Thirteen Explore vs PBS Appalachia
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)
PBS Appalachia
Stream live and on-demand video content from a public media station serving Southwest Virginia. Easily catch up on favorite shows, news programs, and share stories with friends and family.
- Watch live TV stream
- On-demand content access
- DVR-like playback controls
- Share stories and programs
- Content dedicated to Southwest Virginia
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The PBS Appalachia App: The PBS Appalachia App allows you to watch live TV, explore and watch On Demand content whenever you want, share stories with your friends! A first-of-its-kind, all-digital television station dedicated to serving Southwest Virginia. PBS Appalachia | Va will serve 13 counties in one of the only areas of the country not currently served by a PBS station. We will tell the stories of our communities, celebrate our heritage, highlight our people, and look forward to our region’s growth; all through the lens of industry-leading equipment and the eye of award winning producers. Stream Video Content: • Watch the PBS Appalachia live stream using our DVR-like controls (pause, rewind, and fast forward). Catch up on your favorite shows or important news programs you count on every day. • Stream your favorite PBS Appalachia shows all in one place! On Demand • Access the PBS Appalachia's past programs easily and quickly. • DVR-like controls. Pause, rewind and fast forward your program with ease. Additional features • Easily share stories and programs with family and friends via the “Share” button. The PBS Appalachia Public Media App is brought to you by the people at PBS Appalachia Public Media and Public Media Apps. We work to provide our valued listeners with great solutions to find what you want, when you want it, on whatever device you have! Please support PBS Appalachia by becoming a member today! https://www.pbsavirginia.org/ http://www.publicmediaapps.com
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: PBS Appalachia at none against Thirteen Explore's shown. PBS Appalachia also leads on monetization model (free vs ad-supported). Thirteen Explore's advantage is ratings volume (6.1K vs 2). On price, rating, update cadence 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.
PBS Appalachia holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Thirteen Explore has 6.1K ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Thirteen Explore | PBS Appalachia |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (6.1K ratings) | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 69.5% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 6.1K — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | Every 5 months |
| 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 | 14.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 21 MB | 45 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | +17 |
| Developer | Thirteen/WNET | BLUE RIDGE PUBLIC TELEVISION, INC |
Customer experience
Thirteen Explore
PBS Appalachia
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
PBS Appalachia
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Thirteen Explore
No in-app purchases
PBS Appalachia
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Thirteen Explore free?
Is PBS Appalachia free?
Which has better reviews, Thirteen Explore or PBS Appalachia?
Do Thirteen Explore or PBS Appalachia have ads?
Which is updated more often, Thirteen Explore or PBS Appalachia?
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