Comparison

Thirteen Explore vs PBS Appalachia

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

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.

Highlights
  • Watch live TV stream
  • On-demand content access
  • DVR-like playback controls
  • Share stories and programs
  • Content dedicated to Southwest Virginia
Features
Read full description

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

Thirteen Explore4 screens
PBS Appalachia4 screens

Verdict

The call

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

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

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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Thirteen Explore versus PBS Appalachia: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThirteen ExplorePBS Appalachia
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (6.1K ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews69.5% of reviews—
Number of ratings6.1K — better2
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 5 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationAd-supportedFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.014.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size21 MB45 MB
Age rating12++17
DeveloperThirteen/WNETBLUE RIDGE PUBLIC TELEVISION, INC

Customer experience

Thirteen Explore

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

PBS Appalachia

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

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

None

Thirteen Explore

No in-app purchases

None

PBS Appalachia

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Thirteen Explore free?
Thirteen Explore is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is PBS Appalachia free?
PBS Appalachia is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Thirteen Explore or PBS Appalachia?
PBS Appalachia is rated higher. Thirteen Explore averages 4.8 out of 5 from 6.1K ratings, while PBS Appalachia averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do Thirteen Explore or PBS Appalachia have ads?
Thirteen Explore shows ads; PBS Appalachia does not.
Which is updated more often, Thirteen Explore or PBS Appalachia?
Thirteen Explore ships an update every 5 months, and PBS Appalachia every 5 months. Most recently, Thirteen Explore was updated on November 1, 2026 and PBS Appalachia on October 31, 2026.

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