BOS vs Birdie+
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
BOS
Report non-emergency neighborhood issues in Boston, such as potholes and graffiti. Track the status of your reports and view active issues on a city map. This app helps residents improve their communities by streamlining communication with city services.
- Report neighborhood issues
- Track report status
- View active reports on map
- Submit non-emergency requests
- Community improvement tool
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BOS:311 enables Boston's residents to improve their neighborhoods by reporting non-emergency issues in their communities, like potholes and graffiti. Reports are automatically fed into the City of Boston’s work order system to track and assign them to City staff. Through the app, you can follow the status of your request, as well as the statuses of other reports in the City. There’s even a map to get an easy overview of active reports in Boston.
Birdie+
This personal safety alarm app connects to a dedicated device to provide quick access to emergency support. It offers features like on-call check-ins, excuse-to-leave calls, location sharing, and a loud siren for immediate assistance.
- 24/7 On-call representative check-ins
- Excuse-to-leave call feature
- Location sharing with designated friends
- Loud siren activation
- Bluetooth device connectivity
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We envision a world where women are safe. Birdie+ is a modern personal safety alarm made for women, by women. Welcome to our completely rebuilt, brand-new 2024 app. Your Birdie+ device connects seamlessly with this app to empower you in your daily activities—whether you're walking the dog, going for a run, crossing campus, or leaving work at night. If something doesn’t feel right, trust your instincts and use Birdie+ to quickly reach out for support. We have thoughtfully incorporated the valuable feedback and reviews from our users to make this version even better. Thank you to everyone who helped us enhance the product! Safety features include: • ON-CALL-REP (24/7) Push the button 2x. We call to check-in and can stay on the phone until you reach your destination or send first responders if needed. • EXCUSE-TO-LEAVE CALL Push the button 1x to initiate a pre-recorded call giving you a tactful way out of an uncomfortable situation. • LOCATION SHARING Push and hold the button for 3 seconds to send your location to your designated friends. • LOUD SIREN Pull the top pin to activate the loud siren and bring all eyes on you. OUR SOCIAL MISSION She’s Birdie is excited to give 5% to our partner organizations that passionately support women’s safety, shelter, and health. Please visit our website to learn more. Visit www.shesbirdie.com to shop our personal safety alarms. *The App uses the background connection to a birdie+ device via Bluetooth so that when the user activates the device, the app sends an alert together with the user's location to our 24/7 reps (provided by Noonlight https://www.noonlight.com). Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: BOS at none against Birdie+'s 3. BOS also leads on review sentiment (36% vs 16%) and rating (2.6 vs 2.4). Birdie+'s advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 4 months). On price, ratings volume, ads and device support 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. Birdie+ sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. BOS asks for nothing beyond the download.
BOS holds the better App Store score, 2.6 against 2.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 80 and 39 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 36% of BOS's written reviews are positive against 16% of Birdie+'s.
BOS ships an update every 4 months, Birdie+ every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | BOS | Birdie+ |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.6 (80 ratings) — better | 2.4 (39 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 36.2% of reviews — better | 16.1% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 80 — better | 39 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.4 | 13.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 26 MB | 92 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | City of Boston | Birdie Love LLC |
Customer experience
BOS
Birdie+
Bugs and requests
BOS
Reported bugs
20 issues- Reports opened for months with no action
- App doesn't do its job or city departments don't
- Reports go unanswered for months
- App doesn't recognize certain areas
- New version is slower and less effective
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- Map feature is broken or unreliable
- Cases never close or are not resolved
- App is clunky and difficult to use
- App crashes upon opening
- App stops working after iOS updates
- App shows 'updates failed'
- App button for creating new requests not working
- App opens multiple reports at once
- Clicking on map pins opens an unclosable banner
- App stops showing correct trash pickup days
- App is broken when trying to attach a picture
- App is broken after new update
- Impossible to create a new report for months
- Server registration fails
- App crashes on older iOS versions
Requested features
13 requests- Allow users to comment on or corroborate reports
- Add ability to delete a report
- Add feature to report speeding
- Make 'recent reports' tab accessible for voiceover users
- Add more categories for reporting (e.g., cyclists, bike lanes)
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- Increase app awareness through ads, especially in underserved communities
- Improve filtering options for reports on the map
- Allow users to see if an issue has already been reported
- Revert to previous app version
- Fix bugs and add new features instead of completely changing everything
- Add dark mode option
- Improve map accuracy for address location
- Add option to report crimes (currently only for non-crimes)
Birdie+
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
BOS
No in-app purchases
Birdie+
- Birdie+ monthly1 Month trial$4.991 Month
- Birdie+ annual1 Month trial$49.991 Year
- Birdie+ annual + 3 Month Trial3 Months trial$49.991 Year
