Canflix is an excellent and cheap option, boasting an virtual inventory of some 28,000 film titles . Though Zip's holdings are larger, Canflix is more than adequate to cover recent films and past blockbusters/classics.
A previous criticism was their simple website design, but this has improved considerably. Canflix now sports things like mini-popups when you point your mouse over a film displaying information--a good timesaver if you have a slow internet connection. And the realtime film availability indicators are excellent, telling you if a film is Available (in stock), Available Soon (stocked, but currently rented out), or On Order. They are open to adding new titles if customers suggest them, and their smaller size probably means more personal customer service. Indeed, feedback on their customer service is broadly positive even though they don't have a phone number. Although we think they should display member reviews like some other sites, they at least display a given film's rating by customers on Amazon, which is useful. We do like their function to watch a TV series in order; with one click they'll begin sending the discs to you in order.
Canflix is the only major Canadian DVD rental company to also rent video games, and at the same price--a great choice for gamers. And they've vastly improved their inventory in the past year; now stocking around 1,000 games, broken down by console as follows: PS3 (175 titles), Wii (190), Xbox 360 (303), Xbox (55), PS2 (149), and Nintendo Gamecube (41). They've been credited with having good stocks of difficult to find HD DVD and Blu Ray High Definition discs (400+) --one of only three Canadian companies to do so.
Canflix allows you to freeze your account if going away on vacation. They have a Flixshop, which sells discount ex-rental DVDs and games at quite a discount, or gift certificates, as well.
We especially like recent additions like a Facebook application, My Canflix, which allows you to manage your DVD queue from within Facebook. There are also things like RSS feeds for new DVD or Blu-ray additions, as well as as Firefox add-ons if you use that browser.
Though still medium-sized, Canflix is obviously growing; in 2006 it acquired independent Indian site Hindiflix, so it now boasts a large Bollywood holding which will undoubtedly grow to cater to these ex-Hindiflix members. We were excited to hear in 2007 that Canflix opened a new warehouse in Ontario, giving an excellent alternative to Zip in the east. However, in July 2009 there was a fire in the Ontario warehouse, and Canflix has apparently decided not to rebuild the facility in the immediate future.
We have heard some comments critical of Canflix's customer service, namely that they can be slow to respond to emails--we recommend you call if you want a swift response,
Prices: Canflix has a two week free trial (if you want to cancel you must do so within this period, and they then give you another 7 days to return outstanding discs.).
Perhaps their biggest draw is the cheap prices, and no caps unlike Zip--all Canflix plans are unlimited. For 3 discs out at once, unlimited, is $21.95, 4 discs is $24.95, 5 discs is $29.95, and 6 discs is $36.95, and they even have a whopping 8 discs for $49.95 and 10 discs for $54.95.
Probably the best alternative to Zip in Western Canada, and now with an Ontario warehouse; features cheap prices and includes DVD and rare game rentals
Design: 
DVD Rental Basics