NaturaList vs SW Maps
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
NaturaList
Easily record nature sightings with detailed information and precise GPS locations. Contribute to conservation efforts and science by sharing your observations with a global network of partner databases. View recent sightings in your area and discover rare species.
- Record sightings with GPS
- Contribute to nature conservation
- View recent sightings nearby
- Add photos to sightings
- Multilingual interface
- Supports many taxonomic groups
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NaturaList allows you to record your sightings easily and for free, directly in the field or later on. You can include all details you would record in your notebook – for your personal archives but also to contribute to nature conservation and science. No more time wasted copying your data once you get home, no observations forgotten, no uncertain locations: your sightings are located precisely thanks to maps and GPS. NaturaList is also easy to use with only one hand. Your data are securely stored in the portal https://data.biolovision.net, where you will always have access to your own data, and are then shared with a steadily increasing number of partner databases operated by nature conservation organizations around the world ( (e.g. https://www.ornitho.ch, https://www.ornitho.it, https://www.ornitho.de, https://www.faune-france.org, https://www.ornitho.at, https://www.ornitho.cat, https://www.fauna.hr, https://www.ornitho.pl, https://www.orchisauvage.fr, https://www.ornitho.eus, https://www.faune-guyane.org. Complete and up to date list available in the app or the web portal). Our partner https://www.ornitho.cat was awarded ”Best Citizen Science Award” in 2015 and the Catalan environment award “El Premi Medi Ambient de la Generalitat” in 2017. About 280'000 users, including many specialists of various taxonomic groups, already rely on our systems on several platforms, particularly in Europe. Additionally, you can also see what other users have recorded around you - common species or rarities. A small support fee is asked for this feature, to allow maintenance and additional development for this app. Your help is very welcome. Thanks. -Easy to use and ergonomic interface, optimized for field conditions. -Lots of taxonomic groups, including birds, mammals, butterflies, dragonflies, amphibians, reptiles, orchids and more. -Lots of map layers available, including national map depending of on country. -Add photos to your sightings. -Record public or private comments. -See the recent sightings in your immediate vicinity and rarities in the greater area. -Personalize language and sorting of species names. -Predefined species lists according to your geographical area or local database partner. -Personalize the GPS mode to save battery. -Multilingual interface (English, German, Italian, French, Spanish, Catalan, Basque, Polish, Croatian and Serbian). -The only app you need to record all of your naturalist sightings throughout Europe and the world. -NaturaList is recommended by the EBCC (European Bird Census Council) for use in connection with the EBBA2 (European Breeding Bird Atlas 2) project and by renowned institutes such as SOI, DDA, ICO, LIPU, OTOP, LPO, SFO, CSCF, ARANZADI Society of Sciences (complete list and links available on https://data.biolovision.net/). - NaturaList is an official partner of the Euro Bird Portal (EBP http://www.eurobirdportal.org/ebp/en/ ) This app was developed by Biolovision Sàrl with the financial support of the Swiss organizations ALA, Nos Oiseaux, Ficedula and the Swiss Ornithological Institute.
SW Maps
This app allows users to collect, present, and share geographic information. It supports recording points, lines, polygons, and associated data like photos and audio. High-accuracy GPS surveys are possible with external receivers, and data can be shared in various standard formats.
- Collect points, lines, and polygons
- Attach custom attributes (text, photo, audio, video)
- High-accuracy GPS surveys with external receivers
- Offline map support
- Export data in multiple formats (Shapefile, GeoPackage, CSV)
- Create and share project templates
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SW Maps is a free GIS and mobile mapping app for collecting, presenting and sharing geographic information. Whether you are conducting a full scale GNSS survey with high precision instruments, need to collect large amount of location based data using nothing but your phone, or just need to view a few shapefiles with labels over a background map on the go, SW Maps has it all covered. Record points, lines, polygons and even photos and have them displayed over your choice of background map, and attach custom attribute data to any feature. Attribute types include text, numbers, an option from a predefined set of choices, photos, audio clips and videos. Conduct high accuracy GPS surveys using external RTK capable receivers over Bluetooth LE. Draw features on the map by adding markers, and measure distance and area. Reuse the layers and attributes of a previous project for another survey, or create templates and share them with other users. Share the collected data with other users as Geopackages, KMZ or shapefiles, or export them to your device storage. Also share and export recorded data as Spreadsheets or CSV files. All data is recorded and exported in the standard WGS84 Geographic coordinate system (EPSG:4326). Features -Online Base maps: Apple Maps or Open Street Map -Support for multiple mbtiles and KML overlays -Shapefile and Geopackage layers, with attribute categorized styling. View shapefiles in any coordinate system supported by the PROJ.4 library. -Add multiple online WMTS, TMS, XYZ or WMS layers and cache tiles for offline use. -Connect to external GPS receivers using Bluetooth for high accuracy surveying using RTK with built-in NTRIP client. Also record data from external receiver for post processing. -Define multiple number of feature layers, each with a set of custom attributes Feature Types: Point, Line, Polygon Attribute Types:Text, Numeric, Drop down Options, Photos, Audio, Video Save as Template for re-use or sharing -Record GPS tracks, with distance measurement -Label features based on attribute values. -Import feature layers from templates or existing projects. -Share or export collected data as KMZ (with embedded photographs) , shapefiles, GeoJSON, Geopackage (GPKG), XLS/ODS spreadsheets or csv files. -Share templates or projects with other users -Supports use of GTX geoid files. To use custom geoids, prepare a GTX file with offsets in meters from WGS84. This product is made in Nepal and is FREE (no Ads). If you find this useful, please let your friends know that you have used a product from Nepal. Spare sometime to visit this wonderful country and know the Nepali people.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: SW Maps at none against NaturaList's 3. NaturaList's advantage is iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and ads 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. NaturaList sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.49 per year. SW Maps asks for nothing beyond the download.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 10, 2026 and October 23, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | NaturaList | SW Maps |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | 3.8 (25 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 31.9% of reviews — better | 30.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | — | 25 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 39 MB | 17 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Biolovision Sàrl | Aviyaan Tech |
Customer experience
NaturaList
SW Maps
In-app purchases
NaturaList
- Basic subscription7 Days trial$2.491 Year
- Follower subscription7 Days trial$4.491 Year
- Big fan subscription7 Days trial$9.491 Year
SW Maps
No in-app purchases









