Thirteen Explore vs RMPBS+ Rocky Mountain 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)
RMPBS+ Rocky Mountain PBS
Stream your favorite PBS series and discover new shows on demand or live. Access local Colorado programming, documentaries, dramas, and more. Enhance your viewing with an expanded library of content through station membership.
- Stream PBS series on demand
- Watch live TV channels
- Discover local Colorado programming
- Browse by genre
- Create a personal watchlist
- Access expanded library with Passport
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Streaming and watching TV is made easy with Rocky Mountain PBS’s app, RMPBS+. Watch PBS series you love and discover brand new shows, live or on demand. Watch across multiple genres including Drama, News & Public Affairs, and Award-Winning documentaries, History, Arts & Performances, and Science & Nature. Programming for Coloradans is easy to find and enjoy, including local series like Colorado Experience. RMPBS+ is an app developed by Rocky Mountain PBS. Downloading and using RMPBS+ is the best way to stay connected to Rocky Mountain PBS, stream programming, and watch our station’s live TV streams. RMPBS+ has the PBS content you love, local programs, and is another way Coloradans can access Rocky Mountain PBS content outside of watching over the air or online. Features: - Carousels customized by genre - Local programming and news, like Colorado Experience, is featured - Browse, search, and add your favorite programs to your personal watchlist - Watch RMPBS’s TV channels live - multiple live streams are available including WORLD, CREATE and PBS KIDS. - Watch programming on-demand Watch more with RMPBS Passport: This is an added benefit of station membership. By donating a minimum of $5 per month or $60 annual to Rocky Mountain PBS, you can: - Stream an expanded library of acclaimed PBS programming - Get extended access to 1500+ episodes of your favorite shows - Watch past and current seasons of popular shows - Binge watch new TV series - Stream early releases and special collections - If you have already activated your RMPBS Passport benefit, you have access in RMPBS+ - Learn how to donate and activate the RMPBS Passport benefit within RMPBS+
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: RMPBS+ Rocky Mountain PBS at none against Thirteen Explore's shown. RMPBS+ Rocky Mountain PBS also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 70%) and update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 5 months). Thirteen Explore's advantage is ratings volume (6.1K vs 16). On price, rating, 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.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Thirteen Explore against 4.9 for RMPBS+ Rocky Mountain PBS. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Thirteen Explore has 6.1K ratings behind it against 16, 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 100% of RMPBS+ Rocky Mountain PBS's.
Thirteen Explore ships an update every 5 months, RMPBS+ Rocky Mountain PBS every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 10, 2026 and November 8, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Thirteen Explore | RMPBS+ Rocky Mountain PBS |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (6.1K ratings) | 4.9 (16 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 69.9% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 6.1K — better | 16 |
| 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, Apple TV |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 21 MB | 44 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Thirteen/WNET | Rocky Mountain Public Media, Inc. |
Customer experience
Thirteen Explore
RMPBS+ Rocky Mountain 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
RMPBS+ Rocky Mountain PBS
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Thirteen Explore
No in-app purchases
RMPBS+ Rocky Mountain PBS
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Thirteen Explore free?
Is RMPBS+ Rocky Mountain PBS free?
Which has better reviews, Thirteen Explore or RMPBS+ Rocky Mountain PBS?
Do Thirteen Explore or RMPBS+ Rocky Mountain PBS have ads?
Which is updated more often, Thirteen Explore or RMPBS+ Rocky Mountain PBS?
Other comparisons
