# Bird Journal vs WildOtter

The clearest difference is monetization model: Bird Journal at free with in-app purchases against WildOtter's subscription. Bird Journal also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 4 weeks) and review sentiment (76% vs 60%). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Bird Journal sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and WildOtter sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $14.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Bird Journal ships an update weekly, WildOtter every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Bird Journal | WildOtter |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 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** | 60.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 4 weeks |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Subscription |
| Size | 95 MB | 51 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **15.1** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Bluebird Technology Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/456599757) | [Shoothill Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/630682372) |

## 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


### WildOtter

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wildotter/id6468110653)

This app provides reliable water safety information for recreational users, including routes, points of interest, and river levels. Content is user-generated and team-moderated to ensure accuracy. It aims to remove the worry associated with outdated information.

**Highlights:** User-generated content, Team-moderated information, Latest routes, Wild swimming spots, Points of interest, River level information

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| WildOtter Full Subscription | $14.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Bird Journal free?

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

### Is WildOtter free?

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

### Do Bird Journal or WildOtter have ads?

Neither Bird Journal nor WildOtter shows ads.

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

Bird Journal ships an update weekly, and WildOtter every 4 weeks. Most recently, Bird Journal was updated on October 16, 2026 and WildOtter on October 19, 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.*