Comparison

Thirteen Explore vs WPBS App

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Stream full episodes
  • Masterpiece, Nature, Frontline
  • New York-centric shows
  • Livestream THIRTEEN (NYC)
  • Cast to TV
Read 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)

About

WPBS App

Stream your favorite PBS and WPBS programs, including news and documentaries, on your iPhone or iPad. Access live TV schedules, educational resources, and PBS KIDS content. Enjoy DVR-like controls and parental features.

Highlights
  • Watch full episodes of PBS programs
  • Explore TV schedules and set reminders
  • Watch live PBS KIDS stream
  • Access educational resources
  • DVR-like controls
  • Parental controls
Features
Read full description

And as always, we continue to bring you PBS News Hour and Frontline that are made for times such as this, when factual, truthful, and insightful coverage from a trusted media source is of the utmost importance. And it is your support that makes it possible for us to bring them to people all across Eastern Ontario and Northern New York. Get your favorite WPBS and PBS programming streamed right to your iPhone/iPad – whenever and wherever you roam! The WPBS app lets you: - Watch full episodes of your favorite PBS programs, such as Masterpiece, Nature, NOVA, Antiques Roadshow, Great Performances, FRONTLINE, PBS NewsHour and more - Explore full TV schedules for WPBS, Create, WORLD Channel and WPBS PBS KIDS channels; set reminder notifications so you’ll never miss your favorite programs - Watch the WPBS PBS KIDS live stream and access other great PBS KIDS videos and games - Education resources at your fingertips Additional features: - DVR-like controls - Parental controls - Quick access to related social media channels, local events calendars and other news and updates from WPBS Please support what you love — become a member of WPBS today! WPBSTV.org

Screenshots

Thirteen Explore4 screens
WPBS App4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Thirteen Explore at 4.8 against WPBS App's 3.0. Thirteen Explore also leads on review sentiment (70% vs 43%) and ratings volume (5.8K vs 2). WPBS App's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and monetization model (free vs ad-supported). On price, update cadence, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Thirteen Explore holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Thirteen Explore has 5.8K 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 43% of WPBS App's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Thirteen Explore ships an update every 5 months, WPBS App every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on September 28, 2026 and September 20, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Thirteen Explore versus WPBS App: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThirteen ExploreWPBS App
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (5.8K ratings) — better3.0 (2 ratings)
Positive reviews70.4% of reviews — better42.9% of reviews
Number of ratings5.8K — better2
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 4 months — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationAd-supportedFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.014.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size21 MB43 MB
Age rating12+17+
DeveloperThirteen/WNETST LAWRENCE VALLEY EDUCATIONAL TELEVISION COUNCIL INC

Customer experience

Thirteen Explore

All ratings5,771 ratings
Positive96.1%
Neutral1.6%
Negative2.3%
Written reviews81 reviews
Positive70.4%
Neutral8.6%
Negative21.0%

WPBS App

All ratings2 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews7 reviews
Positive42.9%
Neutral14.3%
Negative42.9%

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

WPBS App

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Thirteen Explore

No in-app purchases

None

WPBS App

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Thirteen Explore free?
Thirteen Explore is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is WPBS App free?
WPBS App is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Thirteen Explore or WPBS App?
Thirteen Explore is rated higher. Thirteen Explore averages 4.8 out of 5 from 5.8K ratings, while WPBS App averages 3.0 from 2 ratings.
Do Thirteen Explore or WPBS App have ads?
Thirteen Explore shows ads; WPBS App does not.
Which is updated more often, Thirteen Explore or WPBS App?
Thirteen Explore ships an update every 5 months, and WPBS App every 4 months. Most recently, Thirteen Explore was updated on September 28, 2026 and WPBS App on September 20, 2026.

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