Thirteen Explore vs VibeMaps
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)
VibeMaps
Discover live events happening near you in real-time, from concerts and comedy shows to food festivals and sports. Filter by category, time, or distance, and view events on a map. Organizers can also post their own events.
- Real-time event radar
- Event filtering by category and time
- Map and list view
- RSVP and push notifications
- User-posted events
- Event search by name or venue
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VibeMaps puts your city's live event scene on the radar — concerts, trivia nights, comedy shows, art openings, food events, and sports, all happening near you right now. FIND WHAT'S HAPPENING NEARBY • Real-time radar shows events within your chosen radius — from 1 to 50 miles • Filter by category: Live Music, Comedy, Trivia, Art, Food & Drink, Sports • Search by event name or venue • Time filters: Now, Tonight, This Week, Weekend SEE IT ON THE MAP Switch between list and map view to see exactly where events are happening. Tap any pin to get the details and RSVP instantly. POST YOUR OWN EVENTS Organizers can post events in minutes — set the time, venue, category, and whether it repeats weekly, biweekly, or monthly. NEVER MISS A SHOW RSVP to events you want to attend and get a push notification when they're about to start. ALWAYS SOMETHING HAPPENING VibeMaps automatically pulls in events from Ticketmaster and other sources so the radar is populated the moment you open the app — not just when locals post. Whether you're looking for something to do tonight or planning your whole week, VibeMaps keeps you tuned in to what's actually happening around you.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: VibeMaps at none against Thirteen Explore's shown. VibeMaps also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 5 months) and monetization model (free vs ad-supported). Thirteen Explore's advantage is ratings volume (6.1K vs 1) and device support (4 vs 2). On price, rating, in-app purchases 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.
VibeMaps 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 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.
Thirteen Explore ships an update every 5 months, VibeMaps weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Thirteen Explore | VibeMaps |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (6.1K ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 69.5% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 6.1K — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | Weekly — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Ad-supported | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 15.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 21 MB | 33 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Thirteen/WNET | NICHOLAS ANDREW RUSHING |
Customer experience
Thirteen Explore
VibeMaps
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
VibeMaps
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Thirteen Explore
No in-app purchases
VibeMaps
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Thirteen Explore free?
Is VibeMaps free?
Which has better reviews, Thirteen Explore or VibeMaps?
Do Thirteen Explore or VibeMaps have ads?
Which is updated more often, Thirteen Explore or VibeMaps?
Other comparisons
