iOS15.6 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size36 MB119 MB
Age rating12+12+
DeveloperNational Film Board of Canada – Office national du film du CanadaARTE.TV

Customer experience

NFB Films

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

ARTE.tv

All ratings383 ratings
Positive88.8%
Neutral3.1%
Negative8.1%
Written reviews241 reviews
Positive61.4%
Neutral9.1%
Negative29.5%

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

ARTE.tv

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

NFB Films

No in-app purchases

None

ARTE.tv

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is NFB Films free?
NFB Films is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is ARTE.tv free?
ARTE.tv is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, NFB Films or ARTE.tv?
ARTE.tv is rated higher. NFB Films averages 4.0 out of 5 from 8 ratings, while ARTE.tv averages 4.5 from 393 ratings.
Do NFB Films or ARTE.tv have ads?
Neither NFB Films nor ARTE.tv shows ads.
Which is updated more often, NFB Films or ARTE.tv?
NFB Films ships an update every 3 weeks, and ARTE.tv every 6 weeks. Most recently, NFB Films was updated on October 26, 2026 and ARTE.tv on November 1, 2026.

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