Comparison

Learn Bird Watching vs The Bat App

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Learn Bird Watching

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
Read full description

BIRDS OF NORTH AMERICA Learn birds the fun way! Learn to identify the birds that you're seeing and hearing. Take birding and birdwatching to a new level! Larkwire is a complete, game-based system for learning. Great for beginners and still challenging for advanced birders. Audio courses teach you to identify bird sounds and visual courses teach plumage. All courses are created by world class experts in field identification. This is the app used by professionals to master birding by ear. ***** "Best thing I’ve ever bought on the App Store." (Shopetastic review, 04/16/2020) ***** "Uniformly excellent" (Cornell Lab of Ornithology) ***** "A Rosetta Stone for birdsong." (Birding Magazine) ***** "This is a really cool tool!" (BirdChick) ***** "Really fun!" (Wildlife South) ********************************************** "Larkwire is already helping immensely with my ability to bird in the field. And my 7-year-old daughter is asking for 'that bird song game on the computer.'—I guess you have THREE of us hooked!" (Courtenay Schurman, Mountaineering Trainer) ********************************************** ********************************************** "It's like having a personal teacher who can pinpoint my weaknesses and make me work on them as I play. By far the best value for your money when you think about buying an avian audio guide." (Alain Clavette, aka @Acadian_Birder) ********************************************** ********************************************** "A fantastic tool for learning and reviewing birdsong. ... What I can vouch for, as a teacher, is the solid learning theory behind the software—this program is sure to improve the speed and accuracy with which you identify birds by ear." (David Pugh, Calgary Birder) ********************************************** SUPPORT For questions or support, email: support@larkwire.com EULA - Apple standard End User License Agreement: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

The Bat App

Explore the fascinating world of bats with this comprehensive educational app. Learn about their ecological importance, discover 47 North American species with detailed profiles and range maps, and understand the threats they face, including white-nose syndrome. It also covers common misconceptions and conservation efforts.

Highlights
  • 9 educational sections on bats
  • Profiles of 47 North American species
  • Detailed species information and range maps
  • Information on bat threats and white-nose syndrome
  • FAQ covering over 80 questions
  • Details on vampire bats
  • Conservation organization listings
Read full description

The Bat App is an educational resource for anyone of any age interested in learning about our most misunderstood, unappreciated, yet truly amazing mammal. There are 9 sections covering many topics, so get ready to learn A LOT about bats. First, you will learn all about bats and how useful they are, how they keep us healthy, how save farmers billions of dollars a year and are the reason we put many delicious fruits on our table. Next, you will be introduced to the 47 bat species living in North America. These bats will warm your heart, just wait. Many of the photographs in the app are contributed by famed bat ecologist, Dr. Merlin Tuttle, who has been photographing bats all over the world for over 60 years. There are many photos that are so extraordinary, you simply won't believe he was able to capture them. Each species profile includes a gallery, tons of information about each bat, and range maps so you know at-a-glance where to find them. If you're dying to know which bats live near you and are flying overhead at night, we've got you covered. Go to Bats by State or Province and pick your state or province from the icons on the left. You will find a list of all bat species in your area, each with a full profile and gallery. When you start learning about how cool bats are, hold onto your hat when you get to the lesser long-nosed bat. You won't believe what this bat pollinates! All bats are at risk, so of course there is a Top 10 Threats section. We do a deep dive into white-nose syndrome (WNS) and have included a gallery and links to maps were this deadly fungus occurs, as well as how many bats have been affected and which species are most at-risk. Other threats you will learn about include habitat loss, climate change, domestic cats and humans. Naturally, there is information on diseases commonly associated with bats, particularly rabies, to educate you and set your mind at ease. The FAQ section covers over 80 of your most pressing questions, because you know you have questions... Vampire bats are covered in great detail so you can finally learn about these fascinating little mammals and stop having nightmares about them. Along with photos and more data than your brain can handle, The Bat App lists several organizations working tirelessly toward bat conservation, research, rehabilitation and education. So definitely check them out and support them if you can. These are only a few of the highlights of The Bat App, so have fun, learn a lot, and give bats a chance; they really are one of our most precious, unique treasures, and they need our protection now more than ever.

Screenshots

Learn Bird Watching4 screens
The Bat App4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: The Bat App at none against Learn Bird Watching's 10. The Bat App also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs every 9 days) and review sentiment (100% vs 91%). Learn Bird Watching's advantage is ratings volume (1.3K vs 8). On price, rating, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Learn Bird Watching sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $24.99 per year. The Bat App asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

The Bat App holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Learn Bird Watching has 1.3K ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 91% of Learn Bird Watching's written reviews are positive against 100% of The Bat App's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Learn Bird Watching ships an update every 9 days, The Bat App every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Learn Bird Watching versus The Bat App: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLearn Bird WatchingThe Bat App
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (1.3K ratings)5.0 (8 ratings) — better
Positive reviews90.9% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1.3K — better8
Update frequencyEvery 9 daysEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.613.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size66 MB96 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLarkwireNaturedigger LLC

Customer experience

Learn Bird Watching

All ratings1,284 ratings
Positive97.1%
Neutral1.4%
Negative1.5%
Written reviews110 reviews
Positive90.9%
Neutral4.5%
Negative4.5%

The Bat App

All ratings5 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Learn Bird Watching

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Unable to download sample content
  • Repeating the same bird songs in succession
  • Inconsistent progress tracking

Requested features

4 requests
  • 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

The Bat App

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Learn Bird Watching

Subscriptions3
  • Single Course Annual7 Days trial$24.991 Year
  • All Courses Annual7 Days trial$44.991 Year
  • All Courses Annual (Family)7 Days trial$64.991 Year
One-time7
  • Bird Songs Core West (N. Am)$9.99
  • Bird Songs Core East (N. Am)$9.99
  • Waterbirds Core (N. Am)$9.99
Show 4 more
  • Bird Songs Pro East (N. Am)$24.99
  • Bird Songs Pro West (N. Am)$24.99
  • Waterbirds songs/calls (N. Am)$24.99
  • Breeding Plumage East (N.Am.)$24.99
None

The Bat App

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Learn Bird Watching free?
Learn Bird Watching is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is The Bat App free?
The Bat App is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Learn Bird Watching or The Bat App?
The Bat App is rated higher. Learn Bird Watching averages 4.8 out of 5 from 1.3K ratings, while The Bat App averages 5.0 from 8 ratings.
Do Learn Bird Watching or The Bat App have ads?
Neither Learn Bird Watching nor The Bat App shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Learn Bird Watching or The Bat App?
Learn Bird Watching ships an update every 9 days, and The Bat App every 3 days. Most recently, Learn Bird Watching was updated on October 29, 2026 and The Bat App on October 24, 2026.

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