Seaweed Sorter vs SayOrca
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Seaweed Sorter
Identify 130 species of macroalgae from the Pacific Northwest with illustrated, jargon-free questions. Features over 300 photos, taxonomic details, and descriptions. Content is updated frequently and available offline.
- Identify 130 macroalgae species
- Illustrated, jargon-free questions
- Over 300 photos
- Taxonomic and ecological details
- Offline content access
- Frequent content updates
Read full descriptionHide full description
Seaweed Sorter helps users identify 130 species of macroalgae commonly found along the west coast of British Columbia, Canada, including many species that extend from Alaska down to Washington, Oregon, and northern California. Unlike printed dichotomous keys, which use jargon and often require specialized knowledge, Seaweed Sorter uses easy-to-understand, illustrated questions that assume no prior knowledge and allows users to skip questions at any time. Seaweed Sorter includes more than 300 photos, current and former names, taxonomic details, clear morphological and ecological descriptions, and lists of other seaweeds that “could be confused with” your specimen – all curated by Dr. Patrick Martone (Professor of Phycology, UBC). Books can be quickly out-of-date, but Seaweed Sorter content will be updated frequently with taxonomic revisions, additional photos, new species, and more. Plus, content is available anytime and doesn’t require an internet connection, making Seaweed Sorter an excellent companion on any trip to the coast. Great for educators, students, consultants, and naturalists!
SayOrca
Learn to identify different orca families by their unique vocalizations. This app allows you to classify orca matrilines based on their distinct sounds, with the ability to test your skills with live recordings during the summer months. Discover the acoustic signatures of over 300 orcas from British Columbia.
- Classify orca matrilines by sound
- Learn distinct orca vocalizations
- Test skills with live hydrophone recordings
- Discover acoustic signatures of orca families
- Educational reference app
Read full descriptionHide full description
Ever wanted to speak like an orca? For over 50 years, OrcaLab has been listening to the unique and beautiful calls of the Northern Resident Orca community who inhabit the waters of British Columbia, Canada. There are over 300 orcas in this community, and each family has its own distinct sound. In this app, you'll learn how to classify different orca families - called 'matrilines' based entirely on their sound. Each matriline has a repertoire of around 10-15 discreet calls which forms their acoustic signature, and with enough practice you'll be able to recognize different orcas just by listening! From July through September you can test your skills by listening live to our hydrophones, as the Northern Resident Orcas visit their summer home. Head to our website to learn more. This reference app was made by the non-profit whale research station, OrcaLab. All recordings are the property of the Pacific Orca Society and may not be shared, distributed or copied without permission. For licensing inquiries please contact OrcaLab directly via their website.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: SayOrca at Free against Seaweed Sorter's $3.99. SayOrca also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs every 3 months) and ratings volume (21 vs 7). On rating, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases 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
SayOrca is free to download; Seaweed Sorter costs $3.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Seaweed Sorter against 5.0 for SayOrca. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 7 and 21 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 100% of Seaweed Sorter's written reviews are positive against 94% of SayOrca's.
Seaweed Sorter ships an update every 3 months, SayOrca every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on September 17, 2026 and August 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Seaweed Sorter | SayOrca |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $3.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 5.0 (7 ratings) | 5.0 (21 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better | 94.1% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 7 | 21 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 4 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 13.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 167 MB | 56 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Patrick Martone | Pacific Orca Society |
Customer experience
Seaweed Sorter
SayOrca
In-app purchases
Seaweed Sorter
No in-app purchases
SayOrca
No in-app purchases








