# Bird Journal vs elho smart

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Bird Journal at 77% against elho smart's 0%. Bird Journal also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months). elho smart's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and iOS requirement (11.4 vs 16.0). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

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

Bird Journal ships an update weekly, elho smart every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Bird Journal | elho smart |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[3.0 (16 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bird-journal/id456599754/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **16** | — |
| Positive reviews | **76.9% of reviews** | 0.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 95 MB | 74 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **11.4** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Bluebird Technology Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/456599757) | [elho](https://appshunter.io/developer/1410186306) |

## 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 |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Efficient field recording
- 👍 Easy to use
- 👍 Intuitive interface
- 💡 Supports multiple taxonomy lists
- 💡 Cross-platform synchronization

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 App crashes with large countries
- 🐛 Lacks many website features
- 🐛 Slow taxonomic updates
- 🐛 Not free (subscription cost)
- 🐛 Cannot filter species by name/family

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes when going for Brazil or USA
- App not matching birds for UK
- Cannot add recent sightings of Boobys etc.
- App no longer runs reliably on iOS
- App is buggy and unclear

**Requested features**

- Add Avilist taxonomy support
- Update to current species naming conventions
- Filter species by name or family
- Species pages to list sightings
- Way to jump to early dates in entries


### elho smart

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/elho-smart/id1410186307)

Control smart flowerpots with customizable LED lights. Choose from 16 million colors and various white tones to create the perfect ambiance for your home or garden. Automate lighting with timers and save favorite scenes for instant mood setting.

**Highlights:** Customizable LED lighting, 16 million color options, Adjustable white tones, Create and save custom scenes, Automated timers, Remote control from anywhere

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Bird Journal free?

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

### Is elho smart free?

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

### Do Bird Journal or elho smart have ads?

Neither Bird Journal nor elho smart shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Bird Journal or elho smart?

Bird Journal ships an update weekly, and elho smart every 2 months. Most recently, Bird Journal was updated on November 1, 2026 and elho smart on November 2, 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.*