Comparison

Seaweed Sorter vs SayOrca

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Identify 130 macroalgae species
  • Illustrated, jargon-free questions
  • Over 300 photos
  • Taxonomic and ecological details
  • Offline content access
  • Frequent content updates
Features
Read 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 Books can be quickly out-of-date, but Seaweed Sorter content will be updated frequently with taxonomic revisions, additional photos, new species, and more.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!

About

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.

Highlights
  • Classify orca matrilines by sound
  • Learn distinct orca vocalizations
  • Test skills with live hydrophone recordings
  • Discover acoustic signatures of orca families
  • Educational reference app
Features
Read 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

Seaweed Sorter4 screens
SayOrca4 screens

Verdict

The call

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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

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.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Seaweed Sorter versus SayOrca: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSeaweed SorterSayOrca
Price$3.99Free — better
Rating5.0 (7 ratings)5.0 (21 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better94.1% of reviews
Number of ratings721 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.613.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size167 MB56 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPatrick MartonePacific Orca Society

Customer experience

Seaweed Sorter

All ratings7 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

SayOrca

All ratings21 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews17 reviews
Positive94.1%
Neutral0.0%
Negative5.9%

In-app purchases

None

Seaweed Sorter

No in-app purchases

None

SayOrca

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Seaweed Sorter free?
Seaweed Sorter costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is SayOrca free?
SayOrca is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Seaweed Sorter or SayOrca?
Seaweed Sorter and SayOrca are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 7 and 21 ratings respectively.
Do Seaweed Sorter or SayOrca have ads?
Neither Seaweed Sorter nor SayOrca shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Seaweed Sorter or SayOrca?
Seaweed Sorter ships an update every 3 months, and SayOrca every 4 days. Most recently, Seaweed Sorter was updated on September 17, 2026 and SayOrca on August 24, 2026.

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