# BirdNET vs BatLib

The clearest difference is update cadence: BirdNET at every 3 months against BatLib's every 26 months. BirdNET also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

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

BirdNET ships an update every 3 months, BatLib every 26 months. The most recent releases landed on September 28, 2026 and September 10, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | BirdNET | BatLib |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.0 (212 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/birdnet/id1541842885/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **212** | — |
| Positive reviews | 66.6% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 months** | Every 26 months |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Size | 98 MB | 38 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Stefan Kahl](https://appshunter.io/developer/1541842887) | [Elekon AG](https://appshunter.io/developer/1591447845) |

## What reviewers say

### BirdNET

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/birdnet/id1541842885)

Identify bird species by their sounds using AI. Record audio with your device and discover the birds around you. Contribute to conservation research by submitting your recordings.

**Highlights:** AI-powered bird sound recognition, Identify common North American and European species, Record audio with internal microphone, View probable bird species identification, Contribute to conservation research, Learn about local birds

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 💚 Excellent bird identification accuracy
- 👍 Simple and intuitive interface
- 🔍 Helpful links to Wikipedia and other resources
- 🎉 Enjoyable and educational for bird enthusiasts
- 🗺️ Leverages location data to improve identification

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 App crashes or freezes on some devices
- 🔍 Struggles to identify multiple birds singing simultaneously
- 🔇 Unable to play back previous recordings in some cases
- 🗺️ Inaccurate or incomplete regional bird data
- 🤔 Questionable identification results in some cases

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes when trying to access observation history
- Recordings disappearing after app updates
- Inability to start a new recording without exiting the app
- Microphone not working on certain devices
- Incorrect or missing bird species in regional databases

**Requested features**

- Ability to manually select frequency ranges for analysis
- Option to delete individual observations or recordings
- Import/export functionality for recordings and observations
- Improved handling of background noise and interference
- More detailed feedback when multiple birds are detected


### BatLib

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/batlib/id6469684050)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is BirdNET free?

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

### Is BatLib free?

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

### Do BirdNET or BatLib have ads?

Neither BirdNET nor BatLib shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, BirdNET or BatLib?

BirdNET ships an update every 3 months, and BatLib every 26 months. Most recently, BirdNET was updated on September 28, 2026 and BatLib on September 10, 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.*