# BirdWeather vs GowanusAR

The clearest difference is rating: GowanusAR at 5.0 against BirdWeather's 4.3. GowanusAR also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 16.0). BirdWeather's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 5 months) and ratings volume (24 vs 1). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

GowanusAR holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: BirdWeather has 24 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

BirdWeather ships an update fortnightly, GowanusAR every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on October 10, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | BirdWeather | GowanusAR |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.3 (24 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/birdweather/id6446207088/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/gowanusar/id6747295340/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **24** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 54.5% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 5 months |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 196 MB | 1.2 GB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Scribe Labs Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/967419448) | [Sarah Drury](https://appshunter.io/developer/1832071542) |

## What reviewers say

### BirdWeather

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/birdweather/id6446207088)

Identify bird species through sound with this bioacoustics app. It connects to a specialized device to detect and display real-time species information from a vast database. Explore global wildlife activity and gain insights into nature's soundscapes.

**Highlights:** Real-time species recognition, Global community insights, Quick device setup, Bioacoustics management, Species detection database

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

**In-app purchases:** none


### GowanusAR

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/gowanusar/id6747295340)

Experience the history of Brooklyn's Gowanus Canal through an immersive augmented reality application. Discover stories, sounds, and speculative futures embedded in the landscape as you explore the neighborhood.

**Highlights:** Augmented Reality Navigation, Immersive Spatial Audio, Interactive Storytelling, Speculative Histories, Location-based AR experiences

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is BirdWeather free?

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

### Is GowanusAR free?

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

### Which has better reviews, BirdWeather or GowanusAR?

GowanusAR is rated higher. BirdWeather averages 4.3 out of 5 from 24 ratings, while GowanusAR averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do BirdWeather or GowanusAR have ads?

Neither BirdWeather nor GowanusAR shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, BirdWeather or GowanusAR?

BirdWeather ships an update fortnightly, and GowanusAR every 5 months. Most recently, BirdWeather was updated on October 10, 2026 and GowanusAR on October 6, 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.*