Comparison

PBS vs Acorn TV

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

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.

Screenshots

PBS4 screens
Acorn TV4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: PBS at 81% against Acorn TV's 43%. PBS also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 6) and ratings volume (356K vs 24K). On price, update cadence, ads 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. Acorn TV sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. PBS asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

PBS holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PBS has 356K ratings behind it against 24K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 81% of PBS's written reviews are positive against 43% of Acorn TV's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 5 weeks. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
PBS versus Acorn TV: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPBSAcorn TV
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (356K ratings) — better4.7 (24K ratings)
Positive reviews81.0% of reviews — better42.7% of reviews
Number of ratings356K — better24K
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksEvery 5 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#179#103 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TViPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV
Requires iOS15.415.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size52 MB83 MB
Age rating17+12+
DeveloperPBSRLJ Entertainment, Inc.

Customer experience

PBS

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

Acorn TV

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

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

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

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

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

In-app purchases

None

PBS

No 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

Questions

Is PBS free?
PBS is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Acorn TV free?
Acorn TV is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, PBS or Acorn TV?
PBS is rated higher. PBS averages 4.9 out of 5 from 356K ratings, while Acorn TV averages 4.7 from 24K ratings.
Do PBS or Acorn TV have ads?
Neither PBS nor Acorn TV shows ads.
Which is updated more often, PBS or Acorn TV?
PBS ships an update every 5 weeks, and Acorn TV every 5 weeks. Most recently, PBS was updated on September 24, 2026 and Acorn TV on September 24, 2026.
Which is more popular, PBS or Acorn TV?
PBS currently peaks at #179 in the App Store charts, and Acorn TV at #103. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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