# Thirteen Explore vs Discovery GO

Thirteen Explore and Discovery GO both sit at 4.8 stars, but that hides the real split: 70% of Thirteen Explore's written reviews are positive against 37% of Discovery GO's. Thirteen Explore also leads on monetization model (ad-supported vs free with in-app purchases). Discovery GO's advantage is update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 5 months) and ratings volume (35K vs 5.8K). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

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 — 4.8 for Thirteen Explore against 4.7 for Discovery GO. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Discovery GO has 35K ratings behind it against 5.8K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 70% of Thirteen Explore's written reviews are positive against 37% of Discovery GO's.

Thirteen Explore ships an update every 5 months, Discovery GO every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 20, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Thirteen Explore | Discovery GO |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (5.8K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/thirteen-explore/id598509773/reviews)** | [4.7 (35K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/discovery-go/id1039067950/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 5.8K | **35K** |
| Positive reviews | **70.4% of reviews** | 36.6% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | **Every 6 weeks** |
| Monetization | **Ad-supported** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 21 MB | 96 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **14.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV |
| Age rating | 12+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Thirteen/WNET](https://appshunter.io/developer/446797258) | [Discovery Communications](https://appshunter.io/developer/325058494) |

## What reviewers say

### Thirteen Explore

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/thirteen-explore/id598509773)

Stream full episodes of popular PBS and THIRTEEN programs, including Masterpiece, Nature, and Frontline, directly to your iPhone and iPad. Access New York-centric shows and livestream THIRTEEN if you're in the NYC metro area. Cast content to your TV using Apple TV and Chromecast.

**Highlights:** Stream full episodes, Masterpiece, Nature, Frontline, New York-centric shows, Livestream THIRTEEN (NYC), Cast to TV

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Quality entertainment and education
- 👍 Variety of programming
- 👍 Reliable and trustworthy content
- 👍 Ability to watch missed episodes

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Buggy app with login and playback issues
- 🤔 Lack of user-friendly features (e.g., episode tracking, Chromecast support)
- 🤔 Limited content availability for Passport members

**Reported bugs**

- Login screen freezes or doesn't work
- Playback issues, such as app crashing or getting kicked out
- Incompatibility with certain devices (e.g., Firestick)

**Requested features**

- Add episode tracking and resume playback functionality
- Improve Chromecast support with features like closed captions
- Expand Passport content library to include more archived shows


### Discovery GO

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/discovery-go/id1039067950)

Stream your favorite Discovery shows and access content from up to 14 additional networks, including TLC and HGTV. Watch new episodes the same day they premiere on TV and enjoy thousands of episodes on demand. Requires a pay TV subscription to access.

**Highlights:** Stream live TV from multiple networks, Access thousands of on-demand episodes, Watch new episodes same day as TV premiere, Browse by genre, Continue watching across devices, Save shows with My List

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great content library
- 👍 Convenient on-the-go viewing
- 💡 Ability to catch up on missed shows

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and glitches
- 📺 Excessive and repetitive commercials
- 🔍 Difficulty resuming shows from where left off
- 🔌 Inconsistent performance and streaming quality

**Reported bugs**

- App frequently logs users out and requires re-authentication
- Certain shows/episodes are inexplicably locked or unavailable
- Playback issues when switching between devices or screens

**Requested features**

- Add skip/rewind functionality to bypass commercials
- Improve progress tracking and resume playback
- Provide an ad-free premium subscription option


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Thirteen Explore free?

Thirteen Explore is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Discovery GO free?

Discovery GO is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Thirteen Explore or Discovery GO?

Thirteen Explore is rated higher. Thirteen Explore averages 4.8 out of 5 from 5.8K ratings, while Discovery GO averages 4.7 from 35K ratings.

### Do Thirteen Explore or Discovery GO have ads?

Both Thirteen Explore and Discovery GO show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Thirteen Explore or Discovery GO?

Thirteen Explore ships an update every 5 months, and Discovery GO every 6 weeks. Most recently, Thirteen Explore was updated on September 20, 2026 and Discovery GO on September 24, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*