Comparison

Watch TBS vs The CW

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Watch full episodes of TV shows
  • Stream movies
  • Access TBS originals
  • Watch live sports
  • Sign in with TV provider
  • Watch on any screen
Read full description

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.

About

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.

Highlights
  • Latest episode streaming
  • Full series binge-watching
  • Movie collection
  • Live sports broadcasts
  • 24/7 channel programming
  • User profiles and watch lists
Features
Read full description

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

Watch TBS4 screens
The CW4 screens

Verdict

The call

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

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 — 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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Watch TBS ships an update every 3 months, The CW monthly. Both last shipped on November 3, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Watch TBS versus The CW: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterWatch TBSThe CW
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.3 (12K ratings) — better3.2 (22K ratings)
Positive reviews3.6% of reviews10.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings12K22K — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsMonthly — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesAd-supported — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — betteriPhone, iPad, Apple TV
Requires iOS14.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size115 MB39 MB
Age rating17+12+
DeveloperTurner Broadcasting System, Inc.The CW Network

Customer experience

Watch TBS

All ratings11,426 ratings
Positive58.4%
Neutral5.2%
Negative36.4%
Written reviews329 reviews
Positive3.6%
Neutral1.8%
Negative94.5%

The CW

All ratings21,731 ratings
Positive51.6%
Neutral10.4%
Negative38.1%
Written reviews363 reviews
Positive10.7%
Neutral13.2%
Negative76.0%

User reviews

Watch TBS

From 12K App Store ratings

What 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 ratings

What 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

None

Watch TBS

No in-app purchases

None

The CW

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Watch TBS free?
Watch TBS is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is The CW free?
The CW is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Watch TBS or The CW?
Watch TBS is rated higher. Watch TBS averages 3.3 out of 5 from 12K ratings, while The CW averages 3.2 from 22K ratings.
Do Watch TBS or The CW have ads?
Both Watch TBS and The CW show ads.
Which is updated more often, Watch TBS or The CW?
Watch TBS ships an update every 3 months, and The CW monthly. Most recently, Watch TBS was updated on November 3, 2026 and The CW on November 3, 2026.

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