Comparison

OCEARCH Shark Tracker™ vs Picture Insect

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

Head to head
About

OCEARCH Shark Tracker™

Follow the real-time movements of sharks, turtles, and other marine animals across the globe. Learn fascinating facts, explore migration patterns, and support ocean conservation efforts through interactive tracking data.

Highlights
  • Live animal tracking on interactive maps
  • Explore migration and movement patterns
  • Access animal tagging and species details
  • Daily ocean and marine animal facts
  • Premium map layers and exclusive content (subscription)
  • Community engagement with comments (subscription)
Features
Read full description

DIVE INTO A WORLD OF SHARKS, TURTLES, AND OTHER AMAZING MARINE ANIMALS & HELP SAVE OUR OCEANS! If you have a passion for the ocean, sharks, and marine life, this app is for YOU! The Global Shark Tracker™ was created by OCEARCH, a non-profit research organization dedicated to returning our world’s oceans to balance and abundance. EXPLORE LIKE THE OCEARCH CREW, FROM THE COMFORT OF YOUR HOME! Join our scientific researchers on an exciting journey, with real-time tracking data for sharks, turtles, and more. With cutting-edge satellite technology, the OCEARCH Global Shark Tracker™ app lets you follow these amazing marine animals as they migrate across the globe. Dive into each animal’s profile to discover their history, track their movements, and learn fascinating facts about their species • Track Animals Live with Interactive Maps • Explore Migration & Movement Patterns • Access Animal Tagging & Species Details • Never Miss Updates with ‘Follow’ Option • Daily Ocean & Marine Animal Facts MAKE A DIFFERENCE AS YOU TRACK OCEARCH now has a new way that YOU can make a direct impact on our sharks and oceans! For less than the cost of a cup of coffee each month, you can upgrade to Shark Tracker+ and directly support the OCEARCH mission. Plus, enjoy these exciting new features with your subscription: • Premium Map Layers incl. Live Weather Maps • ‘Behind-The-Scenes’ Exclusive Content • Enhanced Animal Detail Page incl. Charts • Community Engagement with ‘Comments’ • Discounts in the OCEARCH Shop HOW TRACKING WORKS OCEARCH conducts scientific research and collaborates with institutions across the world! SPOT tags are used to provide near real-time tracking data for an average of 5 years. Each time the animal’s tag breaks the surface of the water, it signals a satellite to create a ‘ping’ on the tracker for YOU to see. Data is used by the scientific community to help with: • Research • Conservation • Policy • Management • Safety • Education We created this app to engage YOU in shark and marine conservation efforts by providing real-time tracking data on ocean animals. Our goal is to empower YOU to connect with the ocean, learn about marine life, and support vital marine science through interactive, accessible technology. Thank you for your interest and support. We couldn't conduct this critical ocean research without you. If you love our app, please consider supporting us by leaving a rating and review, or by sharing it with your friends. We’re always looking to improve! If you have any questions, comments, or feedback, please feel free to email us at tracker@ocearch.org. OCEARCH is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Our federal tax ID is 80-0708997. For more information about OCEARCH and our mission, please visit www.ocearch.org or @OCEARCH on social media to learn more. Terms of use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Picture Insect

Instantly identify thousands of insect species using AI by simply taking a photo. Access a comprehensive encyclopedia of insects, learn about hazardous bites, and get pest control tips. Record your findings and share them with a community of enthusiasts.

Highlights
  • AI insect identification
  • 4,000+ species recognition
  • Insect encyclopedia
  • Hazardous bite information
  • Pest detection and control
  • Observation recording
Features
Read full description

Picture insect is an easy-to-use insect identifier tool that utilizes AI technology. Simply take a photo of an insect or upload one from your phone gallery, and the app will tell you all about it in a second. Got bitten by an unknown insect but not sure about its toxicity? Wonder the name of the moth you got in your mothing activity? Found pests in your home garden and want to find solutions to get rid of them? Open the Picture Insect app and point your phone camera toward the insect/pest, and you will have your puzzles solved. Get the Picture Insect app today and join a community of over 3 million insect enthusiasts worldwide. Key Features: Fast and accurate insect ID - Instantly identify butterflies, moths, and spiders with AI photo recognition technology. Identify 4,000+ species of insect species with incredible accuracy. Rich insect learning resources - Full encyclopedia of insects which includes names, high-definition images, FAQs, characteristics, and more. High-quality articles on the insect field. Your real insect guidebook. Insect bites reference - Learn about hazardous insect bites like spiders, mosquitoes, and ants to get prevention tips. Keep your family safe. Pest detection & control tips - Scan the bug to identify whether it's a pest, and get helpful info and detection and control hacks. Record your observation - Keep track of identified species in your personal collection and easily share them with your friends. About Picture Insect Premium: -Subscription Name: Yearly Premium -Subscription Duration:1 year(7 days trial) -Subscription Description: Users will get a 1-year Picture Insect Premium which includes identifying insects without limits, getting answers from entomologists, studying insects with numerous info, and no watermarks or ads. • Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase • Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period • The account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period, and identify the cost of the renewal • Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication, where applicable • The user may manage the subscription and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase Terms of Use: https://app-service.pictureinsect.com/static/user_agreement.html Privacy Policy: https://app-service.pictureinsect.com/static/privacy_policy.html Contact us: support@pictureinsect.com Find out more about Picture Insect at: https://pictureinsect.com/

Screenshots

OCEARCH Shark Tracker™4 screens
Picture Insect4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is chart position: Picture Insect at #65 against OCEARCH Shark Tracker™'s unranked. Picture Insect also leads on ratings volume (45K vs 8.8K). On price, rating, review sentiment and update cadence 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. OCEARCH Shark Tracker™ sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Picture Insect sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

OCEARCH Shark Tracker™ holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Picture Insect has 45K ratings behind it against 8.8K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 71% of OCEARCH Shark Tracker™'s written reviews are positive against 76% of Picture Insect's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

OCEARCH Shark Tracker™ ships an update every 4 weeks, Picture Insect every 5 weeks. Both last shipped on November 1, 2026.

Scorecard2 real differences · 9 level
OCEARCH Shark Tracker™ versus Picture Insect: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterOCEARCH Shark Tracker™Picture Insect
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (8.8K ratings) — better4.6 (45K ratings)
Positive reviews70.6% of reviews75.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings8.8K45K — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 weeks — betterEvery 5 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
Best chart rank—#65 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.115.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size77 MB158 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperOCEARCHNext Vision Limited

Customer experience

OCEARCH Shark Tracker™

All ratings8,774 ratings
Positive97.1%
Neutral0.7%
Negative2.2%
Written reviews364 reviews
Positive70.6%
Neutral5.2%
Negative24.2%

Picture Insect

All ratings43,782 ratings
Positive91.6%
Neutral2.6%
Negative5.8%
Written reviews1,360 reviews
Positive75.5%
Neutral5.1%
Negative19.4%

User reviews

OCEARCH Shark Tracker™

From 8.8K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Awesome app
  • 👍 Interesting and educational
  • 🔍 Ability to track sharks and other marine life
  • 🌊 Great for ocean and shark lovers
  • 🤩 Amazing concept and research work

Room to improve

  • 🐛 App crashes and bugs
  • 🔍 Lack of recent/live data
  • 🌎 Limited to certain regions
  • 💬 Removal of comment section
  • 🔑 Issues with account creation and login

Picture Insect

From 45K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Accurate identification
  • 🔍 Helpful information provided
  • 📚 Great for learning about insects
  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 🤖 Useful AI assistant

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Inconsistent accuracy
  • ℹ️ Lacking detailed information on some insects
  • 💰 Subscription required for full features
  • 🤔 Unclear subscription process
  • 🔍 Struggles with certain photos/backgrounds

Bugs and requests

OCEARCH Shark Tracker™

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Frequent crashes and freezes
  • Outdated animal data and locations
  • Difficulties creating accounts
  • Compatibility issues on older devices

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to favorite/track specific animals
  • Notifications for animal pings
  • More diverse marine life tracking
  • Improved map and data visualization
  • Integration with other platforms

Picture Insect

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Subscription issues (unable to cancel, unexpected charges)
  • App crashes or freezes on some devices
  • Inaccurate identifications for certain insects

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add option to report incorrect identifications
  • Provide more detailed information on insects (toxicity, behavior, etc.)
  • Improve camera integration and photo quality requirements
  • Implement regional/location-based identification
  • Allow users to contribute/add new insect data

In-app purchases

2 purchases

OCEARCH Shark Tracker™

Subscriptions2
  • Tracker Plus Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Tracker Plus Yearly$29.991 Year
9 purchases

Picture Insect

Subscriptions8
  • Picture Insect Premium$2.997 Days
  • Month Premium$5.991 Month
  • Picture Insect Month Pro$9.991 Month
Show 5 more
  • Picture Insect Quarter Premium$14.993 Months
  • Picture Insect Premium7 Days trial2 variants$39.991 Year
  • Picture Insect Premium2 variants$39.991 Year
  • Yearly Premium1 Month trial$39.991 Year
  • Picture Insect Premium1 Month trial$39.991 Year
One-time1
  • Unlock an eBook$9.99

Questions

Is OCEARCH Shark Tracker™ free?
OCEARCH Shark Tracker™ is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Picture Insect free?
Picture Insect is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, OCEARCH Shark Tracker™ or Picture Insect?
OCEARCH Shark Tracker™ is rated higher. OCEARCH Shark Tracker™ averages 4.8 out of 5 from 8.8K ratings, while Picture Insect averages 4.6 from 45K ratings.
Do OCEARCH Shark Tracker™ or Picture Insect have ads?
Neither OCEARCH Shark Tracker™ nor Picture Insect shows ads.
Which is updated more often, OCEARCH Shark Tracker™ or Picture Insect?
OCEARCH Shark Tracker™ ships an update every 4 weeks, and Picture Insect every 5 weeks. Most recently, OCEARCH Shark Tracker™ was updated on November 1, 2026 and Picture Insect on November 1, 2026.

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