AXS Map vs Merlin Bird ID by Cornell Lab
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
AXS Map
This app empowers the disability community by allowing users to search for and review businesses based on their accessibility features. It helps create a more inclusive world by providing information on accessible entrances and restrooms, enabling users to make informed decisions about where to go.
- Search for accessible businesses
- Rate and review accessibility features
- Community-powered data
- Accessible entrances and restrooms information
- Mobility star ratings
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AXS Map uses new media technology to engage, empower, and connect the disability community. Through the AXS Map app and website, users are invited to search for businesses that have accessible features such as accessible entrances or accessible washrooms. AXS Map is a community-powered tool to rate and review places based on accessibility. Winner of the Gold Telly Award in Accessibility, AXS Map helps create a more inclusive world—one location at a time. Users are also invited to share their reviews on the accessibility of a business or public place from a mobility 1 to 5 star rating. AXS Map will offer all people - including people with disabilities, seniors, and their supporters - freedom and spontaneity to make decisions about where they eat, shop, work and play. Ultimately, AXS Map links the knowledge of individuals to organically grow a collaborative intelligence on local accessibility.
Merlin Bird ID by Cornell Lab
Easily identify birds by sight or sound using advanced machine learning. Explore birds in your region, track your sightings, and learn about species with photos, sounds, and range maps. This free app from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology helps build your birding skills.
- Identify birds by photo
- Identify birds by sound
- Answer simple questions for ID
- Explore birds by region
- Track bird sightings
- View range maps and photos
- Bird of the Day feature
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What's that bird? Ask Merlin—the world’s leading app for birds. Just like magic, Merlin Bird ID will help you solve the mystery. Merlin helps you identify birds you see and hear. Merlin is unlike any other bird app—it's powered by eBird, the world’s largest database of bird sightings, sounds, and photos. Merlin offers four fun ways to identify birds. Answer a few simple questions, upload a photo, record a singing bird, or explore birds in a region. Whether you’re curious about a bird you’ve seen once or you’re hoping to identify every bird you can find, the answers are waiting for you with this free app from the renowned Cornell Lab of Ornithology. WHY YOU’LL LOVE MERLIN • Expert ID tips, range maps, photos, and sounds help you learn about the birds you spot and build birding skills. • Discover a new bird species each day with your own personalized Bird of the Day • Get customized lists of birds you can find where you live or travel - anywhere in the world! • Keep track of your sightings—build your personal list of the birds you find MACHINE LEARNING MAGIC • Powered by Visipedia, Merlin Sound ID and Photo ID uses machine learning to identify birds in photos and sounds. Merlin learns to recognize bird species based on training sets of millions of photos and sounds collected by birders at eBird.org, archived in the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. • Merlin delivers the most accurate results thanks to experienced birders, who curate and annotate sightings, photos, and sounds, who are the true magic behind Merlin. AMAZING CONTENT • Merlin has bird photos, songs, and calls, and identification help for anywhere in the world, including Mexico, Costa Rica, South America, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, India, Australia, Korea, Japan, China, and more. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s mission is to interpret and conserve the Earth’s biological diversity through research, education, and citizen science focused on birds and nature. We are able to offer Merlin for free thanks to the generosity of Cornell Lab members, supporters, and citizen-science contributors.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is monetization model: AXS Map at free against Merlin Bird ID by Cornell Lab's free with in-app purchases. AXS Map also leads on iOS requirement (15.1 vs 18.0). Merlin Bird ID by Cornell Lab's advantage is ratings volume (114K vs 20) and chart position (#17 vs unranked). On price, rating, update cadence and ads 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for AXS Map against 4.9 for Merlin Bird ID by Cornell Lab. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Merlin Bird ID by Cornell Lab has 114K ratings behind it against 20, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 64% of AXS Map's written reviews are positive against 74% of Merlin Bird ID by Cornell Lab's.
AXS Map ships an update every 2 weeks, Merlin Bird ID by Cornell Lab monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | AXS Map | Merlin Bird ID by Cornell Lab |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (20 ratings) — better | 4.9 (114K ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 64.3% of reviews | 74.5% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 20 | 114K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks — better | Monthly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | — | #17 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 52 MB | 319 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | When I Walk Inc. | Cornell University |
Customer experience
AXS Map
Merlin Bird ID by Cornell Lab
Bugs and requests
AXS Map
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Merlin Bird ID by Cornell Lab
Reported bugs
5 issues- Sound ID not working in some cases
- Inability to download bird packs due to storage issues
- Repeated email confirmation requests
- Incorrect bird identifications in certain locations
- Inability to edit or delete past sightings
Requested features
7 requests- Allow manual addition of birds to life list
- Improve search functionality to find specific birds
- Add more bird packs for underrepresented regions
- Improve sound ID accuracy and reliability
- Provide option to save recordings without location
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- Add more details and filters to bird information
- Improve user interface for better navigation
In-app purchases
AXS Map
No in-app purchases
Merlin Bird ID by Cornell Lab
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is AXS Map free?
Is Merlin Bird ID by Cornell Lab free?
Which has better reviews, AXS Map or Merlin Bird ID by Cornell Lab?
Do AXS Map or Merlin Bird ID by Cornell Lab have ads?
Which is updated more often, AXS Map or Merlin Bird ID by Cornell Lab?
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