Comparison

Thirteen Explore vs ID 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

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.

Highlights
  • 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'
Features
Read full description

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

Thirteen Explore4 screens
ID GO4 screens

Verdict

The call

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

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 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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Thirteen Explore ships an update every 5 months, ID GO every 6 weeks. Both last shipped on October 26, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Thirteen Explore versus ID GO: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThirteen ExploreID GO
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (6.1K ratings)4.8 (78K ratings) — better
Positive reviews69.5% of reviews — better54.8% of reviews
Number of ratings6.1K78K — 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 MB96 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%

ID GO

All ratings78,367 ratings
Positive96.6%
Neutral1.6%
Negative1.7%
Written reviews115 reviews
Positive54.8%
Neutral13.0%
Negative32.2%

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

ID GO

From 78K App Store ratings

What 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 more
  • 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

None

Thirteen Explore

No in-app purchases

None

ID GO

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Thirteen Explore free?
Thirteen Explore is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is ID GO free?
ID GO is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Thirteen Explore or ID GO?
ID GO is rated higher. Thirteen Explore averages 4.8 out of 5 from 6.1K ratings, while ID GO averages 4.8 from 78K ratings.
Do Thirteen Explore or ID GO have ads?
Both Thirteen Explore and ID GO show ads.
Which is updated more often, Thirteen Explore or ID GO?
Thirteen Explore ships an update every 5 months, and ID GO every 6 weeks. Most recently, Thirteen Explore was updated on October 26, 2026 and ID GO on October 26, 2026.

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