# Dolphin Count vs Monarch Watch

The clearest difference is update cadence: Monarch Watch at monthly against Dolphin Count's every 10 months. Monarch Watch also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.5) and ratings volume (7 vs 2). Dolphin Count's advantage is iOS requirement (10.0 vs 15.6). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Monarch Watch holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 7 respectively.

Dolphin Count ships an update every 10 months, Monarch Watch monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 29, 2026 and October 23, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Dolphin Count | Monarch Watch |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dolphin-count/id1458899127/reviews) | **[4.7 (7 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/monarch-watch/id1622788215/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 2 | **7** |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 10 months | **Monthly** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 90 MB | 86 MB |
| Requires iOS | **10.0** | 15.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Lowcountry Marine Mammal Network](https://appshunter.io/developer/1458899126) | [The University of Kansas](https://appshunter.io/developer/726307325) |

## What reviewers say

### Dolphin Count

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dolphin-count/id1458899127)

Contribute to marine mammal research by collecting real-time data on local dolphins. This free, family-friendly application requires no prior experience and helps expand scientific coverage areas. It aims to raise awareness about local dolphin populations.

**Highlights:** Citizen science data collection, Marine mammal research support, Local dolphin tracking, Awareness raising, Family-friendly

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Monarch Watch

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/monarch-watch/id1622788215)

Contribute to citizen science by tracking monarch butterflies. Log tagging, recovery, and calendar data with automatic image capture and field data import. Save data offline for later submission.

**Highlights:** Monarch tagging data submission, Recovery and calendar data logging, Automatic tag image capture, Streamlined data entry, Offline data saving, Educational materials

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Dolphin Count free?

Dolphin Count is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Monarch Watch free?

Monarch Watch is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Dolphin Count or Monarch Watch?

Monarch Watch is rated higher. Dolphin Count averages 4.5 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while Monarch Watch averages 4.7 from 7 ratings.

### Do Dolphin Count or Monarch Watch have ads?

Neither Dolphin Count nor Monarch Watch shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Dolphin Count or Monarch Watch?

Dolphin Count ships an update every 10 months, and Monarch Watch monthly. Most recently, Dolphin Count was updated on September 29, 2026 and Monarch Watch on October 23, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*