Comparison

Sea Watcher vs CritterQuest

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

Head to head
About

Sea Watcher

Log sightings of marine megafauna like whales, dolphins, and seals across UK and European waters. Identify species, record valuable data, and contribute to scientific understanding of marine life. Review your past sightings and see what others have observed.

Highlights
  • Log marine megafauna sightings
  • Identify whales, dolphins, seals, and more
  • Record sighting location and time
  • Contribute to marine species research
  • View past and recent sightings
  • Learn about marine species
Read full description

Welcome to the Sea Watcher app! Here you can log your sightings of whales, dolphins, seals and other megafauna (basking sharks, ocean sunfish and sea turtles) anywhere in the UK and European waters. Whether walking along the coast path, watching from a clifftop or spotting from a boat, the Sea Watcher app will help you identify what you saw and record all the information that will be useful to help us understand more about all these marine species in the UK and European waters! The information you collect will be used to understand which species are seen where and when, and to highlight changes over time. It is also important to record when you are looking out for marine wildlife but don’t see any. You will be able to revisit your sightings as well as find out what others have seen around the British Isles in the last week, month or year. We hope you enjoy using this app and that it helps you to become a confident and regular Sea Watcher!

About

CritterQuest

Features
Read full description

Discover Wildlife with CritterQuest! Turn every walk, hike, road trip, or backyard visit into a wildlife adventure. CritterQuest helps you explore, record, and learn about animals across the UK, United States, Canada, and Mexico. Track Every Sighting Log species, date, location, and notes in seconds. Build a personal wildlife journal and watch your discoveries grow over time. Explore Nearby Wildlife See what others are spotting near you on an interactive map. Filter by species, date, or area to find the best places for your next outing. Learn as You Explore Browse trusted information for hundreds of species, including: Common and scientific names Reference images Habitats and behaviors Identification tips Conservation status Everything You Need in One App Personal wildlife tracker Complete sightings history Nearby sightings map with filters Detailed species profiles Offline access Clean, nature-inspired design Privacy First Your location is only used to tag your own sightings and is never shared publicly. You can delete your account and data at any time. Download CritterQuest today and start discovering the wildlife around you.

Screenshots

Sea Watcher4 screens
CritterQuest4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: CritterQuest at every 11 days against Sea Watcher's every 6 weeks. Sea Watcher's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.1). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

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

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Sea Watcher ships an update every 6 weeks, CritterQuest every 11 days. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences Β· 6 level
Sea Watcher versus CritterQuest: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSea WatcherCritterQuest
PriceFreeFree
Positive reviews100.0% of reviewsβ€”
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksEvery 11 days β€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeβ€”
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.0 β€” better15.1
Further details β€” not scored
Size124 MB45 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSea Watch Foundation - The Cetacean Monitoring UnitAlice Spink

In-app purchases

None

Sea Watcher

No in-app purchases

None

CritterQuest

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Sea Watcher free?
Sea Watcher is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is CritterQuest free?
CritterQuest is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Sea Watcher or CritterQuest have ads?
Neither Sea Watcher nor CritterQuest shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Sea Watcher or CritterQuest?
Sea Watcher ships an update every 6 weeks, and CritterQuest every 11 days. Most recently, Sea Watcher was updated on November 3, 2026 and CritterQuest on October 30, 2026.

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