NFB Films vs ARTE.tv
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.
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.
- Documentaries, reports, and concerts
- Offline viewing with downloads
- Chromecast and AirPlay support
- Automatic episode playback
- Personalized 'MyARTE' space
- Multi-language support
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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
Verdict
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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
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.
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.
| Parameter | NFB Films | ARTE.tv |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.0 (8 ratings) | 4.5 (393 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 41.0% of reviews | 61.4% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 8 | 393 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks — better | Every 6 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV | iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Vision Pro |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 36 MB | 119 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | National Film Board of Canada – Office national du film du Canada | ARTE.TV |
Customer experience
NFB Films
ARTE.tv
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
Show 5 moreShow fewer
- 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
NFB Films
No in-app purchases
ARTE.tv
No in-app purchases









