Comparison

Audubon Bird Guide vs COtrip Planner

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

Head to head
About

Audubon Bird Guide

Identify North American birds with this comprehensive field guide. Features include a bird ID tool based on observations, detailed species information with photos and audio, and a personal sightings log. Discover nearby birding locations and connect with conservation efforts.

Highlights
  • Bird identification tool
  • Detailed species profiles
  • Bird song and call audio
  • Sightings log and life list
  • Nearby birding hotspots
  • Photo sharing
Features
Read full description

The Audubon Bird Guide is a free and complete field guide to over 800 species of North American birds, right in your pocket. Built for all experience levels, it will help you identify the birds around you, keep track of the birds you’ve seen, and get outside to find new birds near you. With over 2 million downloads to date, it is one of the best and most trusted field guides for North American birds. KEY FEATURES: ALL-NEW: BIRD ID It's now easier than ever to identify a bird you just saw. Enter all you were able to observe—what color was it? How big? What did its tail look like?—and Bird ID will narrow down a list of possible matches for your location and date in real time. LEARN ABOUT THE BIRDS YOU LOVE Our field guide features over 3,000 photos, over eight hours of audio clips of songs and calls, multi-season range maps, and in-depth text by leading North American bird expert Kenn Kaufman. KEEP TRACK OF ALL THE BIRDS YOU SEE With our completely redesigned Sightings feature, you can keep a record of every bird you encounter, whether you're hiking, sitting on the porch, or simply catching a glimpse of birds out the window. We'll even keep an updated life list for you. EXPLORE THE BIRDS AROUND YOU See where the birds are with nearby birding hotspots and real-time sightings from eBird. SHARE PHOTOS Post your photos to the Photo Feed so other Audubon Bird Guide users can see your best bird shots. GET INVOLVED WITH AUDUBON Keep up with the latest news from the world of birds, science, and conservation. Find an Audubon location near you to go birding. Or see where your voice is needed and take action to protect birds and the places they need, right from your app. Have any questions or need help? Contact us at audubonconnect@audubon.org About Audubon: The National Audubon Society protects birds and the places they need, today and tomorrow, throughout the Americas using science, advocacy, education, and on-the-ground conservation. Audubon’s state programs, nature centers, chapters, and partners have an unparalleled wingspan that reaches millions of people each year to inform, inspire, and unite diverse communities in conservation action. Since 1905, Audubon’s vision has been a world in which people and wildlife thrive.

About

COtrip Planner

Access real-time traffic and traveler information for Colorado's highways. Get updates on road conditions, construction, closures, and weather. Features include a map, camera feeds, and hands-free alerts.

Highlights
  • Real-time traffic speeds and road conditions
  • Road maintenance, construction, and closure alerts
  • Camera images and live streaming video
  • Winter weather conditions and plow tracker
  • Hands-free route condition announcements
  • Trucker-specific resources
Features
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The COtrip app is the Colorado Department of Transportation's (CDOT) official real-time traffic and traveler information app. The COtrip app provides statewide travel information for Colorado’s interstates, U.S. routes and state highways. It does not include information for county roads or city streets. Features: - Zoomable and mobile-friendly map display - Traffic speeds and road conditions - Real-time updates on road maintenance, construction, restrictions and road closures - Camera images and live streaming video - Trucker mode with resources specific to commercial motor vehicle operators - Winter weather conditions (seasonal) - Plow tracker - Hands-free, eyes-free feature to announce upcoming road conditions that will impact your route Please Note: Continued use of GPS running in the background can decrease device battery life. Drop the Distraction The primary responsibility of every driver is the safe operation of their vehicle. While traveling, mobile communication devices should be used only when the motor vehicle is at a complete stop off the traveled portion of the roadway. Do not text and drive (it's against the law) or use this app while driving. For more information about distracted driving in Colorado and safety tips, visit https://distracted.codot.gov. Feedback We welcome your feedback on this app. Please send your suggestions, questions or concerns in an email to cdot_cotrip@state.co.us. For tutorials and more information, visit COtrip.org. CDOT Privacy Policy: https://codot.gov/topcontent/privacypolicy

Screenshots

Audubon Bird Guide4 screens
COtrip Planner4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Audubon Bird Guide at 64% against COtrip Planner's 16%. Audubon Bird Guide also leads on rating (4.3 vs 2.9) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 6 weeks). COtrip Planner's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). On price, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Audubon Bird Guide holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 2.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Audubon Bird Guide has 4.5K ratings behind it against 745, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 64% of Audubon Bird Guide's written reviews are positive against 16% of COtrip Planner's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Audubon Bird Guide ships an update every 3 weeks, COtrip Planner every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Audubon Bird Guide versus COtrip Planner: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAudubon Bird GuideCOtrip Planner
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (4.5K ratings) — better2.9 (745 ratings)
Positive reviews64.3% of reviews — better16.2% of reviews
Number of ratings4.5K — better745
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 6 weeks
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.616.6
Further details — not scored
Size358 MB42 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNational Audubon SocietyColorado Department of Transportation

Customer experience

Audubon Bird Guide

All ratings4,519 ratings
Positive82.3%
Neutral4.1%
Negative13.6%
Written reviews238 reviews
Positive64.3%
Neutral6.3%
Negative29.4%

COtrip Planner

All ratings745 ratings
Positive43.0%
Neutral6.0%
Negative51.0%
Written reviews148 reviews
Positive16.2%
Neutral9.5%
Negative74.3%

User reviews

Audubon Bird Guide

From 4.5K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Great app
  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 🔍 Helpful for identifying birds
  • 🎶 Useful bird calls and sounds
  • 📍 Provides location-based bird sightings

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Buggy and crashes
  • 🔄 Confusing interface changes
  • 🔒 Requires account creation
  • 📍 Limited location-based features
  • 🗺️ Outdated or incomplete range maps

COtrip Planner

From 745 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Quick and easy access to road conditions and rest areas
  • 🚀 Vital for winter travel planning
  • 🚀 Useful for truckers

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Unreliable and outdated information
  • 🐛 Difficult to navigate and use
  • 🐛 Cameras often not working
  • 🐛 Lack of real-time updates
  • 🐛 Complicated and cluttered interface

Bugs and requests

Audubon Bird Guide

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Crashes when opening settings
  • Incorrect sighting location recording
  • Unreliable login and account features
  • Compatibility issues with newer devices
  • Syncing and data loss problems

Requested features

7 requests
  • Add photo ID and sound ID features
  • Improve location-based bird sightings
  • Expand coverage to more regions/countries
  • Allow offline access to field guide
  • Provide more detailed bird information
Show 2 more
  • Improve sorting and filtering options
  • Sync sightings with other platforms

COtrip Planner

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • App crashes and freezes
  • Login and account issues
  • Inconsistent and missing data

Requested features

5 requests
  • Bring back the old, simpler version
  • Improve map interface and readability
  • Add more real-time data and alerts
  • Restore trip planning and route optimization features
  • Improve camera coverage and reliability

In-app purchases

None

Audubon Bird Guide

No in-app purchases

None

COtrip Planner

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Audubon Bird Guide free?
Audubon Bird Guide is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is COtrip Planner free?
COtrip Planner is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Audubon Bird Guide or COtrip Planner?
Audubon Bird Guide is rated higher. Audubon Bird Guide averages 4.3 out of 5 from 4.5K ratings, while COtrip Planner averages 2.9 from 745 ratings.
Do Audubon Bird Guide or COtrip Planner have ads?
Audubon Bird Guide shows ads; COtrip Planner does not.
Which is updated more often, Audubon Bird Guide or COtrip Planner?
Audubon Bird Guide ships an update every 3 weeks, and COtrip Planner every 6 weeks. Most recently, Audubon Bird Guide was updated on September 23, 2026 and COtrip Planner on September 24, 2026.

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