Thirteen Explore vs Cascade PBS
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)
Cascade PBS
Stream prestige dramas, landmark documentaries, inspiring nature, and science programs. Access PBS favorites, local original series, and international content from a nonprofit streaming service for the Pacific Northwest. Enhance your viewing with an extended library through membership.
- Prestige dramas
- Landmark documentaries
- Nature and science programming
- Local original series
- International programming
- Extended library with membership
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Prestige dramas, landmark documentaries, inspiring nature, science and more! Enjoy your PBS favorites, local original series and a unique collection of international programming with this nonprofit streaming service for the Pacific Northwest, Cascade PBS. Catch up on recently aired PBS shows or become a Cascade PBS Passport member to discover an extended library of popular programs, including the best in science, nature, history, documentary, arts and drama.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Thirteen Explore at 70% against Cascade PBS's 18%. Thirteen Explore also leads on rating (4.8 vs 3.6) and ratings volume (5.8K vs 29). Cascade PBS's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 5 months). On price, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement 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.
Thirteen Explore holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Thirteen Explore has 5.8K ratings behind it against 29, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 70% of Thirteen Explore's written reviews are positive against 18% of Cascade PBS's.
Thirteen Explore ships an update every 5 months, Cascade PBS every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 28, 2026 and September 1, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Thirteen Explore | Cascade PBS |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (5.8K ratings) — better | 3.6 (29 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 70.4% of reviews — better | 17.9% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 5.8K — better | 29 |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | Every 2 months — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Ad-supported — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — better | iPhone, iPad, Apple TV |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 21 MB | 46 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Thirteen/WNET | KCTS TELEVISION |
Customer experience
Thirteen Explore
Cascade PBS
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
Cascade PBS
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Thirteen Explore
No in-app purchases
Cascade PBS
No in-app purchases
