# CANAL+ vs PLAY NOW

The clearest difference is rating: PLAY NOW at 4.3 against CANAL+'s 3.8. PLAY NOW also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 13) and ads (none vs shown). CANAL+'s advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months) and ratings volume (516 vs 20). On price, review sentiment and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

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

PLAY NOW holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: CANAL+ has 516 ratings behind it against 20, 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 37% of PLAY NOW's.

CANAL+ ships an update fortnightly, PLAY NOW every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 23, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | CANAL+ | PLAY NOW |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.8 (516 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/canal-plus/id694580816/reviews) | **[4.3 (20 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/play-now/id1143446647/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **516** | 20 |
| Positive reviews | 32.7% of reviews | **36.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 94 MB | 89 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.5 | **16.4** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, Vision Pro** | iPhone, iPad, Apple TV |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [GROUPE CANAL+](https://appshunter.io/developer/694580819) | [P4 sp. z o.o. operator sieci Play](https://appshunter.io/developer/498456114) |

## 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


### PLAY NOW

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/play-now/id1143446647)

Stream live TV channels, movies, shows, and cartoons on your smartphone or tablet. Catch up on programs up to 7 days after broadcast, restart live content, and record shows in the cloud. Continue watching on different devices seamlessly.

**Highlights:** Over 90 TV channels, Catch-up TV up to 7 days, Restart live programs, Cloud recording (nPVR), Cross-device content continuity, Program reminders, On-demand library

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is CANAL+ free?

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

### Is PLAY NOW free?

PLAY NOW is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, CANAL+ or PLAY NOW?

PLAY NOW is rated higher. CANAL+ averages 3.8 out of 5 from 516 ratings, while PLAY NOW averages 4.3 from 20 ratings.

### Do CANAL+ or PLAY NOW have ads?

CANAL+ shows ads; PLAY NOW does not.

### Which is updated more often, CANAL+ or PLAY NOW?

CANAL+ ships an update fortnightly, and PLAY NOW every 2 months. Most recently, CANAL+ was updated on October 26, 2026 and PLAY NOW on October 23, 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.*