Phyto vs Jellywatch
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Phyto
Learn to identify common marine and freshwater phytoplankton with this educational app. It features a comprehensive identification guide, flashcards, and interactive games to aid learning. Developed with support from NOAA, it's designed for both iPhone and iPad.
- Phytoplankton identification guide
- Marine and freshwater species
- Flash cards for learning
- Interactive identification games
- Species details and photos
- Submit observation results
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Phyto helps you learn to identify phytoplankton and their proper pronunciation. It includes the most common marine and freshwater phytoplankton. --------------------- Phyto Version 2.0 - Completely redesigned! --------------------- - Many new species added with more details and photos. - Freshwater and Marine species now included - Flash Cards and Fast Phyto: two games to help learn how to identify phytoplankton - Species Identification Guide - Phytoplankton Monitoring Network volunteers can submit sample observation results - Embedded news and information browser - Universal App: now works well on both the iPhone and iPad (support for all screen sizes and resolutions) ----------------- This application was developed by the Phytoplankton Monitoring Network which is sponsored by the Center for Coastal Environmental Health and Biomolecular Research division of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Jellywatch
This app serves as a global database for monitoring ocean conditions, focusing on jellyfish populations. It empowers citizen scientists to submit observations and photos, contributing to freely accessible data on blooms, red tides, and general marine environments. Species identification is also offered for submitted images.
- Ocean condition monitoring
- Jellyfish population tracking
- Citizen science reporting
- Global data submission
- Species identification
- Free data access
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Jellywatch is a database for monitoring ocean conditions, especially jellyfish populations. Citizen scientists are encouraged to submit reports from around the world. The data will be freely available to download or browse. Report jellyfish blooms, red tides, and even clean “normal” conditions you observe. If you submit a photo, we can identify the species for you as well.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Jellywatch at 91% against Phyto's 64%. Jellywatch also leads on update cadence (every 3 months vs every 10 months) and rating (5.0 vs 4.8). Phyto's advantage is ratings volume (6 vs 1). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Jellywatch holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Phyto has 6 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 64% of Phyto's written reviews are positive against 91% of Jellywatch's.
Phyto ships an update every 10 months, Jellywatch every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and June 1, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Phyto | Jellywatch |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (6 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 64.3% of reviews | 90.9% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 6 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 10 months | Every 3 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 14.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 81 MB | 6 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Gano Technologies LLC | Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute |
Customer experience
Phyto
Jellywatch
In-app purchases
Phyto
No in-app purchases
Jellywatch
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Phyto free?
Is Jellywatch free?
Which has better reviews, Phyto or Jellywatch?
Do Phyto or Jellywatch have ads?
Which is updated more often, Phyto or Jellywatch?
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