Thirteen Explore vs Britain Live
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
Read full descriptionHide 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)
Britain Live
Stream popular British television channels in high definition. Access a variety of content including sports, movies, music, and general entertainment.
- Watch British channels
- Sports content
- Movie streaming
- Music channels
- HD quality
- Entertainment programming
Read full descriptionHide full description
Britain Live enables you to watch British channels such as sports, movies, music, and entertainment in high quality and HD
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Thirteen Explore at 70% against Britain Live's 0%. Britain Live's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 5 months). On price, in-app purchases and device support 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 ships an update every 5 months, Britain Live every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and September 27, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Thirteen Explore | Britain Live |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (5.8K ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 69.5% of reviews — better | 0.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 5.8K — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | Every 6 weeks — better |
| 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 | 12.4 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 21 MB | 68 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Thirteen/WNET | WNET Media GmbH |
Customer experience
Thirteen Explore
Britain Live
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
Britain Live
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Thirteen Explore
No in-app purchases
Britain Live
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Thirteen Explore free?
Is Britain Live free?
Do Thirteen Explore or Britain Live have ads?
Which is updated more often, Thirteen Explore or Britain Live?
Other comparisons
