Thirteen Explore vs Emma Stebbins AR
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)
Emma Stebbins AR
Experience Emma Stebbins's iconic Bethesda Fountain in augmented reality. This location-specific app allows visitors at The Heckscher Museum of Art to view the famous sculpture in AR. Learn about the history of this significant New York City monument.
- Augmented reality fountain viewing
- Location-specific experience
- Learn about Emma Stebbins
- Explore Bethesda Fountain history
- Museum exhibition companion
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As part of the exhibition Emma Stebbins: Carving Out History, visitors can experience Stebbins’s iconic Bethesda Fountain via augmented reality (AR). This is a location-specific experience, currently available only at The Heckscher Museum of Art in Huntington, New York, and The Richard H. Driehaus Museum in Chicago, with more locations coming soon. After downloading the app, you’ll have to stand in the located area to view the Bethesda Fountain in Augmented Reality. Please follow the on-screen instructions within the app. In 1863, the commissioners of Central Park contracted Emma Stebbins to create a monument for the plaza at the heart of the newly constructed park, making her the first woman to receive a public sculpture commission in New York City. Sculpted between 1864 and 1867 and unveiled in 1873, the Bethesda Fountain has become a symbol of the city over the past 150 years. Read more about the exhibition “Carving Out History” on Heckscher Museum of Art’s website: https://www.heckscher.org/exhibitions/emma-stebbins-carving-out-history/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: Emma Stebbins AR at none against Thirteen Explore's shown. Emma Stebbins AR also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 70%) and 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.
Emma Stebbins AR 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. Written reviews point the same way: 70% of Thirteen Explore's written reviews are positive against 100% of Emma Stebbins AR's.
Thirteen Explore ships an update every 5 months, Emma Stebbins AR every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Thirteen Explore | Emma Stebbins AR |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (6.1K ratings) | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 69.5% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 6.1K — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months — better | Every 6 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 | 13.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 21 MB | 138 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Thirteen/WNET | Khora ApS |
Customer experience
Thirteen Explore
Emma Stebbins AR
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
Emma Stebbins AR
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Thirteen Explore
No in-app purchases
Emma Stebbins AR
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Thirteen Explore free?
Is Emma Stebbins AR free?
Which has better reviews, Thirteen Explore or Emma Stebbins AR?
Do Thirteen Explore or Emma Stebbins AR have ads?
Which is updated more often, Thirteen Explore or Emma Stebbins AR?
Other comparisons
