Comparison

Raptor ID vs Odonata Central

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

Head to head
About

Raptor ID

This app provides expert-level identification for North America's diurnal raptors. It features nearly 1000 annotated photos and videos to help users identify birds in flight, catering to both beginners and experienced birdwatchers.

Highlights
  • 1000+ annotated photos
  • Identification videos in flight
  • Range maps with eBird links
  • Species vocalizations
  • Expert Q&A forum
Features
Read full description

The first raptor identification app designed for mobile devices; "HawkWatch International's Identification Guide to Raptors" puts expert hawk identification content in the palm of your hand. In this guide to North America's 34 species of diurnal raptors, you'll find nearly 1000 annotated photos, and cutting edge identification video for each species, geared toward helping you identify raptors in flight. If you're just getting started with birding, this app covers the basics; if you're already an expert hawk watcher, this app covers all the variation that can lead to identification confusion, even among the most seasoned birders. • Developed by HawkWatch International in partnership with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology • Comprehensive identification content created by Jerry Liguori and Brian Sullivan • ~1000 annotated photos covering plumage, age/sex, and geographic variation • Cutting edge ID-focused video showing each species in flight, including voice-over ID tips from Jerry Liguori • Range maps with links to interactive seasonal eBird maps • Vocalizations for each species • 'Ask the authors' raptor ID question forum

About

Odonata Central

Record and upload your dragonfly and damselfly sightings to a citizen science project. Create checklists with species, abundance, date, and location, then view your observations on the Odonata Central website. Primarily for users in the Western Hemisphere who can identify local odonates.

Highlights
  • Record odonate sightings
  • Create species checklists
  • Upload observations to website
  • Location-based species suggestions
  • Offline data entry
  • Multi-language support
Features
Read full description

Easily keep track of all your sightings of Dragonflies and Damselflies (odonates) and contribute to citizen science. This app allows you to create checklists of all your odonate sightings on your phone and then upload them to Odonata Central website, including species seen, abundance, date and location. Later you can view these observations on the Odonata Central website, along with those of thousands of other users, as maps and species lists. Odonata Central is a citizen science project that collects user observations of odonates, primarily from the western hemisphere, to contribute to understanding their distribution, biogeography, biodiversity, and identification. This app is for users who are able identify most of the odonates of their region. If you need help identifying Odonates, see our companion app, Dragonfly ID. Features: - Presents a checklist of possible species based on your location. - Supports four languages (English, Spanish, Portuguese and French) and is primarily intended for use in the Western Hemisphere. - Easily toggle between display of English and Scientific names. - Easily assign a location by using the favorite locations you have stored on Odonata Central, use your current phone location or choose a location from a map. - Convenient offline mode that allows you to enter your observations when you do not have a cell phone signal. You create and store your checklists on your phone and add your location later when you have a signal. Note that the app does not accept photos. Those can be added later by editing your checklist on the Odonata Central website. This is a helper app for the Odonata Central website. You must have an Odonata Central account and you can register for one from the app or the website.

Screenshots

Raptor ID4 screens
Odonata Central4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Odonata Central at none against Raptor ID's shown. Odonata Central also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.5) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 5 months). Raptor ID's advantage is ratings volume (50 vs 1). 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

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

Odonata Central holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Raptor ID has 50 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Raptor ID ships an update every 5 months, Odonata Central every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Raptor ID versus Odonata Central: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRaptor IDOdonata Central
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (50 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews83.9% of reviews—
Number of ratings50 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationAd-supportedFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS16.011.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size766 MB23 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperHawkWatch InternationalBirds In The Hand, LLC

Customer experience

Raptor ID

All ratings44 ratings
Positive86.4%
Neutral6.8%
Negative6.8%
Written reviews31 reviews
Positive83.9%
Neutral3.2%
Negative12.9%

Odonata Central

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Raptor ID

No in-app purchases

None

Odonata Central

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Raptor ID free?
Raptor ID is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Odonata Central free?
Odonata Central is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Raptor ID or Odonata Central?
Odonata Central is rated higher. Raptor ID averages 4.5 out of 5 from 50 ratings, while Odonata Central averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Raptor ID or Odonata Central have ads?
Raptor ID shows ads; Odonata Central does not.
Which is updated more often, Raptor ID or Odonata Central?
Raptor ID ships an update every 5 months, and Odonata Central every 2 months. Most recently, Raptor ID was updated on October 21, 2026 and Odonata Central on October 24, 2026.

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