Comparison

Audubon Bird Guide vs AIRAC Lookup

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

AIRAC Lookup

This app provides aviation cycle dates and progress at a glance. It offers widgets for your home and lock screens, and a full Apple Watch app for instant access to cycle information, working entirely offline.

Highlights
  • Current and upcoming cycle dates
  • Live progress bar and days remaining
  • Search by cycle code
  • Yearly view with filtering
  • Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets
  • Apple Watch app and complications
  • Offline functionality
Features
Read full description

Know your AIRAC cycle at a glance. AIRAC Lookup gives you current and upcoming cycle dates, cycle codes, and progress on iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch — plus Home Screen, Lock Screen, and watch face widgets so you never have to open the app. CURRENT CYCLE See the active cycle number, start and end dates, a live progress bar, and days remaining. Use the date picker to look up any past or future date — with a one-tap Today shortcut and an at-a-glance indicator showing how many cycles ahead you've landed. SEARCH BY CYCLE CODE Enter a four-digit code (e.g. 2501) and instantly see the matching cycle with its effective dates. YEARLY VIEW Browse every cycle in a year at a glance. Opens to current and upcoming cycles for fast planning — tap to show past cycles, switch years, or load the following year inline to plan straight across the year boundary. Each upcoming cycle shows how many cycles ahead it is. SPECIAL 14-CYCLE YEARS Most years have 13 AIRAC cycles, but some have 14. See which years are affected, when the next one occurs, and why it happens. WIDGETS & LOCK SCREEN Add a widget to your Home Screen or Lock Screen and see the current cycle, dates, and progress without unlocking your phone. Six widget styles: small, medium, large, circular, rectangular, and inline. APPLE WATCH Full watch app with current cycle, yearly list, and date search — all with the same upcoming-cycle indicators as the iPhone app. Add a complication to your watch face for instant access. • No account required — works entirely offline • No data collection — everything stays on your device • Supports VoiceOver, Dynamic Type, and Reduce Motion • Adaptive layout for iPhone and iPad Built for pilots, dispatchers, ATC, flight planners, avionics technicians, and anyone who works with AIRAC effective dates.

Screenshots

Audubon Bird Guide4 screens
AIRAC Lookup4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: AIRAC Lookup at 5.0 against Audubon Bird Guide's 4.3. AIRAC Lookup also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 64%) and ads (none vs shown). Audubon Bird Guide's advantage is ratings volume (4.5K vs 1) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 6 weeks). On price, 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

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

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

AIRAC Lookup holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Audubon Bird Guide has 4.5K ratings behind it against 1, 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 100% of AIRAC Lookup's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Audubon Bird Guide ships an update every 3 weeks, AIRAC Lookup every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Audubon Bird Guide versus AIRAC Lookup: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAudubon Bird GuideAIRAC Lookup
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (4.5K ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews64.2% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings4.5K — better1
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 6 weeks
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS16.6 — better26.2
Further details — not scored
Size355 MB18 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNational Audubon SocietyChristopher Bouquet

Customer experience

Audubon Bird Guide

All ratings4,525 ratings
Positive82.3%
Neutral4.1%
Negative13.6%
Written reviews240 reviews
Positive64.2%
Neutral6.3%
Negative29.6%

AIRAC Lookup

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

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

AIRAC Lookup

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Audubon Bird Guide

No in-app purchases

None

AIRAC Lookup

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Audubon Bird Guide free?
Audubon Bird Guide is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is AIRAC Lookup free?
AIRAC Lookup is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Audubon Bird Guide or AIRAC Lookup?
AIRAC Lookup is rated higher. Audubon Bird Guide averages 4.3 out of 5 from 4.5K ratings, while AIRAC Lookup averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Audubon Bird Guide or AIRAC Lookup have ads?
Audubon Bird Guide shows ads; AIRAC Lookup does not.
Which is updated more often, Audubon Bird Guide or AIRAC Lookup?
Audubon Bird Guide ships an update every 3 weeks, and AIRAC Lookup every 6 weeks. Most recently, Audubon Bird Guide was updated on October 29, 2026 and AIRAC Lookup on October 15, 2026.

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