Comparison

PBS vs Tubi

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

Head to head
About

PBS

Stream a vast library of award-winning documentaries, iconic series, and live local TV from your PBS station. Discover new shows and catch up on favorites across drama, news, history, science, and arts anytime, anywhere.

Highlights
  • Stream live local PBS station
  • Watch thousands of full-length episodes on demand
  • Access award-winning documentaries
  • Explore iconic series across multiple genres
  • Save episodes to a custom watchlist
  • Daily additions of new videos and episodes
Features
Read full description

Get the PBS app and stream heartwarming shows like All Creatures Great & Small and Call the Midwife, plus new documentary series like Ken Burns’ American Buffalo. The PBS app features the latest news, live TV from your local PBS station, award-winning documentaries, and iconic series. Download the PBS app and stream thousands of full-length episodes anytime, anywhere! Streaming and watching TV is made easy with the PBS app. Watch series you love and discover brand new shows, live or on demand, with PBS’s streaming app available on your mobile phone, tablet, or Smart TV. Unlike conventional streaming apps, PBS lets you access local TV live! Stream local content with the PBS app livestream and discover your favorite local PBS station shows. Stay up to date with the latest news; watching shows like Frontline, PBS NewsHour, and Washington Week. Catch up on your favorite British dramas with Masterpiece classics including complete seasons of Miss Scarlet & the Duke, World on Fire, Endeavour, and Sanditon. Learn about history and science with new episodes of Finding Your Roots, Antiques Roadshow, Nature, and NOVA. Discover exciting musical performances watching Great Performances and Austin City Limits. You never have to miss a show with brand new videos and episodes added daily to the PBS app. WHAT DO YOU GET WITH THE FREE PBS APP? STREAM LOCAL & LIVE TV - Connect to your local PBS station and watch your local station livestream - Tune in to the latest from your local community on the PBS app - Stream your local station TV channel live anytime WATCH TV SHOWS ON DEMAND - Watch TV shows on demand with the PBS app - TV shows of all genres - from drama and romance to murder and mystery - Watch a new series and your all-time favorites - Save episodes of your favorite TV shows to a custom watchlist STREAM A VARIETY OF CONTENT - Watch a new TV show or explore videos from the PBS archives - Stream specially curated playlists, short films, interviews, extras, and more - Binge TV shows of all genres on the PBS app - Watch films, documentaries and TV shows WATCH TV SERIES ACROSS MULTIPLE GENRES - Enjoy the best of streaming and entertainment with PBS - Drama: All Creatures Great and Small, Miss Scarlet and the Duke, Broadchurch, Poldark, Vienna Blood, Grantchester, Sanditon, World on Fire, Call the Midwife, Jamestown, and more. - Foreign Language Dramas: Professor T, Seaside Hotel, The Paris Murders, Luna and Sophie, and Sisi: Austrian Empress - News & Public Affairs: Programs from PBS NewsHour, Frontline, Amanpour and Company, Firing Line, and Washington Week. - Award-Winning Films & Documentaries: Discover new perspectives with Ken Burns, Independent Lens, POV,, and the PBS Short Film Festival. - History: Antiques Roadshow, American Experience, American Masters, Finding Your Roots, and more. - Arts & Performances: Great Performances, Austin City Limits, Bob Ross: The Joy of Painting, and Variety Studio: Actors on Acting. - Science & Nature: Explore astonishing new worlds from NOVA, Nature, Deep Look, Expedition, and more. WATCH MORE WITH PBS PASSPORT Passport is an added benefit of station membership. By donating to your local PBS station you can: - Stream an expanded library of acclaimed PBS programming - Extended and exclusive access to 1,500+ episodes of your favorite shows - Watch past and current seasons of popular shows like All Creatures Great and Small, Endeavour, and Sanditon - Binge watch new TV series and your favorite PBS programs, like Finding Your Roots - Stream early releases and special collections, like Ken Burns films and Antiques Roadshow WHAT’S NEW ON PBS MASTERPIECE: Moonflower Murders Blake Edwards: A Love Story in 24 Frames Big Cats 24/7 NOVA: Dog Tales MASTERPIECE: Van der Valk S4 Finding Your Roots Watch TV anywhere and stream PBS shows today. PBS offers all Americans the opportunity to explore new worlds through trusted, educational television and digital content.

About

Tubi

Stream a vast library of movies, TV series, and live channels without any subscription fees. Discover new content added weekly, including originals and international entertainment. Enjoy personalized recommendations and a seamless viewing experience across multiple devices.

Highlights
  • Fee-free streaming
  • Largest library of content
  • Live TV channels
  • Movies and series
  • Tubi Originals
  • International entertainment
  • Cross-device compatibility
Features
Read full description

Nice to meet you, we’re Tubi. We’re more than a completely fee-free streamer with the largest library in the entire streaming universe. We’re entertainment fiends and collectors, and never judgers. So, get comfy and settle into whatever you’re feeling. It’s about to get good. WATCH WITH ZERO FEES EVER (YES, REALLY!): Live TV: news, weather, sports, & entertainment It’s live, always on, forever fee-free and has way fewer ads than cable. We call that a win-win-win-win. + Check your local news channels for weather and news. + Get game day ready with pre-game excitement. + Unwind with your favorite TV competitions and guilty pleasures. Movies From the biggest names in the industry to the indie darlings we can’t get enough of. + Top titles added every month. + Bask in loads of drama that isn’t your own. + Comedy, action, and horror…oh, my! Whatever genre you’re looking for, we have it. Series Marathon all the best series, all in one place, with zero subscriptions ever. + Refine your taste buds with cooking shows and competitions. + Get lost in the drama of an evening soap. + Decompress with laugh-out-loud sitcoms. Tubi Originals Made by us, just for you. And only available on Tubi. + Critically acclaimed series like Boarders and Big Mood. + Live out your fantasies with all-new reality shows, series, and movies. Tubi Comic Con(tent) It's a bird, it's a plane, it's...all your favorite comic book heroes and caped crusaders! + Binge full series, old school and new. + Stay current with the latest Hollywood releases. Tubi Español Tú perteneces aquí. Watch in Spanish with no subtitles necessary. + Keep up with all your telenovelas. + Stream Spanish-first favorites and discover dubbed blockbusters. International Entertainment + Ikuze! We have all the anime! + Korea’s in the house!! Get your fill of K-pop, horror, action, comedy, and drama. + Live the Bollywood dream and dance along with tons of favorites. MORE PERKS + Swipe your way to discovering new content. + Never run out of stuff to watch. We add new arrivals every week. + Not sure what to watch? Tap the dice icon in the corner to do the Tubi Shuffle and get a randomized pick! + Here, there, everywhere. Tubi works on 30+ devices, so it goes wherever you go. + We’ll never ask for your credit card, ever. You’ll pay zero fees forever. For really. + Create an account to build your own watchlist, save your watch progress, and get better recommendations. See You In There™

Screenshots

PBS4 screens
Tubi4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: PBS at none against Tubi's shown. PBS also leads on review sentiment (81% vs 70%). Tubi's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 5 weeks) and chart position (#14 vs #176). On price, rating, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for PBS against 4.8 for Tubi. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 356K and 1.2M respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 81% of PBS's written reviews are positive against 70% of Tubi's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PBS ships an update every 5 weeks, Tubi weekly. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
PBS versus Tubi: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPBSTubi
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (356K ratings) — better4.8 (1.2M ratings)
Positive reviews81.0% of reviews — better69.7% of reviews
Number of ratings356K1.2M — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksWeekly — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#176#14 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TViPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Vision Pro
Requires iOS15.4 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size52 MB165 MB
Age rating17+12+
DeveloperPBSTubi, Inc

Customer experience

PBS

All ratings356,336 ratings
Positive97.9%
Neutral0.9%
Negative1.2%
Written reviews934 reviews
Positive81.0%
Neutral3.7%
Negative15.2%

Tubi

All ratings1,248,483 ratings
Positive95.1%
Neutral2.4%
Negative2.6%
Written reviews3,928 reviews
Positive69.7%
Neutral7.4%
Negative23.0%

User reviews

PBS

From 356K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🎥 Excellent programming, especially documentaries
  • 🎨 High-quality, diverse content
  • 📺 Ability to watch shows on-demand
  • 🎬 Exclusive access to shows through Passport
  • 🌍 Variety of international and British shows

Room to improve

  • 🤖 Buggy app with frequent crashes
  • 🔍 Difficulty finding and resuming shows
  • 💰 Paywall for most content, even for donors
  • 🇨🇦 Limited availability for Canadian users
  • 📢 Intrusive ads even for Passport members

Tubi

From 1.2M App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🎥 Great selection of movies and TV shows
  • 👍 Easy to use and navigate
  • 🆓 Completely free to use
  • 🔍 Helpful recommendations and personalization
  • 🕰️ Ability to resume watching where you left off

Room to improve

  • 🔍 Limited selection of recent/popular titles
  • 📺 Frequent commercial breaks
  • 🐛 Technical issues like freezing, buffering, and syncing problems
  • 🔇 Lack of audio description options for accessibility

Bugs and requests

PBS

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • App freezes and crashes frequently
  • Unable to cast or stream content reliably
  • Watch history and progress not saved properly
  • Incompatibility issues with certain devices
  • Inconsistent behavior when navigating the app

Requested features

6 requests
  • Add option to skip ads for Passport members
  • Improve resume functionality to remember progress
  • Enhance discoverability of shows and categories
  • Provide more free content for non-Passport users
  • Optimize app performance and stability
Show 1 more
  • Expand availability to international users

Tubi

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Buttons and controls not always responsive
  • Titles disappearing from watch list
  • Playback issues like freezing and out-of-sync audio

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add more recent and popular movies/shows
  • Improve search and browsing functionality
  • Provide an option to skip or reduce commercials
  • Implement better resume/continue watching features
  • Add audio description support for accessibility

In-app purchases

None

PBS

No in-app purchases

None

Tubi

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is PBS free?
PBS is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Tubi free?
Tubi is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, PBS or Tubi?
PBS is rated higher. PBS averages 4.9 out of 5 from 356K ratings, while Tubi averages 4.8 from 1.2M ratings.
Do PBS or Tubi have ads?
Tubi shows ads; PBS does not.
Which is updated more often, PBS or Tubi?
PBS ships an update every 5 weeks, and Tubi weekly. Most recently, PBS was updated on September 24, 2026 and Tubi on September 24, 2026.
Which is more popular, PBS or Tubi?
PBS currently peaks at #176 in the App Store charts, and Tubi at #14. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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