# Big River Watch vs Global Explorers

The clearest difference is update cadence: Global Explorers at fortnightly against Big River Watch's every 4 months. Big River Watch's advantage is iOS requirement (14.0 vs 16.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

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, Global Explorers fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on June 1, 2026 and September 16, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Big River Watch | Global Explorers |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Size | 32 MB | 3.7 GB |
| Requires iOS | **14.0** | 16.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [The Rivers Trust (UK)](https://appshunter.io/developer/1704314996) | [martin jones](https://appshunter.io/developer/1291947940) |

## What reviewers say

### Big River Watch

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/big-river-watch/id6463412601)

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.

**Highlights:** Citizen science river surveys, Record wildlife and pollution, Upload river photographs, Wildlife and pollution ID guides, Offline survey submission, Contribute to river restoration data

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Global Explorers

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/global-explorers/id6473273797)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Big River Watch free?

Big River Watch is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Global Explorers free?

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

### Do Big River Watch or Global Explorers have ads?

Neither Big River Watch nor Global Explorers shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Big River Watch or Global Explorers?

Big River Watch ships an update every 4 months, and Global Explorers fortnightly. Most recently, Big River Watch was updated on June 1, 2026 and Global Explorers on September 16, 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.*