HISTORY vs CBS
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
HISTORY
Stream a vast library of popular HISTORY TV series and documentaries. Watch full episodes, catch up on seasons, and access exclusive clips. Create a profile to continue watching across devices.
- Watch full episodes and clips
- Catch up on entire seasons
- Exclusive clips and deleted scenes
- Create a user profile
- Continue watching on any device
- Discover new documentary events
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Stream your favorite HISTORY TV shows! Alone, The Curse of Oak Island, Pawn Stars, Mountain Men, Forged in Fire, American Pickers, to name a few. Watch your favorites and discover your next binge from HISTORY’s best-in-class documentary events, industry-leading nonfiction series and premium fact-based scripted programming. HISTORY serves as the most trustworthy source of informational entertainment. With the newly re-designed HISTORY app, you can: > Watch full episodes and clips > Catch up on entire seasons of new and classic shows > See exclusive clips and deleted scenes, never shown before on television > Create a profile with HISTORY TV so you can continue watching episodes whenever you want, on any device POPULAR SHOWS ON HISTORY Alone Pawn Stars Colosseum After Jackie The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch Lost Gold of the Aztecs American Pickers’ Ancient Aliens Black Patriots: Heroes of the Civil War Food That Built America Forged in Fire History’s Great Escapes with Morgan Freeman History’s Greatest Mysteries I Was There Modern Marvels Mountain Men The Curse of Oak Island The UnXplained Toys That Built America ...and so much more! The HISTORY app is free to use. If your TV Provider is supported, you can sign in and get access to even more content. This app features Nielsen’s proprietary measurement software which will allow you to contribute to market research, like Nielsen’s TV Ratings. For more information, please visit: http://www.nielsen.com/digitalprivacy HISTORY content is only available to stream in the United States.
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 ratings volume: CBS at 72K against HISTORY's 1.8K. CBS also leads on chart position (#178 vs unranked). HISTORY's advantage is review sentiment (49% vs 36%). On price, rating, update cadence and ads 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 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: CBS has 72K ratings behind it against 1.8K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 49% of HISTORY's written reviews are positive against 36% of CBS's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
HISTORY ships an update every 4 weeks, CBS every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 8, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | HISTORY | CBS |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (1.8K ratings) | 4.8 (72K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 49.1% of reviews — better | 35.9% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 1.8K | 72K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 4 weeks | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | — | #178 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple TV | iPhone, iPad, Apple TV |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | 17.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 113 MB | 241 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | A+E Global Media | CBS Interactive |
Customer experience
HISTORY
CBS
User reviews
HISTORY
From 1.8K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🤩 Fascinating mystery
- 👍 Diligent and dedicated team
- 🎉 Exciting new discoveries
- 🙌 Integrity and care for the work
- 📺 Enjoyable to watch
Room to improve
- 🔍 Slow progress
- 🚨 Frequent commercial breaks
- 🐛 Streaming issues and glitches
- 🤯 Too many ads
- 🔒 Limited access without cable subscription
CBS
From 72K 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
HISTORY
Reported bugs
4 issues- Video and audio desynchronization
- Unexpected playback interruptions
- Inability to resume from last watched position
- Freezing and crashing during commercials
Requested features
5 requests- Faster release of new episodes
- Offline viewing option
- Ability to cast to TV
- Subscription-based access without cable
- Improved streaming reliability
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
HISTORY
No in-app purchases
CBS
No in-app purchases









