# Learn Bird Watching vs FathomVerse

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: FathomVerse at none against Learn Bird Watching's 10. Learn Bird Watching's advantage is update cadence (every 9 days vs every 6 weeks) and ratings volume (1.3K vs 92). On price, rating, review sentiment and ads there is nothing between them.

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

Learn Bird Watching holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Learn Bird Watching has 1.3K ratings behind it against 92, 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 86% of FathomVerse's.

Learn Bird Watching ships an update every 9 days, FathomVerse every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Learn Bird Watching | FathomVerse |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (1.3K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/learn-bird-watchinglarkwire/id544499991/reviews)** | [4.7 (92 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fathomverse/id6469854247/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **1.3K** | 92 |
| Positive reviews | **90.8% of reviews** | 85.7% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 9 days** | Every 6 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 66 MB | 284 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Larkwire](https://appshunter.io/developer/544141375) | [Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute](https://appshunter.io/developer/997448509) |

## 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


### FathomVerse

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fathomverse/id6469854247)

Explore the ocean world through an immersive game that trains AI for scientific research. Discover and identify over 50 groups of ocean animals using real imagery collected by researchers. Contribute to science while playing minigames, completing quests, and earning badges.

**Highlights:** Play minigames with real ocean imagery, Identify over 50 groups of ocean animals, Save and share favorite images, Participate in quests and earn badges, Unlock awards for gameplay contributions, Customize soundscape with Ocean Radio

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🌊 Relaxing and peaceful experience
- 🔍 Opportunity to contribute to ocean research
- 🌟 Stunning visuals and immersive environment
- 🧠 Educational content on marine life
- 🤝 Responsive and helpful development team

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Buggy and inconsistent user interface
- 🤔 Unclear instructions and onboarding process
- ⏱️ Slow and tedious core gameplay loop
- 🔍 Lack of ability to re-examine animal images
- 🧭 Inconsistent controls between different sections


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Learn Bird Watching free?

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

### Is FathomVerse free?

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

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

Learn Bird Watching is rated higher. Learn Bird Watching averages 4.8 out of 5 from 1.3K ratings, while FathomVerse averages 4.7 from 92 ratings.

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

Neither Learn Bird Watching nor FathomVerse shows ads.

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

Learn Bird Watching ships an update every 9 days, and FathomVerse every 6 weeks. Most recently, Learn Bird Watching was updated on October 21, 2026 and FathomVerse 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.*