Comparison

Thirteen Explore vs Animal Planet GO

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

Head to head
About

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.

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

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)

About

Animal Planet GO

Stream your favorite Animal Planet shows and discover content from up to 14 additional networks. Access live TV and thousands of on-demand episodes, with new episodes available the same day they premiere on television. Requires a pay TV subscription to unlock full access.

Highlights
  • Stream live TV from multiple networks
  • Access thousands of on-demand episodes
  • New episodes available same day as TV premiere
  • Browse by genre
  • Continue watching across devices
  • Save shows to 'My List'
Features
Read full description

Catch up with your favorite Animal Planet shows anytime, anywhere with the all-new Animal Planet GO app - and now get access to up to 14 additional networks including TLC, Discovery, Science Channel, Travel Channel and more - all in one app. It’s FREE with your pay TV subscription. Link your pay TV provider (cable, satellite, telco, live TV streaming service) to access Animal Planet favorites like Pit Bulls & Parolees, Crikey! It's the Irwins, Dr. Jeff: Rocky Mountain Vet, Lone Star Law, North Woods Law, The Zoo: San Diego and many more - plus top shows from other networks including Deadliest Catch (Discovery), Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives (Food Network), Home Town (HGTV), Ghost Adventures (Travel Channel), Dr. Pimple Popper (TLC), Evil Lives Here (ID) and more. New episodes are available the same day as they premiere on TV. With Animal Planet GO You Can: • Stream Animal Planet and more networks LIVE anytime, anywhere on all your favorite devices • Find shows to watch with the live schedule guide • Access thousands of episodes on demand - from current hits to classic favorites • See new episodes of shows on the app the same day and time they premiere on TV • Binge your favorite Animal Planet series and specials including Pit Bulls & Parolees, Crikey! It's the Irwins, Dr. Jeff: Rocky Mountain Vet, Lone Star Law, North Woods Law, The Zoo: San Diego - and many more! • Get unlimited access to everything the Discovery family of networks has to offer - free with your pay TV subscription Features: • Stream live TV when you link your pay TV provider • Watch select episodes and entire seasons of your favorite shows from up to 15 networks! • Browse by genre - from Natural History, Science and Tech to Food, Home and more - to find your favorite shows and discover new ones • Continue watching episodes where you left off across all of your devices • Save shows and episodes to watch later with My List • Compatible with tvOS and Chromecast • Closed-captioning support Requirements: • Available in the U.S. only • Wi-Fi connection recommended • iOS 12 or higher Need help? Visit gohelp.discovery.com. Visitor Agreement: https://corporate.discovery.com/visitor-agreement/ Privacy Notice: https://corporate.discovery.com/privacy-policy California Privacy Notice: https://corporate.discovery.com/privacy-policy/#cappi California Do Not Sell My Personal Info: https://corporate.discovery.com/california_dns We may work with third-party advertising companies and other partners that help us deliver tailored advertisements to you. To opt out of behavioral tracking on mobile devices, you may use the DAA AppChoices Tool, available at http://www.aboutads.info/appchoices.

Screenshots

Thirteen Explore4 screens
Animal Planet GO4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Animal Planet GO at every 6 weeks against Thirteen Explore's every 5 months. Thirteen Explore's advantage is monetization model (ad-supported vs free with in-app purchases) and review sentiment (70% vs 59%). On price, rating, ratings volume 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

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Thirteen Explore against 4.8 for Animal Planet GO. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 6.1K and 12K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 70% of Thirteen Explore's written reviews are positive against 59% of Animal Planet GO's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Thirteen Explore ships an update every 5 months, Animal Planet GO every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Thirteen Explore versus Animal Planet GO: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThirteen ExploreAnimal Planet GO
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (6.1K ratings) — better4.8 (12K ratings)
Positive reviews69.5% of reviews — better59.2% of reviews
Number of ratings6.1K12K — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 6 weeks — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationAd-supported — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TViPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV
Requires iOS15.014.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size21 MB101 MB
Age rating12+17+
DeveloperThirteen/WNETDiscovery Communications

Customer experience

Thirteen Explore

All ratings5,771 ratings
Positive96.1%
Neutral1.6%
Negative2.3%
Written reviews82 reviews
Positive69.5%
Neutral8.5%
Negative22.0%

Animal Planet GO

All ratings12,078 ratings
Positive95.1%
Neutral2.4%
Negative2.6%
Written reviews103 reviews
Positive59.2%
Neutral15.5%
Negative25.2%

User reviews

Thirteen Explore

From 6.1K App Store ratings

What 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

Animal Planet GO

From 12K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Convenient access to favorite shows
  • 👍 Large selection of content
  • 💕 Great for animal/nature enthusiasts

Room to improve

  • 🤯 Excessive ads and long commercial breaks
  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezes
  • 🔒 Issues with provider login and authorization

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

Animal Planet GO

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Stuck on loading screen
  • Forced to re-login frequently
  • Incompatibility with certain devices/providers

Requested features

3 requests
  • Skip ads button
  • Reduce number of ads
  • Improve provider login experience

In-app purchases

None

Thirteen Explore

No in-app purchases

None

Animal Planet GO

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Thirteen Explore free?
Thirteen Explore is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Animal Planet GO free?
Animal Planet GO is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Thirteen Explore or Animal Planet GO?
Thirteen Explore is rated higher. Thirteen Explore averages 4.8 out of 5 from 6.1K ratings, while Animal Planet GO averages 4.8 from 12K ratings.
Do Thirteen Explore or Animal Planet GO have ads?
Both Thirteen Explore and Animal Planet GO show ads.
Which is updated more often, Thirteen Explore or Animal Planet GO?
Thirteen Explore ships an update every 5 months, and Animal Planet GO every 6 weeks. Most recently, Thirteen Explore was updated on November 1, 2026 and Animal Planet GO on November 3, 2026.

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