Comparison

Project Monarch Science vs Birdfy

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

Head to head
About

Project Monarch Science

This app transforms your smartphone into a receiver for tiny tracking devices attached to monarch butterflies. By crowdsourcing data, it helps scientists monitor butterfly migration patterns in unprecedented detail, aiding conservation efforts.

Highlights
  • Crowdsourced tracking network
  • Monarch butterfly migration monitoring
  • Detailed movement data
  • Habitat conservation insights
  • Utilizes Bluetooth frequency
  • Citizen science participation
Features
Read full description

Project Monarch is an effort to leverage recent advances in tracking technology, that have enabled the development of the world’s smallest tracking devices, to track Monarch migration. The tracking devices on the monarch butterflies transmit at the same frequency as Bluetooth which means that everyone with a smartphone is carrying around a receiver in their pocket! This revolutionary approach can potentially create the largest wildlife tracking receiver network in the world, but only if members of the public download and use the free Project Monarch app. These data will allow scientists to track the movements of monarch butterflies in detail never previously imagined. We will see how monarchs utilize key stopping points along migratory routes and learn more about the speed and direction of migration, helping identify the most important sites for habitat conservation and restoration. Ultimately, this technology can help guide conservation planning and lead to increases in monarch populations.

About

Birdfy

Monitor your backyard for feathered visitors with real-time live streaming and automatic video capture of bird activity. Organize your recordings by species, share your discoveries with a global community, and even track the entire nesting and hatching process.

Highlights
  • Real-time bird visitor tracking
  • Automatic video capture of bird moments
  • Categorized video clips by bird species
  • Community sharing of bird observations
  • Nesting and hatching process tracking
  • AI-powered bird and animal identification
Features
Read full description

The Bird Side of Life 1. Live Stream: Real-time Bird Visitor Tracking - View the device's live feed anytime, anywhere to track birds or animals visiting your backyard. 2. Moment Auto-Capture: Automatically Record Wonderful Moments - The device automatically records short video clips when it detects birds or other creatures, saving key moments without manual operation. You can view these directly within the app. 3. Categorized Collection: Manage Wonderful Clips by Bird Species - Sort videos by bird species based on recognition results or your manual selection, allowing you to easily find, manage, and browse your collected video content. 4. Community Sharing: Explore Other Users' Fascinating Observations - Share or browse wonderful content of bird visits with users worldwide. Enjoy an immersive video stream experience that supports Browse by bird species, expanding your birdwatching horizons. 5. Bird Nesting & Hatching Process Tracking (for Birdhouse Devices) - Automatically identify and record the complete process of birds from nest building, laying eggs, hatching, to fledging. The process is automatically archived by stages, allowing you to browse the entire lifecycle on a timeline. Finally, a merged video is generated, fully presenting the precious process of nesting and raising young. 6. Cloud Services (Optional Paid Premium Features) - AI Recognition Cloud Service: When enabled, it supports more intelligent video analysis and content organization, including: * Accurate Identification: 6000+ bird/animal identification, accurately recognizing species like birds, squirrels, and other visiting animals in your device's footage. * Highlights: Automatically generates daily highlights, selecting the most exciting moments of the day. * Monthly/Annual Recap: The system organizes and generates monthly and annual highlight video compilations for easy review and saving. * Birdfy Data: Records bird visit times, frequency, and species, generating data reports. * Smart Moment List Filtering: Supports quick filtering of interesting bird videos by recognition results, improving Browse efficiency. - MVR Cloud Service * Standard recording is 20 seconds. Subscribing provides longer moment recording times (30 seconds+) and longer moment preservation times. - Collection Cloud Service * Standard users have only 5GB of collection memory. Subscribing increases collection memory to 20GB+.

Screenshots

Project Monarch Science4 screens
Birdfy4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Project Monarch Science at none against Birdfy's 17. Birdfy's advantage is rating (4.1 vs 3.7) and ratings volume (3.6K vs 18). On price, review sentiment, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Birdfy sells 17 in-app purchases, starting at $2.39 per month. Project Monarch Science asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Birdfy holds the better App Store score, 4.1 against 3.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Birdfy has 3.6K ratings behind it against 18, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 45% of Project Monarch Science's written reviews are positive against 48% of Birdfy's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Project Monarch Science ships an update weekly, Birdfy every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and September 26, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Project Monarch Science versus Birdfy: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterProject Monarch ScienceBirdfy
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.7 (18 ratings)4.1 (3.6K ratings) — better
Positive reviews45.5% of reviews47.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings183.6K — better
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 10 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.0 — better15.5
Further details — not scored
Size83 MB279 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCellular Tracking TechnologiesNETVUE, INC.

Customer experience

Project Monarch Science

All ratings18 ratings
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%
Written reviews11 reviews
Positive45.5%
Neutral0.0%
Negative54.5%

Birdfy

All ratings3,584 ratings
Positive75.1%
Neutral5.1%
Negative19.8%
Written reviews766 reviews
Positive47.7%
Neutral8.0%
Negative44.4%

Bugs and requests

Project Monarch Science

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Birdfy

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Inability to delete devices
  • Unreliable live view and video uploads
  • Unexpected app logout and account deletion

Requested features

5 requests
  • Batch editing for misidentified birds
  • Favorites/frequently spotted section
  • Landscape mode support
  • Customizable notification sounds
  • Motion detection sensitivity adjustments

In-app purchases

None

Project Monarch Science

No in-app purchases

17 purchases

Birdfy

Subscriptions15
  • Collection Storage Basic mo.$2.391 Month
  • MVR - Basic - Monthly$2.391 Month
  • MVR - Plus - Monthly$3.591 Month
Show 12 more
  • Collection Storage Plus mo.$4.691 Month
  • Hummingbird Recognition mo.$4.691 Month
  • Bird Recognition Basic mo.$5.891 Month
  • Collection Storage Pro mo.$7.091 Month
  • MVR - Pro - Monthly$7.091 Month
  • Collection Storage Basic ann.$23.491 Year
  • MVR - Basic - Annual$23.491 Year
  • MVR - Plus - Annual$35.491 Year
  • Hummingbird Recognition ann.$45.991 Year
  • Collection Storage Plus ann.$46.951 Year
  • Bird Recognition Basic ann.$57.991 Year
  • Collection Storage Pro ann.$70.991 Year
One-time2
  • Hummingbird Reco. Lifetime$85.99
  • Bird Recognition Lifetime Plan$99.99

Questions

Is Project Monarch Science free?
Project Monarch Science is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Birdfy free?
Birdfy is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Project Monarch Science or Birdfy?
Birdfy is rated higher. Project Monarch Science averages 3.7 out of 5 from 18 ratings, while Birdfy averages 4.1 from 3.6K ratings.
Do Project Monarch Science or Birdfy have ads?
Neither Project Monarch Science nor Birdfy shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Project Monarch Science or Birdfy?
Project Monarch Science ships an update weekly, and Birdfy every 10 days. Most recently, Project Monarch Science was updated on September 21, 2026 and Birdfy on September 26, 2026.

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