Rain Bird vs PerchLens
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Rain Bird
Control your sprinklers remotely from your mobile device. Automate watering schedules and adjust for weather conditions to conserve water and reduce costs. Compatible with various Rain Bird controller models.
- Remote sprinkler control
- Customizable watering schedules
- Automated weather adjustments
- Water and money saving
- Controller model compatibility
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Smart Watering Made Simple. Connect your Rain Bird controller to your mobile device to turn on sprinklers, set up customized watering schedules, and automate weather adjustments, saving you water and money. Compatible with the following Rain Bird controller models: ST8-WIFI ESP-TM2 ESP-RZXe ESP-Me ESP-ME3 RC2 ARC8 For more information: http://wifi.rainbird.com 1-800-RAINBIRD
PerchLens
This app enhances bird watching by integrating camera technology with bird feeders to capture images of visiting birds. It offers enthusiasts an innovative way to observe and engage with local wildlife.
- Camera-enabled bird feeder
- Captures images of visiting birds
- Innovative nature engagement
- High-tech bird watching
- Feathered friends observation
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PerchLens leads the way in bird watching innovation. By merging cutting-edge camera tech with classic bird feeders, it captures visiting birds, granting enthusiasts an exclusive peek into our feathered friends' world! It's a complete game-changer in our nature engagement!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Rain Bird at 4.7 against PerchLens's 1.9. Rain Bird also leads on ratings volume (79K vs 339) and review sentiment (31% vs 12%). PerchLens's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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.
Rain Bird holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 1.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Rain Bird has 79K ratings behind it against 339, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 31% of Rain Bird's written reviews are positive against 12% of PerchLens's.
Rain Bird ships an update every 2 months, PerchLens every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and November 4, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Rain Bird | PerchLens |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (79K ratings) — better | 1.9 (339 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 31.2% of reviews — better | 12.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 79K — better | 339 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | 12.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 48 MB | 201 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Rain Bird Corporation | POCKET INC |
Customer experience
Rain Bird
PerchLens
User reviews
Rain Bird
From 79K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Easy to program
- 🚀 Convenient remote control
- 👍 Versatile
- 👍 Must have
- 👍 Ease of mind
Room to improve
- 🐛 Connectivity issues
- 🐛 Slow and clunky app
- 🐛 Date/time not updating
- 🐛 Unreliable system
- 🐛 Limited functionality
PerchLens
From 339 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Easy to use
- 👍 Works well
- 🚀 Feeder works perfectly
- 👍 Accurate AI recognizer
Room to improve
- 🐛 Motion detection too sensitive
- 🐛 Difficult to set up
- 🐛 Unreliable connection
- 🐛 Inaccurate AI bird identification
- 🐛 Camera quality issues
Bugs and requests
Rain Bird
Reported bugs
5 issues- Constant connection errors
- App crashes frequently
- Date/time not syncing correctly
- Seasonal adjustment not working as expected
- Manual controls not functioning properly
Requested features
6 requests- Add water usage history and analytics
- Allow pausing of individual zones
- Improve manual control options
- Add weather integration and smart scheduling
- Improve notification system
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- Add ability to turn off entire system remotely
PerchLens
Reported bugs
4 issues- Inconsistent video recording and storage
- Inability to connect to Wi-Fi
- Login and account issues
- Compatibility problems with newer OS versions
Requested features
5 requests- Option to turn off AI bird identification
- Improved squirrel deterrent features
- Ability to share videos and photos
- Compatibility with smart home platforms
- Better battery life management
In-app purchases
Rain Bird
No in-app purchases
PerchLens
No in-app purchases
