# Bird Journal vs Roomba Home

The clearest difference is rating: Roomba Home at 4.7 against Bird Journal's 3.0. Roomba Home also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ratings volume (35K vs 16). Bird Journal's advantage is review sentiment (77% vs 68%). 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. Roomba Home asks for nothing beyond the download.

Roomba Home holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Roomba Home has 35K 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 68% of Roomba Home's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Bird Journal ships an update every 9 days, Roomba Home fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 10, 2026 and November 11, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Bird Journal | Roomba Home |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.0 (16 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bird-journal/id456599754/reviews) | **[4.7 (35K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/roomba-home/id6504274697/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 16 | **35K** |
| Positive reviews | **76.9% of reviews** | 68.1% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 9 days** | Fortnightly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | — | **#105** |
| Size | 99 MB | 264 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Bluebird Technology Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/456599757) | [iRobot Corporation](https://appshunter.io/developer/479370968) |

## 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


### Roomba Home

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/roomba-home/id6504274697)

**Currently charting:** #105 Top Free · Lifestyle (US App Store)

Control your compatible robot vacuum with this app. Schedule cleanings, customize maps, and create personalized routines for a spotless home. It offers real-time insights and smart home integrations for effortless floor care.

**Highlights:** Schedule cleanings, Customize home maps, Create cleaning routines, Real-time cleaning insights, Voice control integration, Robot maintenance dashboard

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Intuitive interface
- 📊 Smart mapping features
- 🔌 Voice assistant integration
- 🎨 Customizable cleaning routines
- 📈 Helpful cleaning history and maintenance alerts

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🗑️ Difficult to unclog hair from main brush
- 🔍 Slight learning curve from old app

**Reported bugs**

- App only works with products launched after March 2025

**Requested features**

- Improved user guidance
- Support page fixes


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Bird Journal free?

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

### Is Roomba Home free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Bird Journal or Roomba Home?

Roomba Home is rated higher. Bird Journal averages 3.0 out of 5 from 16 ratings, while Roomba Home averages 4.7 from 35K ratings.

### Do Bird Journal or Roomba Home have ads?

Neither Bird Journal nor Roomba Home shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Bird Journal or Roomba Home?

Bird Journal ships an update every 9 days, and Roomba Home fortnightly. Most recently, Bird Journal was updated on November 10, 2026 and Roomba Home on November 11, 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.*