# HISTORY Vault vs BBC America

The clearest difference is rating: HISTORY Vault at 3.9 against BBC America's 1.8. HISTORY Vault also leads on ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (29% vs 5%). BBC America's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.6). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. HISTORY Vault sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. BBC America asks for nothing beyond the download.

HISTORY Vault holds the better App Store score, 3.9 against 1.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1.1K and 590 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 29% of HISTORY Vault's written reviews are positive against 5% of BBC America's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | HISTORY Vault | BBC America |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[3.9 (1.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/history-vault/id1076619087/reviews)** | [1.8 (590 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bbc-america/id1089249069/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **1.1K** | 590 |
| Positive reviews | **29.1% of reviews** | 5.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Monthly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 106 MB | 63 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple TV | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV** |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [A+E Global Media](https://appshunter.io/developer/366448555) | [BBC America](https://appshunter.io/developer/1089249068) |

## What reviewers say

### HISTORY Vault

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/history-vault/id1076619087)

Explore thousands of documentaries and specials about history, from ancient times to modern conflicts. Watch full-length, commercial-free videos on demand, with new content added weekly. Access classic series and discover the events and people that shaped our world.

**Highlights:** Thousands of documentaries and specials, Commercial-free viewing, New videos added weekly, Classic HISTORY Channel series, No TV provider needed, On-demand streaming

**Features:** Vision Pro support, SharePlay

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| History Vault | $5.99 | per month |
| History Vault | $59.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great content
- 🚀 Interesting documentaries
- 👍 Variety of historical topics
- 👍 Reasonable subscription price

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Buggy app with frequent crashes
- 🐛 Streaming and downloading issues
- 🐛 Inconsistent user experience across devices
- 🔒 Difficult to cancel subscription
- 🔒 Billing and account issues

**Reported bugs**

- Login and password reset problems
- Incompatibility with certain devices
- Inconsistent content availability

**Requested features**

- Add more recent and popular shows
- Improve search and navigation
- Implement resume playback and favorites
- Add Chromecast/casting support
- Provide multi-language options


### BBC America

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bbc-america/id1089249069)

Stream full episodes of popular BBC America series like Killing Eve and Top Gear. Access video extras, sneak peeks, and live TV with your cable provider login. Resume watching where you left off.

**Highlights:** Full episode streaming, Video extras and sneak peeks, Live TV streaming, Cable/satellite provider login, Resume watching, Searchable library, Airplay/casting support

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- ⭐ Great app for watching shows
- 🚀 Streams in high quality
- 👍 Straightforward and easy to use

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and glitches
- 🤯 Frustrating navigation and controls
- 💸 Too many ads and interruptions
- 🤔 Inconsistent content availability

**Reported bugs**

- Login issues and sign-in problems
- Playback freezes and restarts randomly
- Closed captions not working as expected
- Casting and mirroring features broken

**Requested features**

- Add search and browse functionality
- Improve rewind/fast-forward controls
- Provide a paid ad-free subscription option
- Sync playback progress across devices


## Frequently asked questions

### Is HISTORY Vault free?

HISTORY Vault is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is BBC America free?

BBC America is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, HISTORY Vault or BBC America?

HISTORY Vault is rated higher. HISTORY Vault averages 3.9 out of 5 from 1.1K ratings, while BBC America averages 1.8 from 590 ratings.

### Do HISTORY Vault or BBC America have ads?

BBC America shows ads; HISTORY Vault does not.

### Which is updated more often, HISTORY Vault or BBC America?

HISTORY Vault ships an update monthly, and BBC America monthly. Most recently, HISTORY Vault was updated on November 6, 2026 and BBC America on November 2, 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.*