# Learn Bird Watching vs Birdathon

The clearest difference is update cadence: Learn Bird Watching at every 9 days against Birdathon's every 4 months. Learn Bird Watching also leads on ratings volume (1.3K vs 15). Birdathon's advantage is monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and review sentiment (100% vs 91%). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Learn Bird Watching sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $24.99 per year and Birdathon sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Learn Bird Watching against 4.7 for Birdathon. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Learn Bird Watching has 1.3K ratings behind it against 15, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 91% of Learn Bird Watching's written reviews are positive against 100% of Birdathon's.

Learn Bird Watching ships an update every 9 days, Birdathon every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Learn Bird Watching | Birdathon |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (1.3K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/learn-bird-watchinglarkwire/id544499991/reviews)** | [4.7 (15 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/birdathon/id1211977440/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **1.3K** | 15 |
| Positive reviews | 90.9% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 9 days** | Every 4 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 66 MB | 192 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.6** | 16.1 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Larkwire](https://appshunter.io/developer/544141375) | [Barry Langdon-Lassagne](https://appshunter.io/developer/730758814) |

## What reviewers say

### Learn Bird Watching

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/learn-bird-watchinglarkwire/id544499991)

Learn to identify birds by sound and sight with a game-based system. This app offers audio and visual courses created by experts to improve your birding skills, suitable for beginners and advanced enthusiasts alike.

**Highlights:** Game-based learning system, Identify birds by sound, Identify birds by sight, Expert-created courses, Suitable for all skill levels, Master birding by ear

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

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Single Course Annual | $24.99 | per year |
| All Courses Annual | $44.99 | per year |
| All Courses Annual (Family) | $64.99 | per year |
| Bird Songs Core West (N. Am) | $9.99 | one-time |
| Bird Songs Core East (N. Am) | $9.99 | one-time |
| Waterbirds Core (N. Am) | $9.99 | one-time |
| Bird Songs Pro East (N. Am) | $24.99 | one-time |
| Bird Songs Pro West (N. Am) | $24.99 | one-time |
| Waterbirds songs/calls (N. Am) | $24.99 | one-time |
| Breeding Plumage East (N.Am.) | $24.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Helpful for learning bird songs
- 🚀 Efficient learning process
- 💡 Customizable playlists and settings
- 🎮 Fun and engaging game-like format
- 🌟 Comprehensive coverage of bird species

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔍 Difficulty finding specific birds in the app
- 🐛 Occasional bugs and crashes
- 💰 Expensive subscription model
- 📱 Not optimized for smaller screens

**Reported bugs**

- Unable to download sample content
- Repeating the same bird songs in succession
- Inconsistent progress tracking

**Requested features**

- Add bird song playback when selecting bird images
- Implement voice recognition for answering questions
- Include spectrograms for better visual learning
- Expand coverage to birds in other regions


### Birdathon

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/birdathon/id1211977440)

This app helps birdwatchers create and organize detailed checklists of their observations. It automatically records time and location, allowing for easy editing and customization. Users can visualize their sightings on maps, add field notes, and export data for sharing or further analysis.

**Highlights:** Observation-centric checklists, Automatic time and location recording, Customizable maps with boundary overlays, Field notes for additional observations, Multiple checklist sorting options, Data export to CSV and other formats, Create checklist templates

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

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Good Tip | $0.99 | one-time |
| Great Tip | $1.99 | one-time |
| Amazing Tip | $2.99 | one-time |
| Incredible Tip | $4.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Learn Bird Watching free?

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

### Is Birdathon free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Learn Bird Watching or Birdathon?

Learn Bird Watching is rated higher. Learn Bird Watching averages 4.8 out of 5 from 1.3K ratings, while Birdathon averages 4.7 from 15 ratings.

### Do Learn Bird Watching or Birdathon have ads?

Neither Learn Bird Watching nor Birdathon shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Learn Bird Watching or Birdathon?

Learn Bird Watching ships an update every 9 days, and Birdathon every 4 months. Most recently, Learn Bird Watching was updated on October 29, 2026 and Birdathon on October 24, 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.*