Zooniverse vs Nature's Notebook
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Zooniverse
Participate in real scientific research by classifying data for projects across various disciplines. Contribute to discoveries and datasets that advance knowledge, all from your mobile device. This platform connects volunteers with professional researchers for impactful citizen science.
- People-powered research platform
- Volunteer opportunities
- Access to mobile-friendly projects
- Push notification updates
- View publications
- Contribute to scientific discoveries
Read full descriptionHide full description
The Zooniverse is the world’s largest and most popular platform for people-powered research. This research is made possible by volunteers—hundreds of thousands of people around the world who come together to assist professional researchers. Our goal is to enable research that would not be possible, or practical, otherwise. Zooniverse research results in new discoveries, datasets useful to the wider research community, and many publications. The Zooniverse Mobile App provides push notification updates about our projects, as well as access to our most mobile-friendly projects and publications.
Nature's Notebook
Record observations of plant and animal life cycles, such as flowering and migration. Mark observation sites, create species lists, and log seasonal changes in nature.
- Record plant and animal life cycle events
- Mark observation sites
- Create species lists
- Log seasonal observations
- Citizen science program
Read full descriptionHide full description
Nature's Notebook is a program for observing and recording plant and animal life cycle events, like flowering and bird migration. Use this app to mark your sites, create a list of plants and animals, and going into the field to record observations throughout the seasons. Find out more at www.usanpn.org/nn/guidelines.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Zooniverse at 3.7 against Nature's Notebook's 3.1. Zooniverse also leads on review sentiment (59% vs 40%). Nature's Notebook's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.1). On price, ratings volume, 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Zooniverse holds the better App Store score, 3.7 against 3.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 37 and 26 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 59% of Zooniverse's written reviews are positive against 40% of Nature's Notebook's.
Zooniverse ships an update every 2 months, Nature's Notebook every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 14, 2026 and July 7, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Zooniverse | Nature's Notebook |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.7 (37 ratings) — better | 3.1 (26 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 58.8% of reviews — better | 40.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 37 — better | 26 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | 12.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 50 MB | 47 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Zooniverse | National Phenology Network |
Customer experience
Zooniverse
Nature's Notebook
In-app purchases
Zooniverse
No in-app purchases
Nature's Notebook
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Zooniverse free?
Is Nature's Notebook free?
Which has better reviews, Zooniverse or Nature's Notebook?
Do Zooniverse or Nature's Notebook have ads?
Which is updated more often, Zooniverse or Nature's Notebook?
Other comparisons
