Thirteen Explore vs Animal Planet GO
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)
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.
- 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'
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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
Verdict
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
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 4.8 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.
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.
| Parameter | Thirteen Explore | Animal Planet GO |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (6.1K ratings) — better | 4.8 (12K ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 69.5% of reviews — better | 59.2% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 6.1K | 12K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | Every 6 weeks — better |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Ad-supported — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 14.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 21 MB | 101 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Thirteen/WNET | Discovery Communications |
Customer experience
Thirteen Explore
Animal Planet GO
User reviews
Thirteen Explore
From 6.1K 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
Animal Planet GO
From 12K App Store ratingsWhat 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
Thirteen Explore
No in-app purchases
Animal Planet GO
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Thirteen Explore free?
Is Animal Planet GO free?
Which has better reviews, Thirteen Explore or Animal Planet GO?
Do Thirteen Explore or Animal Planet GO have ads?
Which is updated more often, Thirteen Explore or Animal Planet GO?
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