Watch TBS vs The CW
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.
The CW
Stream the latest TV episodes, movies, and live sports content. Catch up on full series, discover new films, and follow live events from NASCAR, PAC-12 football, and WWE. Create a profile to save your watch list and continue viewing across devices.
- Latest episode streaming
- Full series binge-watching
- Movie collection
- Live sports broadcasts
- 24/7 channel programming
- User profiles and watch lists
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Stream all the latest episodes from The CW, plus movies, sports, and full series! Keep up with new episodes of All American and Sullivan’s Crossing, stream hit series like Wild Cards, Drop Dead Diva, Law & Order Toronto and Marvel’s Runaways, or find your new favorite film in our fast-growing movie collection. And we’ve got sports! Stream NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series races live and catch up on the latest action from the PAC-12 football and WWE NXT. Features Include: LATEST EPISODES: Watch new episodes of primetime shows the day after broadcast. FULL SERIES: Binge CW favorites like 90210, Beauty and the Beast and The Carrie Diaries, or discover new obsessions like Drop Dead Diva, Lost Girl, Bates Motel and Marvel’s Runaways. MOVIES: New films are being added all the time. CW SPORTS: All NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series practice and qualifying races are live and on demand, plus replay of all the action from the PAC-12 Football, Professional Bull Riders and WWE NXT. CHANNELS: Stream 24/7 programming, there’s something for everyone. PROFILE: Create a login and continue watching content on any device and create a watch list with My CW. NO HASSLE: No cable subscription, no credit cards. 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. Ad Choices: https://www.cwtv.com/thecw/privacy-policy/#advertising Terms of Use: http://www.cwtv.com/thecw/terms-of-use/ Do Not Sell My Personal Information: https://privacycenter.cwtv.com/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: The CW at monthly against Watch TBS's every 3 months. The CW also leads on monetization model (ad-supported vs free with in-app purchases). Watch TBS's advantage is iOS requirement (14.0 vs 18.0). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume 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.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 3.3 for Watch TBS against 3.2 for The CW. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 12K and 22K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 4% of Watch TBS's written reviews are positive against 11% of The CW's.
Watch TBS ships an update every 3 months, The CW monthly. Both last shipped on November 3, 2026.
| Parameter | Watch TBS | The CW |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.3 (12K ratings) — better | 3.2 (22K ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 3.6% of reviews | 10.7% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 12K | 22K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Monthly — better |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Ad-supported — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — better | iPhone, iPad, Apple TV |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 115 MB | 39 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. | The CW Network |
Customer experience
Watch TBS
The CW
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
The CW
From 22K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Free streaming service
- 🔍 Wide variety of shows
- 📺 Convenient way to watch missed episodes
Room to improve
- ⏱️ Too many repetitive ads
- 🔀 Inconsistent episode tracking and resume functionality
- 🤯 Buggy playback and app crashes
- 🔍 Limited episode availability per show
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
The CW
Reported bugs
3 issues- Playback stalling and freezing issues
- Incorrect episode resume points
- Orientation and layout problems on tablets
Requested features
3 requests- Ability to watch full seasons of shows
- Improved episode resume and tracking
- Reduced ad frequency and more variety
In-app purchases
Watch TBS
No in-app purchases
The CW
No in-app purchases







