# Bird Codes vs Big Year Birding ABA

The clearest difference is rating: Bird Codes at 4.8 against Big Year Birding ABA's 4.0. Bird Codes also leads on review sentiment (90% vs 67%) and ratings volume (98 vs 4). Big Year Birding ABA's advantage is update cadence (monthly vs every 3 months). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Bird Codes holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Bird Codes has 98 ratings behind it against 4, 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 67% of Big Year Birding ABA's.

Bird Codes ships an update every 3 months, Big Year Birding ABA monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Bird Codes | Big Year Birding ABA |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (98 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bird-codes/id500496362/reviews)** | [4.0 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/big-year-birding-aba/id898797202/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **98** | 4 |
| Positive reviews | **90.5% of reviews** | 66.7% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Monthly** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Ad-supported |
| Size | 4 MB | 95 MB |
| Requires iOS | **9.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Nemesis Code](https://appshunter.io/developer/500496365) | [PVI Maine LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/384927995) |

## 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

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Quick access to codes
- ✅ Functional for purpose
- 💡 Useful for birders
- 👍 Simple and handy

**What reviewers complain about**

- ⏳ Outdated information
- 🔄 Needs regular updates
- 🐌 Slow to respond
- 📉 Woefully behind times
- ❓ Useless if not updated

**Reported bugs**

- App won't open on latest iPhone
- Stutters and slow to respond

**Requested features**

- Update app regularly
- Add new US birds (vagrants)
- Reflect taxonomic splits/lumps/renames
- Display species in conflict when invalid code entered
- Update for larger screens


### Big Year Birding ABA

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/big-year-birding-aba/id898797202)

Easily record bird sightings in the field with location, date, and time automatically captured. Discover local birds, view recent sightings nearby, and export your data. Works offline and includes a comprehensive database of North American species.

**Highlights:** Automatic GPS location, date, and time recording, Comprehensive database of North American birds, Discover local birds by location and month, View and navigate to recent nearby sightings, Offline functionality, Create eBird upload files, Add personal photos and notes

**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 Big Year Birding ABA free?

Big Year Birding ABA is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Bird Codes or Big Year Birding ABA?

Bird Codes is rated higher. Bird Codes averages 4.8 out of 5 from 98 ratings, while Big Year Birding ABA averages 4.0 from 4 ratings.

### Do Bird Codes or Big Year Birding ABA have ads?

Neither Bird Codes nor Big Year Birding ABA shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Bird Codes or Big Year Birding ABA?

Bird Codes ships an update every 3 months, and Big Year Birding ABA monthly. Most recently, Bird Codes was updated on October 20, 2026 and Big Year Birding ABA on October 12, 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.*