Thirteen Explore vs MeTV App
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Thirteen Explore
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.
- Stream full episodes
- Masterpiece, Nature, Frontline
- New York-centric shows
- Livestream THIRTEEN (NYC)
- Cast to TV
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Your favorite THIRTEEN and PBS programs like Masterpiece, Nature and Frontline - streamed right to your iPhone and iPad! THIRTEEN Explore includes: * Full episodes from programs such as Masterpiece, American Masters, PBS NewsHour, Great Performances, Nature, NOVA, Antiques Roadshow and Frontline * New York-centric shows like NYC-ARTS, MetroFocus, Treasures of New York and NJTV News * Stream via Apple TV and Chromecast to your TV * Livestream THIRTEEN (must be in the NYC metropolitan area)
MeTV App
Explore classic television shows and relive television nostalgia. This app provides information about your favorite programs from America's #1 classic television network.
- Classic television network content
- Information on favorite shows
- Nostalgia features
- iPhone and iPad compatibility
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MeTV - America's #1 Classic Television Network - read about your favorite shows and nostalgia on your iPhone and iPad. Your feedback can help make the MeTV app better for everyone. Share your app feedback with iOS-feedback@metv.com.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Thirteen Explore at 70% against MeTV App's 24%. Thirteen Explore also leads on rating (4.8 vs 2.6) and ratings volume (5.8K vs 689). MeTV App's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 5 months). On price, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement 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.
Thirteen Explore holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 2.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Thirteen Explore has 5.8K ratings behind it against 689, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 70% of Thirteen Explore's written reviews are positive against 24% of MeTV App's.
Thirteen Explore ships an update every 5 months, MeTV App every 6 weeks. Both last shipped on September 20, 2026.
| Parameter | Thirteen Explore | MeTV App |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (5.8K ratings) — better | 2.6 (689 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 70.4% of reviews — better | 24.3% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 5.8K — better | 689 |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | Every 6 weeks — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Ad-supported | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — better | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 15.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 21 MB | 22 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Thirteen/WNET | ME-TV National Limited Partnership |
Customer experience
Thirteen Explore
MeTV App
User reviews
Thirteen Explore
From 5.8K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Quality entertainment and education
- 👍 Variety of programming
- 👍 Reliable and trustworthy content
- 👍 Ability to watch missed episodes
Room to improve
- 🐛 Buggy app with login and playback issues
- 🤔 Lack of user-friendly features (e.g., episode tracking, Chromecast support)
- 🤔 Limited content availability for Passport members
MeTV App
From 689 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 💫 Best old TV shows
- 🎶 Great music
- 👍 Enjoyable and informative content
Room to improve
- 🐛 Buggy app with frequent crashes
- 🚫 Can't watch live TV or stream shows
- 🤔 Confusing and non-intuitive interface
- 🚫 Not available in Canada
Bugs and requests
Thirteen Explore
Reported bugs
3 issues- 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
3 requests- Add episode tracking and resume playback functionality
- Improve Chromecast support with features like closed captions
- Expand Passport content library to include more archived shows
MeTV App
Reported bugs
4 issues- Sign-up page with unreadable text
- Inconsistent live stream functionality
- Freezing and repeated playback issues
- Incorrect program scheduling information
Requested features
4 requests- Live streaming option
- More frequent quiz updates
- Ability to remove/change favorite shows
- Improved accessibility for visually impaired users
In-app purchases
Thirteen Explore
No in-app purchases
MeTV App
No in-app purchases
