Manta Ray Tracker vs SayOrca
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Manta Ray Tracker
Discover and track individual manta rays in Kona, Hawaii. View photos, descriptions, and sighting history for over 300 cataloged rays. Contribute your own sightings to aid in research and conservation efforts.
- Catalog of over 300 identified manta rays
- View photos and descriptions of individual rays
- Track recent sightings and dive locations
- Contribute your own manta ray photos and sightings
- Offline sighting creation
- GPS and map integration for sighting location
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Meet the Manta Rays of Kona, Hawaii! Since 1991, the Kona Manta Rays have been photographed and identified using their unique spot pattern on their ventral (abdominal) side. The first Kona Manta Ray ever identfied was Lefty, and there are now more than 300 unique rays catalogued. Download the Manta Ray Tracker App from the iOS App Store, and get to know them! With this App, you'll be able to: - Download the full list of identified Manta Rays as well as Refresh the list by only downloading the recently added ones - View Photos and Descriptions of each ray as well as view the recent sightings of each individual - Lookup sighting information from each one of the regular night dive locations, as well as lookup when the "most" and "least" mantas were seen at these sites - Lookup the Mantas by the individuals seen the most, and lookup the Users who have contributed the most sightings Please contribute your own manta photos to our sighting database! If you can't identify it, we will help you figure it out if it's an acceptable photo. If you submit a photo of an unknown manta, you can name it and we will add it to the ID catalog. We also want to accumulate as many photos of each individual as we can with the idea that eventually we may be able to automatically recognize an individual from their photo. Many Kona Manta Ray guides contribute their sighting information into the database, but we are always looking for more data. Ask your guide to submit their sighting information, or take some ID photos yourself and send those in. Whether the individual mantas are already identified, or you just have a total number seen, we want your reports. You can create a location for your sighting anywhere along the Kona Coast. You can use the built-in GPS on your iOS device, you can use the built-in map to mark the location, or you can manually type in the GPS coordinates. You don't need an internet connection to create a sighting. You can create as many sightings as you want entering the specific information for each one, continue to fill out the information as needed, and then submit reports to us once you are back in internet range. Contribute to our Research! Crowd Sourcing Data Collection and Citizen Science contributions allow for a larger collection of data than is possible with a limited number of researchers. Help us create awareness of the plight of Manta Rays worldwide by studying our local Kona Manta Ray population. Help us with Research, Education, and Conservation of Manta Rays!
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
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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 rating: SayOrca at 5.0 against Manta Ray Tracker's 4.4. SayOrca also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs every 3 months) and review sentiment (94% vs 75%). 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.
SayOrca holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 5 and 21 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 75% of Manta Ray Tracker's written reviews are positive against 94% of SayOrca's.
Manta Ray Tracker ships an update every 3 months, SayOrca every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on August 14, 2026 and August 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Manta Ray Tracker | SayOrca |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.4 (5 ratings) | 5.0 (21 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 75.0% of reviews | 94.1% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 5 | 21 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 4 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 16.6 | 13.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 76 MB | 56 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Janice McLaughlin | Pacific Orca Society |
Customer experience
Manta Ray Tracker
SayOrca
In-app purchases
Manta Ray Tracker
No in-app purchases
SayOrca
No in-app purchases






