# Monarch Watch vs MonarchPatch

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Monarch Watch at none against MonarchPatch's 4. Monarch Watch also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (monthly vs every 8 months). On price and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. MonarchPatch sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Monarch Watch asks for nothing beyond the download.

Monarch Watch ships an update monthly, MonarchPatch every 8 months. The most recent releases landed on September 18, 2026 and September 13, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Monarch Watch | MonarchPatch |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (7 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/monarch-watch/id1622788215/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **7** | — |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Monthly** | Every 8 months |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Size | 86 MB | 48 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.6** | 16.4 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [The University of Kansas](https://appshunter.io/developer/726307325) | [Cetalingua, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1867026326) |

## What reviewers say

### 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


### MonarchPatch

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/monarchpatch/id6757447255)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Supporter Monthly | $0.99 | per month |
| Partner Monthly | $9.99 | per month |
| Supporter Yearly | $9.99 | per year |
| Partner Yearly | $99.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Monarch Watch free?

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

### Is MonarchPatch free?

MonarchPatch is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Do Monarch Watch or MonarchPatch have ads?

MonarchPatch shows ads; Monarch Watch does not.

### Which is updated more often, Monarch Watch or MonarchPatch?

Monarch Watch ships an update monthly, and MonarchPatch every 8 months. Most recently, Monarch Watch was updated on September 18, 2026 and MonarchPatch on September 13, 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.*