Comparison

Raptor ID vs eBird Alert!

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

eBird Alert!

Discover rare bird sightings in your vicinity using data from a global bird record database. Customize your search by distance, recency, and location, and access identification details and photos to aid in spotting. Easily open sighting locations in your preferred map application.

Highlights
  • View rare and local bird sightings
  • Customize sighting proximity and recency
  • Select specific nearby counties
  • Open sighting locations in maps
  • Access identification details and photos
  • Add sightings to eBird checklists
Features
Read full description

eBird Alert! shows rare bird sightings in your area, found from the checklists your fellow birders have submitted to eBird -- a global online database of bird records used by hundreds of thousands of birders around the world. Features - Select how nearby and how recent the sightings can be. - Select which nearby county in which to find birds. - See rarities or all local birds. - Open a sighting location in Apple or Google Maps. - See all sighting comments for a particular location. - Get identification details and photos to help you spot the bird,. - If you spot it, add it to your checklist in the eBird app. Privacy - eBird Alert! requires your location to find nearby birds. It will never upload your location, or any other data, to any server.

Screenshots

Raptor ID4 screens
eBird Alert!4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: eBird Alert! at none against Raptor ID's shown. eBird Alert! also leads on update cadence (monthly vs every 5 months) and rating (4.8 vs 4.5). Raptor ID's advantage is ratings volume (50 vs 8) and iOS requirement (16.0 vs 18.2). 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

eBird Alert! holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Raptor ID has 50 ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 84% of Raptor ID's written reviews are positive against 100% of eBird Alert!'s.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Raptor ID ships an update every 5 months, eBird Alert! monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Raptor ID versus eBird Alert!: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRaptor IDeBird Alert!
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (50 ratings)4.8 (8 ratings) — better
Positive reviews83.9% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings50 — better8
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsMonthly — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationAd-supportedFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.0 — better18.2
Further details — not scored
Size766 MB12 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperHawkWatch InternationalColin Rafferty

Customer experience

Raptor ID

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

eBird Alert!

All ratings8 ratings
Positive87.5%
Neutral12.5%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Raptor ID

No in-app purchases

None

eBird Alert!

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Raptor ID free?
Raptor ID is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is eBird Alert! free?
eBird Alert! is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Raptor ID or eBird Alert!?
eBird Alert! is rated higher. Raptor ID averages 4.5 out of 5 from 50 ratings, while eBird Alert! averages 4.8 from 8 ratings.
Do Raptor ID or eBird Alert! have ads?
Raptor ID shows ads; eBird Alert! does not.
Which is updated more often, Raptor ID or eBird Alert!?
Raptor ID ships an update every 5 months, and eBird Alert! monthly. Most recently, Raptor ID was updated on October 21, 2026 and eBird Alert! on October 25, 2026.

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