Comparison

Audubon Bird Guide vs Coton

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

Coton

Identify cloud types using a comprehensive guide based on the International Cloud Atlas. Learn about their associated weather forecasts, including precipitation and storm probabilities. Explore detailed descriptions and over 120 images to enhance your sky-watching experience.

Highlights
  • Cloud identification by type
  • Detailed descriptions
  • Weather forecast correlation
  • Over 120 cloud images
  • Illustrated guide to cloud classification
  • Metric/Imperial system setting
Features
Read full description

Coton is also on iPad: http://itunes.apple.com/app/id509851679 /!\ Only available in English and French! Coton is a beautiful cloud identification app for your iPhone and iPod Touch. Identify clouds by browsing stunning pictures and detailed descriptions of all the different types of clouds you may spot. Coton relies on the International Cloud Atlas classification, the authoritative book from the World Meteorological Organization. Learn about cloud types and their corresponding weather forecast including chances of rain and storm. Try to figure out the weather of the day, just by looking at the sky! Coton includes: - 33 cloud index cards for the main cloud genera, species, varieties and special clouds - a gallery containing more than 120 awesome pictures - an illustrated guide which simply explains what is a cloud and how clouds are classified - a chart of the 10 cloud genera - a setting allowing you to switch between metric and imperial measurement system The only thing you'll have to do is looking up... Enjoy your spottings! Just remember: "It is rare that a cloud gets the shape of a cloud." Ylipe

Screenshots

Audubon Bird Guide4 screens
Coton4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Audubon Bird Guide at Free against Coton's $1.99. Audubon Bird Guide also leads on rating (4.3 vs 3.5) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 5 months). Coton's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (77% vs 64%). On in-app purchases 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Audubon Bird Guide is free to download; Coton costs $1.99 up front. 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 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Audubon Bird Guide has 4.5K ratings behind it against 13, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 64% of Audubon Bird Guide's written reviews are positive against 77% of Coton's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Audubon Bird Guide ships an update every 3 weeks, Coton every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
Audubon Bird Guide versus Coton: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAudubon Bird GuideCoton
PriceFree — better$1.99
Rating4.3 (4.5K ratings) — better3.5 (13 ratings)
Positive reviews64.2% of reviews76.6% of reviews — better
Number of ratings4.5K — better13
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 5 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.68.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size355 MB50 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNational Audubon SocietyEtamin Studio

Customer experience

Audubon Bird Guide

All ratings4,521 ratings
Positive82.2%
Neutral4.1%
Negative13.6%
Written reviews240 reviews
Positive64.2%
Neutral6.3%
Negative29.6%

Coton

All ratings13 ratings
Positive61.5%
Neutral0.0%
Negative38.5%
Written reviews47 reviews
Positive76.6%
Neutral4.3%
Negative19.1%

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

Coton

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Audubon Bird Guide

No in-app purchases

None

Coton

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Audubon Bird Guide free?
Audubon Bird Guide is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Coton free?
Coton costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Audubon Bird Guide or Coton?
Audubon Bird Guide is rated higher. Audubon Bird Guide averages 4.3 out of 5 from 4.5K ratings, while Coton averages 3.5 from 13 ratings.
Do Audubon Bird Guide or Coton have ads?
Audubon Bird Guide shows ads; Coton does not.
Which is updated more often, Audubon Bird Guide or Coton?
Audubon Bird Guide ships an update every 3 weeks, and Coton every 5 months. Most recently, Audubon Bird Guide was updated on October 14, 2026 and Coton on October 18, 2026.

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