Big River Watch vs FfWHR Explore
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side β with what reviewers say about each.
Big River Watch
Participate in citizen science by observing your local river and reporting on wildlife, water quality, and pollution. Your submissions contribute to a valuable dataset supporting river restoration efforts across the UK and Ireland. The app includes identification guides for wildlife and pollution.
- Citizen science river surveys
- Record wildlife and pollution
- Upload river photographs
- Wildlife and pollution ID guides
- Offline survey submission
- Contribute to river restoration data
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Our rivers face threats from plastic, sewage, nutrient and chemical pollution, which harm wildlife and us. The Big River Watch app is simple citizen science survey that anyone can take part in across the UK and Ireland, that aims to help support river restoration. All you need to do is spend a little time watching your local river and answering the questions in the app. From wildlife and water colour to plastics and pollution, Big River Watch app allows you to record your valuable observations and to upload a photograph of your local river. The app also contains handy wildlife and pollution ID guides. All of the surveys submitted will form a large data set that helps us understand what, and where, some of the problems in our rivers lie. This widespread and up-to-date information is key to support measures taken to improve our rivers. You can complete the survey at any time throughout the year, and you can do more than one survey. Surveys can be completed whilst out and then submitted at a later time if there is not sufficient mobile signal at your survey location. You should not enter the river or put yourself in a dangerous position to complete this survey. The Big River Watch is coordinated by The Rivers Trust and supported by partners and funding from: CIWEM and The Rivers Trust Foundation, for Water Research (FWR) legacy fund and Catchment Systems Thinking Cooperative (CaSTCo) project from the Ofwat Innovation fund.
FfWHR Explore
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Explore the history and stations of the Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland Railways. Delve in to the fascinating stories of developing the railway and stations. The App includes an βOut the Windowβ game, so make sure to keep your eyes peeled and try to spot all the animals, locomotives, and points of interest along the 40 miles of outstanding scenery.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: FfWHR Explore at every 5 weeks against Big River Watch's every 4 months. FfWHR Explore also leads on iOS requirement (12.0 vs 14.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Big River Watch ships an update every 4 months, FfWHR Explore every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and October 3, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Big River Watch | FfWHR Explore |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | β |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 5 weeks β better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | β |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod β better |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 | 12.0 β better |
| Further details β not scored | ||
| Size | 32 MB | 206 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | The Rivers Trust (UK) | Heritage Interactive Ltd |
In-app purchases
Big River Watch
No in-app purchases
FfWHR Explore
No in-app purchases







