# Birdfy vs RUN

Birdfy and RUN both sit at 4.1 stars, but that hides the real split: 49% of Birdfy's written reviews are positive against 21% of RUN's. Birdfy also leads on update cadence (every 10 days vs every 3 weeks) and ratings volume (3.8K vs 1.2K). RUN's advantage is monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Birdfy sells 17 in-app purchases, starting at $2.39 per month and RUN sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.1 for Birdfy against 4.3 for RUN. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3.8K and 1.2K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 49% of Birdfy's written reviews are positive against 21% of RUN's.

Birdfy ships an update every 10 days, RUN every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on October 25, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Birdfy | RUN |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.1 (3.8K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/birdfy/id6463374220/reviews) | **[4.3 (1.2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/run-chicken/id6468944470/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **3.8K** | 1.2K |
| Positive reviews | **48.9% of reviews** | 21.4% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 10 days** | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 282 MB | 116 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.5 | **15.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [NETVUE, INC.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1530898976) | [RUN-TIGER](https://appshunter.io/developer/1711002359) |

## What reviewers say

### Birdfy

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/birdfy/id6463374220)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (17)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Collection Storage Basic mo. | $2.39 | per month |
| MVR - Basic - Monthly | $2.39 | per month |
| MVR - Plus - Monthly | $3.59 | per month |
| Collection Storage Plus mo. | $4.69 | per month |
| Hummingbird Recognition mo. | $4.69 | per month |
| Bird Recognition Basic mo. | $5.89 | per month |
| Collection Storage Pro mo. | $7.09 | per month |
| MVR - Pro - Monthly | $7.09 | per month |
| Collection Storage Basic ann. | $23.49 | per year |
| MVR - Basic - Annual | $23.49 | per year |
| MVR - Plus - Annual | $35.49 | per year |
| Hummingbird Recognition ann. | $45.99 | per year |
| Collection Storage Plus ann. | $46.95 | per year |
| Bird Recognition Basic ann. | $57.99 | per year |
| Collection Storage Pro ann. | $70.99 | per year |
| Hummingbird Reco. Lifetime | $85.99 | one-time |
| Bird Recognition Lifetime Plan | $99.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Easy to use
- 👍 Intuitive app layout
- 🎥 Great video quality
- 🐦 Excellent for bird watching
- 💡 Useful community features

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes or freezes
- 🔌 Connectivity issues
- 🤖 Inconsistent bird identification
- 🔍 Difficult to navigate/use
- 💰 Paywall for advanced features

**Reported bugs**

- Inability to delete devices
- Unreliable live view and video uploads
- Unexpected app logout and account deletion

**Requested features**

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


### RUN

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/run-chicken/id6468944470)

Control and optimize your automated chicken coop door. Set custom timers or sync with sunrise for automatic opening and closing. Monitor door status for flock safety and convenience.

**Highlights:** Configure door opening/closing, Set custom timers, Sync with sunrise, Built-in GPS feature, Overview of door statuses, User-friendly interface

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium - Monthly | $3.99 | per month |
| Premium - Yearly | $39.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy installation and setup (for some)
- 👍 Reliable operation (for some)
- 👍 Keeps chickens safe at night
- 👍 Convenient automatic open/close
- 👍 Works with older models (with workaround)

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 App connectivity issues
- 🐛 Bluetooth connection problems
- 🐛 App updates breaking functionality
- 🐛 Incompatibility with older/non-Bluetooth models
- 🐛 Loss of manual control/buttons

**Reported bugs**

- Bluetooth not connecting
- App not detecting doors after update
- Door resets and stays open after update
- Non-Bluetooth doors incompatible with new app
- App locks up and doesn't respond

**Requested features**

- Bring back physical buttons
- Allow programming without internet
- Add remote open/close functionality
- Show door status (open/closed/stuck)
- Improve app stability


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Birdfy free?

Birdfy is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is RUN free?

RUN is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Birdfy or RUN?

RUN is rated higher. Birdfy averages 4.1 out of 5 from 3.8K ratings, while RUN averages 4.3 from 1.2K ratings.

### Do Birdfy or RUN have ads?

Neither Birdfy nor RUN shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Birdfy or RUN?

Birdfy ships an update every 10 days, and RUN every 3 weeks. Most recently, Birdfy was updated on October 25, 2026 and RUN on October 25, 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.*