# Raptor ID vs Odonata Central

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.

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

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | Raptor ID | Odonata Central |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (50 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/raptor-id/id1033944000/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/odonata-central/id1561634667/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **50** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 83.9% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | **Every 2 months** |
| Monetization | Ad-supported | **Free** |
| Size | 766 MB | 23 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **11.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [HawkWatch International](https://appshunter.io/developer/1033943999) | [Birds In The Hand, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/323029383) |

## What reviewers say

### Raptor ID

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/raptor-id/id1033944000)

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:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Odonata Central

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/odonata-central/id1561634667)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked 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.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*