# BBC America vs MagellanTV Documentaries

The clearest difference is rating: MagellanTV Documentaries at 4.6 against BBC America's 1.8. MagellanTV Documentaries also leads on ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (37% vs 5%). BBC America's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.6). On price, update cadence and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. MagellanTV Documentaries sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. BBC America asks for nothing beyond the download.

MagellanTV Documentaries holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 1.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: MagellanTV Documentaries has 3.9K ratings behind it against 589, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 5% of BBC America's written reviews are positive against 37% of MagellanTV Documentaries's.

BBC America ships an update monthly, MagellanTV Documentaries every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 26, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | BBC America | MagellanTV Documentaries |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [1.8 (589 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bbc-america/id1089249069/reviews) | **[4.6 (3.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/magellantv-documentaries/id1449628141/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 589 | **3.9K** |
| Positive reviews | 5.0% of reviews | **36.9% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Subscription |
| Size | 63 MB | 67 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 18.6 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV** | iPhone, iPad, Apple TV |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [BBC America](https://appshunter.io/developer/1089249068) | [MagellanTV LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1449628140) |

## What reviewers say

### 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


### MagellanTV Documentaries

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/magellantv-documentaries/id1449628141)

Access an expansive library of documentaries across various genres like history, nature, and science. Enjoy unlimited streaming with new content added weekly, free from advertisements. Cast content to your TV and explore exclusive playlists.

**Highlights:** Unlimited streaming, Extensive genre collections, Exclusive playlists, New content added weekly, No advertising, Cast to TV

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Membership | $5.99 | per month |
| Monthly Membership | $6.99 | per month |
| Quarterly Membership | $17.99 | per 3 months |
| Annual Membership | $59.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Great content and selection
- 💡 Diverse range of documentaries
- 🚀 Excellent customer service
- 🤩 Impressive content quality

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Buggy app with frequent crashes
- 🔍 Difficult to navigate and search
- 🔌 Inconsistent streaming performance
- 🤯 Frustrating login and account issues
- 🤔 Lack of basic features (e.g. continue watching, auto-play)

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes frequently
- Videos freeze or have audio-only playback
- Login issues and inability to access account
- Inconsistent performance across devices
- Download failures and unreliable offline viewing

**Requested features**

- Add skip forward/backward buttons
- Implement picture-in-picture mode
- Improve offline viewing and downloads
- Provide better content organization and search
- Add user profile and watch history features


## Frequently asked questions

### Is BBC America free?

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

### Is MagellanTV Documentaries free?

MagellanTV Documentaries is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, BBC America or MagellanTV Documentaries?

MagellanTV Documentaries is rated higher. BBC America averages 1.8 out of 5 from 589 ratings, while MagellanTV Documentaries averages 4.6 from 3.9K ratings.

### Do BBC America or MagellanTV Documentaries have ads?

BBC America shows ads; MagellanTV Documentaries does not.

### Which is updated more often, BBC America or MagellanTV Documentaries?

BBC America ships an update monthly, and MagellanTV Documentaries every 3 weeks. Most recently, BBC America was updated on October 21, 2026 and MagellanTV Documentaries on October 26, 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.*