Watch TBS vs CBS
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Watch TBS
Stream full episodes of popular TV shows and movies from your favorite network. Access a wide variety of originals and comedy hits, plus live sports and blockbuster films. Watch on any screen, anytime, anywhere, by signing in with your TV provider.
- Watch full episodes of TV shows
- Stream movies
- Access TBS originals
- Watch live sports
- Sign in with TV provider
- Watch on any screen
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ALWAYS HERE FOR A GOOD TIME The tbs app makes watching movies and full episodes of your favorite shows easy! Sign in with your TV Provider to watch all the tbs originals you love: All Elite Wrestling: Dynamite, AEW: All Access, American Dad, Wipeout and more. Plus, don't forget comedy hits like Young Sheldon, The Big Bang Theory, Friends and Modern Family! Watch anytime, anywhere with the tbs app. You can also catch live sports (including MLB games and March Madness) and blockbuster movies -- on any screen. The tbs app supports most TV providers, including AT&T, Spectrum (incl. Time Warner Cable, Charter & Bright House), Comcast XFINITY, Cox, DIRECTV, Dish, Optimum, Suddenlink, Verizon, and many more. Our full lineup of tbs originals include: AEW: Dynamite, AEW: All Access, American Dad, B/R Gaming, Celebrity Show-Off, The Cube, Friday Night Vibes, Harry Potter: Hogwarts Tournament of Houses, I Survived Bear Grylls, Lost Resort, Miracle Workers, Tournament of Laughs and Wipeout. Other series available include The Big Bang Theory, Family Matters, Friends, Modern Family and Young Sheldon.
CBS
Stream the latest episodes of popular shows for free without a login. Access full seasons and live TV by signing in with your cable provider. Enjoy news, sports, and major live events on demand.
- Stream new episodes for free
- No login required for new episodes
- Watch on any device
- Next-day episode streaming
- Live TV with cable provider login
- Access full seasons
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With the CBS app you can watch the latest episodes of your favorite CBS shows for free at your convenience, no log-in required. You also have the option to sign in with your cable provider to access full seasons and stream Live TV from your local CBS station including live news, sports, entertainment, and can’t-miss live events like NFL on CBS, The Golden Globes, NCAA March Madness, and more. All for free, no additional subscription or monthly fee required. App Features: • Stream full episodes for free • Watch your favorite shows anywhere, on any device • Latest episodes available for next-day streaming* • Option to sign in with your cable provider to stream live TV and access full seasons of CBS shows *Live TV includes commercials and select shows have promotional interruptions.Content availability subject to change. Please note use of the CBS app is limited to the United States. CBS promotional offers for new subscribers only. Live TV subject to availability. Prices shown are in U.S. dollars. Other restrictions apply. Please note: This app features Nielsen’s proprietary measurement software which will allow you to contribute to market research, like Nielsen’s TV Ratings. Please visit http://www.nielsen.com/digitalprivacy for more information. CBS App Terms of Use: https://www.viacomcbs.legal/us/en/cbsi/terms-of-use Paramount Privacy Policy: https://privacy.paramount.com/policy Minors' Privacy Policy: https://privacy.paramount.com/childrens Do Not Sell My Personal Information: https://www.viacomcbsprivacy.com/donotsell
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: CBS at 4.8 against Watch TBS's 3.3. CBS also leads on review sentiment (36% vs 4%) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 3 months). Watch TBS's advantage is iOS requirement (14.0 vs 17.0). On price, ads, 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
CBS holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: CBS has 71K ratings behind it against 12K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 4% of Watch TBS's written reviews are positive against 36% of CBS's.
Watch TBS ships an update every 3 months, CBS fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Watch TBS | CBS |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.3 (12K ratings) | 4.8 (71K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 4.0% of reviews | 36.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 12K | 71K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #206 | #98 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — better | iPhone, iPad, Apple TV |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 115 MB | 240 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. | CBS Interactive |
Customer experience
Watch TBS
CBS
User reviews
Watch TBS
From 12K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Easy to find and watch shows
- 🚀 Smooth streaming quality
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezes
- 💢 Excessive and repetitive ads
- 🔍 Difficult to navigate and find content
- 🔒 Issues with signing in and account access
CBS
From 71K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 High-quality content
- 👍 Convenient app experience
- 💡 Useful features like live TV and on-demand shows
- 🙌 Consistent and reliable performance
Room to improve
- 🚫 Region restrictions preventing access in certain countries
- 📺 Too many commercials interrupting viewing experience
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and technical issues
- 🔍 Difficult to navigate and find desired content
Bugs and requests
Watch TBS
Reported bugs
3 issues- App crashes when switching between apps or locking screen
- Video playback randomly rewinds or skips ahead
- Sign-in process often gets stuck in a loop
Requested features
4 requests- Add option to turn off closed captions
- Improve video playback controls
- Implement picture-in-picture mode
- Provide better resume/continue watching functionality
CBS
Reported bugs
3 issues- Fatal errors when trying to watch shows
- Playback issues like freezing, restarting, and losing progress
- Compatibility problems on certain devices and platforms
Requested features
4 requests- Resume playback from where user left off
- Expand content availability globally
- Reduce number of commercials or provide ad-free option
- Improve search functionality and content organization
In-app purchases
Watch TBS
No in-app purchases
CBS
No in-app purchases
