Comparison

HISTORY vs CBS

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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.

About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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

HISTORY3 screens
CBS4 screens

Verdict

The call

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

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

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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

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.

Scorecard3 real differences · 8 level
HISTORY versus CBS: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHISTORYCBS
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (1.8K ratings)4.8 (72K ratings) — better
Positive reviews49.1% of reviews — better35.9% of reviews
Number of ratings1.8K72K — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 weeksEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank—#178 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple TViPhone, iPad, Apple TV
Requires iOS17.617.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size113 MB241 MB
Age rating12+12+
DeveloperA+E Global MediaCBS Interactive

Customer experience

HISTORY

All ratings1,758 ratings
Positive92.2%
Neutral2.6%
Negative5.3%
Written reviews342 reviews
Positive49.1%
Neutral14.3%
Negative36.5%

CBS

All ratings72,142 ratings
Positive95.6%
Neutral1.3%
Negative3.1%
Written reviews696 reviews
Positive35.9%
Neutral4.5%
Negative59.6%

User reviews

HISTORY

From 1.8K App Store ratings

What 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 ratings

What 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

None

HISTORY

No in-app purchases

None

CBS

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is HISTORY free?
HISTORY is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is CBS free?
CBS is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, HISTORY or CBS?
CBS is rated higher. HISTORY averages 4.6 out of 5 from 1.8K ratings, while CBS averages 4.8 from 72K ratings.
Do HISTORY or CBS have ads?
Both HISTORY and CBS show ads.
Which is updated more often, HISTORY or CBS?
HISTORY ships an update every 4 weeks, and CBS every 3 weeks. Most recently, HISTORY was updated on November 6, 2026 and CBS on November 8, 2026.

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