Comparison

Collins British Bird Guide vs The Hide Guide

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

Head to head
About

Collins British Bird Guide

Explore British and Irish birds with detailed illustrations, authoritative text, and sound recordings. Search by location, time, or plumage, and record your sightings. An AI-powered identification tool is available via subscription.

Highlights
  • Detailed illustrations
  • Authoritative bird text
  • Sound recordings of songs and calls
  • Powerful search filter
  • Record sightings tool
  • AI-powered species identification (subscription)
Features
Read full description

Collins British Bird Guide takes 264 of the most commonly seen British & Irish bird species from the award-winning Collins Bird Guide and presents them in the same easy-to-use practical format. Search for a species by location, time of year or plumage traits; browse the stunning illustrations by Killian Mullarney and Dan Zetterström; read the authoritative text by Lars Svensson; check distribution against the up-to-date maps taken from Bird Atlas 2007–2011; or listen to any of the hundreds of sound recordings. Praise for the Collins Bird Guide app: ‘It’s much more convenient than taking a big book with you...the Collins app is fantastic.’ – Chris Packham, Metro ‘The Collins Bird Guide app is destined to become a real triumph, the ultimate in field guide apps — and deservedly so.’ – BirdGuides Features include: ‣ Beautiful illustrations by Killian Mullarney and Dan Zetterström ‣ Detailed text covering habitat, range, identification and voice by Lars Svensson ‣ Record sightings, location and date with the listing tool ‣ Powerful search filter ‣ Intuitive design to quickly and easily swipe through species ‣ Curated lists of confusable species ‣ Over 550 carefully selected songs and calls – many by author Lars Svensson ‣ Select species names from 30+ languages ‣ Expertly edited video clips for every species in the app (require in-app purchase) ‣ Weighs nothing! Identify Assist is our brand-new subscription service. Instantly identify species from photos and recordings with cutting-edge AI. The latest version of the app requires iOS 17.0 or later. If you like the app, don’t forget to share the app, rate it and leave a review. Privacy Policy natureguides.com/privacy-policy Terms of Use apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

The Hide Guide

Features
Read full description

The Hide Guide is your essential companion for exploring wildlife reserves across the UK and Ireland. Whether you're a seasoned birder or a curious nature lover, The Hide Guide helps you discover reserves, plan visits, and track your sightings. EXPLORE THE MAP Browse thousands of nature reserves from RSPB, Wildlife Trusts, NatureScot, WWT and more. View boundary layers for National Parks, AONBs, SSSIs, and National Nature Reserves. SIGHTING DATA - ALL IN ONE PLACE! No more switching between apps - we bring together Toggle sighting data from iNaturalist, NBN Atlas, and GBIF to see what's been spotted near you. OBSERVATION LISTS Tap grouped sighting markers to view full observation lists — see every species recorded at a location, with silhouettes, counts, and 12 month Trends for that region. SPECIES DIRECTORY Search over 29,000 species with photos, silhouettes, taxonomy, conservation status, and audio clips. RESERVE DETAILS View reserve information including hides and viewing points, recent sightings with monthly trend charts, wildlife highlights grouped by taxon, location maps, 7-day weather forecasts (Premium), visitor information and nearby accomodation. LIFE LISTS & SIGHTING ALERTS Log your sightings, manage multiple life lists, and set up alerts to be notified when specific species are spotted in your chosen areas. Premium subscribers get daily and per-sighting alert frequencies, plus access to full historical sighting data. OFFLINE MODE (Premium) Download reserve data, species information, silhouettes, map tiles, and audio clips for use without an internet connection — perfect for days out at remote reserves with poor signal. You can also use the Draw An Area function to download sightings for a specific region - perfect if you're going to be offline for a longer trip! FEATURES • Interactive map with sighting markers, reserve pins, and boundary layers • Species search with weighted ranking and photo thumbnails • Audio playback for bird songs • Draw-a-search to filter sightings within a custom area • Home location marker and proximity-based reserve search • Standard, Satellite, and Hybrid map styles • Full offline data package for UK coverage (Premium) • Ad-free experience (Premium) PREMIUM SUBSCRIPTION The Hide Guide offers an optional auto-renewable subscriptions to unlock premium features including full historical sighting data (>3 months), offline downloads, weather forecasts, advanced alert notifications, and an ad-free experience. Share the love with up to 6 Family Members for just £7.99/month. All Yearly Plans offer a discount when compared to paying monthly. • Individual Monthly - £4.99 • Individual Yearly - £49.99 • Family Monthly (up to 6 family members) - £7.99 • Family Yearly (up to 6 family members) - £79.99 Payment will be charged to your Apple ID account at confirmation of purchase. Subscriptions auto-renew unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can manage or cancel your subscription at any time in Settings > Apple ID > Subscriptions. Terms of Use: https://thehide.guide/terms.html Privacy Policy: https://thehide.guide/privacy.html The Hide Guide — Know Before You Go!

Screenshots

Collins British Bird Guide4 screens
The Hide Guide4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: The Hide Guide at Free against Collins British Bird Guide's $7.99. Collins British Bird Guide's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On update cadence, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement 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

The Hide Guide is free to download; Collins British Bird Guide costs $7.99 up front. Collins British Bird Guide sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and The Hide Guide sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Collins British Bird Guide ships an update monthly, The Hide Guide every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Collins British Bird Guide versus The Hide Guide: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCollins British Bird GuideThe Hide Guide
Price$7.99Free — better
Rating4.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews66.7% of reviews—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyMonthly — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size342 MB53 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNatureGuides Ltd.The Hide Guide

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Collins British Bird Guide

Subscriptions2
  • Identify Assist - monthly$1.991 Month
  • Identify Assist - yearly14 Days trial$12.991 Year
One-time2
  • Third edition$0.49
  • Video Library$4.99
4 purchases

The Hide Guide

Subscriptions4
  • The Hide Guide$4.991 Month
  • The Hide Guide$7.991 Month
  • The Hide Guide$49.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • The Hide Guide$79.991 Year

Questions

Is Collins British Bird Guide free?
Collins British Bird Guide costs $7.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is The Hide Guide free?
The Hide Guide is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Collins British Bird Guide or The Hide Guide have ads?
The Hide Guide shows ads; Collins British Bird Guide does not.
Which is updated more often, Collins British Bird Guide or The Hide Guide?
Collins British Bird Guide ships an update monthly, and The Hide Guide every 2 months. Most recently, Collins British Bird Guide was updated on November 5, 2026 and The Hide Guide on October 31, 2026.

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