# CANAL+ vs Watch Essentials

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Watch Essentials at 88% against CANAL+'s 33%. Watch Essentials also leads on rating (4.6 vs 3.8) and in-app purchases (none vs 13). CANAL+'s advantage is ratings volume (513 vs 21) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 5 weeks). On price there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. CANAL+ sells 11 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Watch Essentials asks for nothing beyond the download.

Watch Essentials holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: CANAL+ has 513 ratings behind it against 21, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 33% of CANAL+'s written reviews are positive against 88% of Watch Essentials's.

CANAL+ ships an update fortnightly, Watch Essentials every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | CANAL+ | Watch Essentials |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.8 (513 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/canal-plus/id694580816/reviews) | **[4.6 (21 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/watch-essentials/id1141456162/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **513** | 21 |
| Positive reviews | 32.8% of reviews | **88.4% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 5 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 91 MB | 154 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.5 | **11.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, Vision Pro** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [GROUPE CANAL+](https://appshunter.io/developer/694580819) | [Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie](https://appshunter.io/developer/335774748) |

## What reviewers say

### CANAL+

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/canal-plus/id694580816)

Stream live TV channels, catch up on shows with replay options, and download content for offline viewing. Discover personalized recommendations and enjoy features like multi-live viewing and an immersive sports experience.

**Highlights:** Live TV streaming, On-demand replay, Offline downloads, Personalized recommendations, Multi-live viewing, Immersive sports experience, Kids' profiles

**Features:** SharePlay

**In-app purchases (11)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| CANAL+SÉRIES (1 stream) | $5.99 | per month |
| CANAL+ (1 stream) | $19.99 | per month |
| C+ Ciné Séries (1 stream) | $24.99 | per month |
| CANAL+ (2 streams) | $24.99 | per month |
| CANAL+ Pack CANAL+ (1 stream) | $24.99 | per month |
| CANAL+ SPORT+Bundle (1 stream) | $29.99 | per month |
| CANAL VOD movie or show | $0.99 | one-time |
| CANAL VOD movie or show | $2.99 | one-time |
| CANAL VOD movie or show | $3.99 | one-time |
| CANAL VOD movie or show | $6.99 | one-time |
| CANAL VOD movie or show | $8.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Excellent app
- 🚀 Great update
- 🚀 Awesome
- 🚀 Very good app
- 🚀 Fantastic

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 App keeps crashing
- 🐛 Impossible to cancel
- 🐛 Completely unusable
- 🐛 Impossible to watch anything
- 🐛 App doesn't work

**Reported bugs**

- Favorites list issues
- Playback problems
- Login/account issues
- Compatibility problems with new OS versions
- Geolocation restrictions

**Requested features**

- Improve live channel access
- Add Chromecast support
- Improve video quality
- Provide more subtitle options
- Allow offline downloads


### Watch Essentials

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/watch-essentials/id1141456162)

Learn the fundamentals of watchmaking through an engaging course. Explore topics like terminology, parts, operation, materials, complications, and history. Unlock new lessons and build your own virtual watch.

**Highlights:** Watchmaking course, Terminology, External parts, Operation, Materials, Introduction to complications, Build virtual watch

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is CANAL+ free?

CANAL+ is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Watch Essentials free?

Watch Essentials is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, CANAL+ or Watch Essentials?

Watch Essentials is rated higher. CANAL+ averages 3.8 out of 5 from 513 ratings, while Watch Essentials averages 4.6 from 21 ratings.

### Do CANAL+ or Watch Essentials have ads?

CANAL+ shows ads; Watch Essentials does not.

### Which is updated more often, CANAL+ or Watch Essentials?

CANAL+ ships an update fortnightly, and Watch Essentials every 5 weeks. Most recently, CANAL+ was updated on October 15, 2026 and Watch Essentials on October 16, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*