# Bird Journal vs GrowIt

The clearest difference is rating: GrowIt at 4.7 against Bird Journal's 3.0. GrowIt also leads on ratings volume (14K vs 16). Bird Journal's advantage is review sentiment (77% vs 46%). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Bird Journal sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and GrowIt sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

GrowIt holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: GrowIt has 14K ratings behind it against 16, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 77% of Bird Journal's written reviews are positive against 46% of GrowIt's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Bird Journal ships an update weekly, GrowIt every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 4, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Bird Journal | GrowIt |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.0 (16 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bird-journal/id456599754/reviews) | **[4.7 (14K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/growit-garden-planner/id6443580320/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 16 | **14K** |
| Positive reviews | **76.9% of reviews** | 46.4% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 2 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 95 MB | 106 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 16.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Bluebird Technology Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/456599757) | [Glority Global Group Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1499301607) |

## 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


### GrowIt

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/growit-garden-planner/id6443580320)

This app simplifies home gardening with personalized guidance and expert tips for growing vegetables, fruits, and herbs. It offers customized planting calendars, garden layout planning, and step-by-step growing information. Get seasonal care tips, reminders for watering and fertilizing, and even identify plant diseases with a photo.

**Highlights:** Personalized planting schedules, Garden layout planning, Step-by-step growing guides, Seasonal plant care tips, Automated reminders, Plant disease identification, Regrowing and hydroponic tips

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

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Grow My Food Premium | $3.99 | per 7 days |
| Grow My Food Premium | $3.99 | per 7 days |
| Grow My Food Premium | $9.99 | per month |
| Grow My Food Premium | $14.99 | per 3 months |
| Grow My Food Premium | $14.99 | per 3 months |
| GrowIt Premium | $19.99 | per 6 months |
| Grow My Food Premium | $29.99 | per year |
| Grow My Food Premium | $34.99 | per year |
| GrowIt Family Premium | $39.99 | per year |
| Grow My Food Premium | $39.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Helpful gardening app
- 👍 Beginner-friendly
- 🌱 Useful information and guides
- 📆 Reminders and planning features

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Inaccurate planting information
- 🔒 Misleading advertising about free trial
- 🔍 Limited plant selection
- 🌡️ Weather information not accurate

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes frequently when scrolling
- Issues with deleting/updating plants
- Reminders not working as expected

**Requested features**

- Ability to add more garden beds
- Option to manually enter plant data
- Notification for watering based on rainfall
- More detailed care information for plants


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Bird Journal free?

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

### Is GrowIt free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Bird Journal or GrowIt?

GrowIt is rated higher. Bird Journal averages 3.0 out of 5 from 16 ratings, while GrowIt averages 4.7 from 14K ratings.

### Do Bird Journal or GrowIt have ads?

Neither Bird Journal nor GrowIt shows ads.

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

Bird Journal ships an update weekly, and GrowIt every 2 weeks. Most recently, Bird Journal was updated on November 1, 2026 and GrowIt on November 4, 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.*