# Bird Codes vs ABA/AOU Bird Codes

The clearest difference is price: Bird Codes at Free against ABA/AOU Bird Codes's $0.99. Bird Codes also leads on ratings volume (95 vs 1) and iOS requirement (9.0 vs 15.1). ABA/AOU Bird Codes's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.8) and review sentiment (100% vs 90%). On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Bird Codes is free to download; ABA/AOU Bird Codes costs $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ABA/AOU Bird Codes holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Bird Codes has 95 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 90% of Bird Codes's written reviews are positive against 100% of ABA/AOU Bird Codes's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on July 3, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Bird Codes | ABA/AOU Bird Codes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $0.99 |
| Rating | [4.8 (95 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bird-codes/id500496362/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/abaaou-bird-codes/id1523235152/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **95** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 90.5% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 3 months |
| Monetization | **Free** | Paid |
| Size | 4 MB | 22 MB |
| Requires iOS | **9.0** | 15.1 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Nemesis Code](https://appshunter.io/developer/500496365) | [Schechter Natural History LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1489836176) |

## What reviewers say

### Bird Codes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bird-codes/id500496362)

Quickly look up and learn four-letter alpha codes for bird species. This reference tool helps birders speed up field notes and eBird checklist entries by providing a fast way to find abbreviations used in ornithology.

**Highlights:** Search by bird name, Search by alpha code, Lookup for 2078 species, Uses Pyle and DeSante (2003) system, Speed up field notes, Faster eBird checklist entry

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### ABA/AOU Bird Codes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/abaaou-bird-codes/id1523235152)

This app provides a quick reference for ornithological bird codes, used in data collection and field notes. It allows users to search and sort by common name, scientific name, or code, and toggle between ABA and AOU bird lists. Includes USGS species numbers and banding sizes.

**Highlights:** Quick bird code lookup, Sort by common/scientific name or code, Toggle ABA/AOU bird lists, USGS Species Numbers, Banding Sizes

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Bird Codes free?

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

### Is ABA/AOU Bird Codes free?

ABA/AOU Bird Codes costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Bird Codes or ABA/AOU Bird Codes?

ABA/AOU Bird Codes is rated higher. Bird Codes averages 4.8 out of 5 from 95 ratings, while ABA/AOU Bird Codes averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Bird Codes or ABA/AOU Bird Codes have ads?

Neither Bird Codes nor ABA/AOU Bird Codes shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Bird Codes or ABA/AOU Bird Codes?

Bird Codes ships an update every 3 months, and ABA/AOU Bird Codes every 3 months. Most recently, Bird Codes was updated on July 3, 2026 and ABA/AOU Bird Codes on September 25, 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.*