# Bird Journal vs BirdGuides

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: BirdGuides at none against Bird Journal's 1. Bird Journal's advantage is review sentiment (76% vs 61%). On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Bird Journal sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. BirdGuides asks for nothing beyond the download.

Bird Journal ships an update every 9 days, BirdGuides every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 20, 2026 and September 7, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Bird Journal | BirdGuides |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[3.0 (16 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bird-journal/id456599754/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **16** | — |
| Positive reviews | **76.5% of reviews** | 60.8% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 9 days** | Every 2 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 94 MB | 5 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.0** | 17.1 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Bluebird Technology Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/456599757) | [Warners Group Publications PLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/586192010) |

## What reviewers say

### Bird Journal

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bird-journal/id456599754)

Record, explore, and share your bird and wildlife observations. This app allows for detailed data entry, including photos and habitat information, with a vast global species library. Access your records across devices and contribute to conservation efforts.

**Highlights:** Record observations with custom data entry, Explore records with reports, graphs, and maps, Share records and contribute to conservation, Access data on any device, Secure cloud storage for data, Import existing records from other apps

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| One Year Premium Subscription | $34.99 | one-time |


### BirdGuides

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/birdguides/id1218786227)

Access comprehensive bird news and sightings with an interactive map and advanced search. Submit your own observations and receive personalized notifications for desired species. Discover local and rare birds with detailed information and navigation assistance.

**Highlights:** Interactive BirdMap with sightings, Filter sightings by rarity, Sophisticated search of sightings database, Submit bird sightings from the field, Personalized species notifications, Detailed sighting information and directions

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Fast and functional
- 📊 Excellent information and directions
- 💻 Great app overall
- 🤝 Recommended for birders

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Glitchy and unreliable
- 🔄 Frequent login issues
- 📍 Lacking location details
- 🗺️ Poor map functionality

**Reported bugs**

- Notifications not working
- Sightings not updating properly
- Crashes and freezes after updates
- Subscription issues after updates

**Requested features**

- Dark mode option
- Improved map with precise locations
- Ability to set alerts for specific counties
- Better sorting and filtering options


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Bird Journal free?

Bird Journal is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is BirdGuides free?

BirdGuides is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Bird Journal or BirdGuides have ads?

Neither Bird Journal nor BirdGuides shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Bird Journal or BirdGuides?

Bird Journal ships an update every 9 days, and BirdGuides every 2 weeks. Most recently, Bird Journal was updated on September 20, 2026 and BirdGuides on September 7, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*