Nature's Notebook vs Monarch Watch
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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
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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.
Monarch Watch
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.
- Monarch tagging data submission
- Recovery and calendar data logging
- Automatic tag image capture
- Streamlined data entry
- Offline data saving
- Educational materials
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Participate in Monarch Watch community science projects and submit your monarch tagging, recovery and calendar data! Capture images of tags and automatically import codes for streamlined data entry. Easily import location, date, weather and other information then instantly submit data in the field. If no network connection is available, data may be saved and submitted later. All data from tagging, recovery, and calendar projects are saved on your device, giving you a record of what you have submitted. Detailed tagging instruction is provided as well as other educational materials and activities.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Monarch Watch at 100% against Nature's Notebook's 40%. Monarch Watch also leads on rating (4.7 vs 3.1). Nature's Notebook's advantage is ratings volume (26 vs 7) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.6). On price, update cadence, 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.
Monarch Watch holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 26 and 7 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 40% of Nature's Notebook's written reviews are positive against 100% of Monarch Watch's.
Nature's Notebook ships an update every 3 weeks, Monarch Watch monthly. The most recent releases landed on July 7, 2026 and September 18, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Nature's Notebook | Monarch Watch |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.1 (26 ratings) | 4.7 (7 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 40.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 26 — better | 7 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks — better | Monthly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 15.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 47 MB | 86 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | National Phenology Network | The University of Kansas |
Customer experience
Nature's Notebook
Monarch Watch
In-app purchases
Nature's Notebook
No in-app purchases
Monarch Watch
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Nature's Notebook free?
Is Monarch Watch free?
Which has better reviews, Nature's Notebook or Monarch Watch?
Do Nature's Notebook or Monarch Watch have ads?
Which is updated more often, Nature's Notebook or Monarch Watch?
Other comparisons
