NFB Films vs Eighty Thousand Steps
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.
Eighty Thousand Steps
This interactive audio experience uses your steps to power a captivating story. Uncover a family secret through an immersive, cinematic saga inspired by real-life migration. Enjoy a unique blend of exercise and storytelling.
- Step-powered narrative
- Immersive surround-sound audio
- Unlockable clues
- Offline playback
- Accessible without walking
- In-app step counter
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Ready for an inspiring journey? Here’s the twist. You power this story—with your footsteps. Take a walk in someone else’s shoes. Uncover a long-buried secret. Welcome to a story like no other. Walk the dog, run an errand, stroll the park, take a coffee break around the block. You can even run or jog, hit the treadmill, step machine, or elliptical. Now listen. And be prepared: this will move you in every way. Body, mind, and heart. A cinematic saga for the ears. An intimate personal secret, dipped in folklore and magic. Eighty Thousand Steps is a unique, genre-bending interactive podcast about family and migration, inspired by the true story of journalist Crystal Chan’s search for what really happened to her grandmother as a refugee. Follow the clues beyond the headlines. How do you keep going, no matter where life takes you? From award-winning studios Stitch Media and CBC Arts: a show for those who walk their own path. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. What step will you take today? HAPPY STEPPERS “It’s like a double whammy, getting my exercise in and listening to a story—2 for 1 value.” “Very fun and I enjoyed having something to walk to that added purpose to my movement.” “I have been enjoying the story while I do my daily walk. It’s so immersive and I love the interactive quality.” “This approach to storytelling feels so fresh and real and human.” “Really tugged at my heartstrings.” SPECIAL FEATURES Motivating Step Counter: In-app step counter shows your steps traveled as you uncover the mystery. Immersive Storytelling: Groundbreaking surround-sound audio with hand-illustrated scrolling art. Unlock clues after listening to each of the six episodes. Accessible and Adaptive: Completely free. Available offline. All transcripts available. Walk or run at any speed. Enable Accessibility Mode to enjoy without walking. Secure and Private: Will not save or store your health, motion or fitness data.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Eighty Thousand Steps at 100% against NFB Films's 41%. Eighty Thousand Steps also leads on rating (4.4 vs 4.0) and iOS requirement (12.4 vs 15.6). NFB Films's advantage is device support (4 vs 2). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and ads 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.
Eighty Thousand Steps holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 8 and 5 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 41% of NFB Films's written reviews are positive against 100% of Eighty Thousand Steps's.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 19, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | NFB Films | Eighty Thousand Steps |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.0 (8 ratings) | 4.4 (5 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 41.3% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 8 — better | 5 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 3 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 12.4 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 36 MB | 305 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | National Film Board of Canada – Office national du film du Canada | Stitch Media |
Customer experience
NFB Films
Eighty Thousand Steps
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
Eighty Thousand Steps
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
NFB Films
No in-app purchases
Eighty Thousand Steps
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is NFB Films free?
Is Eighty Thousand Steps free?
Which has better reviews, NFB Films or Eighty Thousand Steps?
Do NFB Films or Eighty Thousand Steps have ads?
Which is updated more often, NFB Films or Eighty Thousand Steps?
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