Comparison

Acorn TV vs The Criterion Channel

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Acorn TV

Stream a curated collection of brilliant mysteries, suspenseful dramas, and comedies from around the world. Discover new series and exclusive originals added weekly, all available without commercials. Enjoy instant access to a vast library of content on all your devices.

Highlights
  • World-class library of dramas and mysteries
  • New series and episodes added weekly
  • Acorn TV Originals
  • Commercial-free streaming
  • Watchlist feature
  • Cross-device compatibility
Features
Read full description

Acorn TV is the go-to streaming destination for brilliant mysteries and suspense-driven dramas. Experience the world’s best stories, from the criminally cozy to the daringly dark. Get wrapped up in mystery. Try us free for 7 days! • Instant access to a world-class library of dramas, mysteries, comedies, documentaries, and more • New series and episodes added weekly, including Acorn TV Originals, so there's always something to watch • Always commercial-free. Watch whenever you want, wherever you want for one low monthly price • Search your favorite shows and watch immediately or save to your watchlist and come back to later • Sign up and stream on all your devices After the 7-day trial, your Acorn TV subscription will continue at the current monthly or annual rate depending on the type of plan you select. If you subscribe via iTunes, your payment will be charged to your iTunes account. You can easily cancel anytime by turning off auto-renew in your iTunes account settings The monthly subscription automatically renews every month unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. Your iTunes account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period. The annual subscription automatically renews every year unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. Your iTunes account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period. Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription, where applicable.

About

The Criterion Channel

Stream a curated collection of classic and contemporary films from around the world. Discover Hollywood, international, art-house, and independent movies with special features and exclusive series. Enjoy daily refreshed selections and in-depth film analysis.

Highlights
  • Criterion Collection streaming library
  • Thematic film programming
  • Director and star retrospectives
  • Guest-curated film series
  • Supplemental film features
  • Original Criterion Channel series
Features
Read full description

A movie lover’s dream, the Criterion Channel offers classics and discoveries from around the world, thematically programmed with special features, on a streaming service brought to you by the Criterion Collection. With constantly refreshed selections of Hollywood, international, art-house, and independent movies, plus access to Criterion’s entire streaming library of more than 1,000 important classic and contemporary films, there’s something new to choose from every day of the week on the Criterion Channel. Start with Sunday Spotlights on directors, stars, genres, and themes; Tuesday’s Short + Feature; or the Friday double bill. Try out our 15-minute-a-month film school, Observations on Film Art, or choose from suggestions by friends like Barry Jenkins, Guillermo del Toro, or Mira Nair. Go deep with the Criterion Collection’s archive of special features for context that no other service can match. FEATURES - The Criterion Collection’s streaming library, including many complete editions released on Blu-ray and DVD, as well as unreleased titles - Ongoing programs of Hollywood, international, art-house, independent, documentary, and short films, including thematic programming, director and star retrospectives, and guest-curated series - Original Criterion Channel series such as Observations on Film Art, Adventures in Moviegoing, and Art-House America - Supplemental features to deepen your appreciation of the art of film, including audio commentaries, behind-the-scenes footage, scholarly analyses, introductions, new and archival interviews, and trailers To access all features and content you can subscribe to The Criterion Channel on a monthly or yearly basis with an auto-renewing subscription right inside the app.* Pricing can vary by region and will be confirmed before purchase in the app. In app subscriptions will automatically renew at the end of their cycle. * All payments will be paid through your iTunes Account and may be managed under Account Settings after the initial payment. Subscription payments will automatically renew unless deactivated at least 24-hours before the end of the current cycle. Your account will be charged for renewal at least 24-hours prior to the end of the current cycle. Any unused portion of your free trial will be forfeited upon payment. Cancellations are incurred by disabling auto-renewal. Terms of Service: https://www.criterionchannel.com/tos Privacy Policy: https://www.criterionchannel.com/privacy

Screenshots

Acorn TV4 screens
The Criterion Channel3 screens

Verdict

The call

Acorn TV and The Criterion Channel both sit at 4.7 stars, but that hides the real split: 91% of The Criterion Channel's written reviews are positive against 43% of Acorn TV's. Acorn TV's advantage is monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs subscription). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence 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. Acorn TV sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month and The Criterion Channel sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $10.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Acorn TV against 4.8 for The Criterion Channel. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 24K and 13K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 43% of Acorn TV's written reviews are positive against 91% of The Criterion Channel's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Acorn TV ships an update every 5 weeks, The Criterion Channel every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 9 level
Acorn TV versus The Criterion Channel: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAcorn TVThe Criterion Channel
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (24K ratings)4.8 (13K ratings) — better
Positive reviews42.7% of reviews91.1% of reviews — better
Number of ratings24K — better13K
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeks — betterEvery 6 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterSubscription
Best chart rank#111#80 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — betteriPhone, iPad, Apple TV
Requires iOS15.0 — better16.6
Further details — not scored
Size83 MB71 MB
Age rating12+12+
DeveloperRLJ Entertainment, Inc.The Criterion Collection, Inc.

Customer experience

Acorn TV

All ratings23,514 ratings
Positive92.5%
Neutral2.1%
Negative5.4%
Written reviews426 reviews
Positive42.7%
Neutral10.3%
Negative46.9%

The Criterion Channel

All ratings13,348 ratings
Positive94.9%
Neutral1.4%
Negative3.8%
Written reviews1,285 reviews
Positive91.1%
Neutral2.3%
Negative6.6%

User reviews

Acorn TV

From 24K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🎥 Excellent programming
  • 🔍 Great selection of British, Australian, and New Zealand shows
  • 🕰️ No commercials
  • 👍 Easy to use app
  • 🌟 Refreshing and high-quality content

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent buffering issues
  • 🤯 Buggy app with crashes and glitches
  • 🤔 Inconsistent user experience across devices
  • 🔍 Limited content availability and missing seasons
  • 🔒 Difficult to cancel subscription

The Criterion Channel

From 13K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🎥 Excellent collection of films
  • 🎨 Great curation and themed collections
  • 🔍 Ability to discover new and classic films
  • 🎬 High-quality film viewing experience
  • 🤓 Educational and informative supplementary content

Room to improve

  • 🔍 Difficult to browse full catalog
  • 🔍 Limited search and filtering options
  • 🐛 Playback issues and interruptions
  • 🔌 Problems with offline viewing and downloads
  • 🤖 Lack of personalized recommendations

Bugs and requests

Acorn TV

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • App crashes frequently
  • Inability to log in or update profile
  • Shows not loading or playing properly
  • Inconsistent behavior when casting to TV
  • Incorrect episode ordering and missing progress tracking

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to resume watching where you left off
  • Improved search and navigation
  • Option to turn off subtitles
  • More variety in content beyond crime/detective shows
  • Seamless Chromecast/AirPlay integration

The Criterion Channel

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Frequent playback interruptions and freezing
  • Unreliable offline viewing and download issues
  • Inconsistent app performance across devices

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to view full catalog of available titles
  • More advanced search and filtering tools
  • Improved playback stability and offline functionality
  • Personalized recommendations based on viewing history
  • Ratings and user reviews system

In-app purchases

6 purchases

Acorn TV

Subscriptions6
  • Acorn TV Membership$5.991 Month
  • Acorn TV Membership$9.991 Month
  • Acorn TV Membership7 Days trial$9.991 Month
Show 3 more
  • Acorn TV Membership$59.991 Year
  • Acorn TV Membership$99.991 Year
  • Acorn TV Membership7 Days trial$99.991 Year
2 purchases

The Criterion Channel

Subscriptions2
  • Criterion Channel Subscription7 Days trial$10.991 Month
  • Criterion Channel Subscription7 Days trial$99.991 Year

Questions

Is Acorn TV free?
Acorn TV is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is The Criterion Channel free?
The Criterion Channel is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Acorn TV or The Criterion Channel?
The Criterion Channel is rated higher. Acorn TV averages 4.7 out of 5 from 24K ratings, while The Criterion Channel averages 4.8 from 13K ratings.
Do Acorn TV or The Criterion Channel have ads?
Neither Acorn TV nor The Criterion Channel shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Acorn TV or The Criterion Channel?
Acorn TV ships an update every 5 weeks, and The Criterion Channel every 6 weeks. Most recently, Acorn TV was updated on September 24, 2026 and The Criterion Channel on September 23, 2026.
Which is more popular, Acorn TV or The Criterion Channel?
Acorn TV currently peaks at #111 in the App Store charts, and The Criterion Channel at #80. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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