Thirteen Explore vs ID 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)
ID GO
Stream live TV and on-demand episodes from ID and over a dozen other networks. Access current hits and classic favorites, with new episodes available the same day they premiere on TV. Requires a pay TV subscription to unlock content.
- Stream live TV from ID and other 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 ID shows anytime, anywhere with the all-new ID GO app - and now get access to up to 14 additional networks including TLC, Science Channel, Travel Channel, Discovery 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 ID favorites like Evil Lives Here, On the Case with Paula Zahn, See No Evil, People Magazine Investigates, American Monster, Fear Thy Neighbor, Web of Lies and many more - plus top shows from other networks including Home Town (HGTV), Naked and Afraid (Discovery), Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives (Food Network), Ghost Adventures (Travel Channel), My 600-lb Life (TLC) and more. New episodes are available the same day as they premiere on TV. With ID GO You Can: • Stream ID 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 ID series and specials including Evil Lives Here, On the Case with Paula Zahn, See No Evil, People Magazine Investigates, American Monster, Fear Thy Neighbor, Web of Lies - 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: ID GO at every 6 weeks against Thirteen Explore's every 5 months. ID GO also leads on ratings volume (78K vs 6.1K). Thirteen Explore's advantage is review sentiment (70% vs 55%) and monetization model (ad-supported vs free with in-app purchases). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases 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 ID GO. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ID GO has 78K ratings behind it against 6.1K, 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 55% of ID GO's.
Thirteen Explore ships an update every 5 months, ID GO every 6 weeks. Both last shipped on October 26, 2026.
| Parameter | Thirteen Explore | ID GO |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (6.1K ratings) | 4.8 (78K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 69.5% of reviews — better | 54.8% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 6.1K | 78K — 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 | 96 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Thirteen/WNET | Discovery Communications |
Customer experience
Thirteen Explore
ID 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
ID GO
From 78K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 💜 Awesome!
- 👍 Great app, great content
- 👍 Highly recommend
- 👍 Love the variety of shows
- 👍 My favorite!
Room to improve
- 🐛 App just gets worser and worser
- 🐛 Horrible app
- 🐛 Logs out
- 🐛 Link doesn't work
- 🐛 Umm what happened???
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
ID GO
Reported bugs
6 issues- Network not in provider
- Episodes locked
- Can't watch current shows
- Keeps logging out
- Doesn't save progress
Show 1 moreShow fewer
- Crashes frequently
Requested features
3 requests- Let us speed up the videos!!!
- Add rewind/fast forward buttons
- Add a paid subscription option to remove ads
In-app purchases
Thirteen Explore
No in-app purchases
ID GO
No in-app purchases









