Comparison

BatLib vs Bat Detector

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

Head to head
About

BatLib

Features
Read full description

The BatLib app plays the different ultrasonic calls of most European bats, transformed into the audible range using the heterodyne mixer method. This is particularly useful for comparing directly with the output of the BATSCANNER device to help determine the species. 1. Enter the frequency that your BATSCANNER displays to filter the species 2. Listen to the typical bat call sequences 3. Compare the sound with what you hear from your BATSCANNER 4. Sounds similar? Read additional information about the bat species, such as acoustic characteristics, size, habitat, photos, etc. Further information about our bat products: www.batscanner.ch

About

Bat Detector

Listen to and record the ultrasonic sounds of bats using your iPhone or iPad. This app reveals bat acoustics through heterodyne detection and 16x time expansion, making their calls audible and musical. It also offers full-spectrum recordings triggered by bat sounds.

Highlights
  • Heterodyne bat detection without manual tuning
  • 16x time expansion for audible bat sounds
  • Full-spectrum recordings triggered by bat sounds
  • Real-time sound demodulation
  • Preserves harmonic relationships in bat calls
  • Supports European and global microbats
Read full description

Simply connect an inexpensive ultrasonic USB microphone to your iPhone or iPad and open your ears up to the extraordinary world of bat acoustics.  Build a dedicated USB microphone for under £10 : https://shorturl.at/e2A3U - : or buy one pre-assembled and tested for about £65 that also operates as a standalone bat detector https://www.apodemus.eu/nl/Apodemus-Pipistrelle-Mini/00126 All European bats and most of the world's "microbats" navigate, hunt and communicate using ultrasonic sounds, too high-pitched for human hearing. Bat Detector reveals those sounds to human ears, and has two different methods to make ultrasonic bat sounds audible.  HETERODYNE BAT DETECTION WITHOUT MANUAL TUNING Firstly, Bat Detector supports the classic technique of heterodyne bat detection. Heterodyning is a simple process that operates in true real-time, demodulating the bat sounds with a carrier signal just like an old transistor radio. Most heterodyne bat detectors require you to manually tune into different species, but Bat Detector operates without any manual tuning, instead it tunes into the strongest bat signal it can hear. The heterodyne process then turns any bats sounds it hears into percussive cracks, pops and slaps, or in the specific case of leaf-nosed bats such as Horseshoe species, strange alien warbles. These are often thought of as "bat sounds" - they are not. They are sounds synthesised by bat detectors using bat sounds as a source - rhe harmonic content of heterodyned sounds is distorted and mangled, and these sounds bear literally no relationship to the sounds the bats actually made. However, operating in true real-time means that the rhythm of the bats calls is preserved, and heterodyned bat sounds - despite sounding nothing like bats - are diagnostic and distinctive, so heterodyning remains an invaluable tool for all bat workers and enthusiasts. EXPERIENCE TRUE BAT SOUNDS FOR THE FIRST TIME WITH 16x TIME EXPANSION Time Expansion was previously a very high-end, expensive option. Time Expansion in Bat Detector operates in quasi real-time, capturing small snippets of bat sound and playing them back at 1/16 speed. 16 is a number chosen for two good reasons. Firstly it brings the bat sounds down to an easy range for human hearing, the sounds generated by Bat Detector range from between 1kHz to just under 7kHz. 16x Time Expansion preserves the harmonic relationships between the bat sounds, so it is a MUSICAL transformation. The bat sounds are not only slowed down but are transposed down by exactly 4 octaves. This means if a bat calls a C#, you will hear a C#, but 4 octaves lower. You will be surprised how beautiful and musical bat sounds are when time-expanded. When used in conjunction with heterodyning, and with the accurate frequency read out on the display, bat species identification is made much easier and more reliable. FULL-SPECTRUM 384kHz RECORDINGS TRIGGERED BY BAT SOUNDS When "RECORD" is engaged Bat Detector will trigger a 5 second full-spectrum recording at 384kHz whenever it hears a bat, or at least something that it *thinks* sounds like a bat. These are not the recordings of the sounds you hear coming from the detector, but are the sounds going INTO the detector - the true ultrasonic sounds that the bats made, too high for humans to hear. You will need specialist software to examine these files after you export them from your device to a computer. DEMO MODE FOR EDUCATION AND TRAINING If you want to experience bat sounds during the daytime, in a classroom environment, or when there aren't any bats around, just turn on Demo Mode in the Bat Detector section of the settings App, and Bat Detector will loop through a collection of bat recordings from Wiltshire, England. Alternatively, if you have recordings of your own that you wish to use, create a folder called Demo in Files->Bat Detector and Bat Detector will use these in Demo mode rather than its built-in recordings.

Screenshots

BatLib3 screens
Bat Detector4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Bat Detector at monthly against BatLib's every 26 months. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

BatLib ships an update every 26 months, Bat Detector monthly. The most recent releases landed on December 13, 2025 and September 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
BatLib versus Bat Detector: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBatLibBat Detector
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—40.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—2 — better
Update frequencyEvery 26 monthsMonthly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
Monetization—Free
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.015
Further details — not scored
Size38 MB136 MB
Age rating4+9+
DeveloperElekon AGPhil Atkin

In-app purchases

None

BatLib

No in-app purchases

None

Bat Detector

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is BatLib free?
BatLib is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Bat Detector free?
Bat Detector is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do BatLib or Bat Detector have ads?
Neither BatLib nor Bat Detector shows ads.
Which is updated more often, BatLib or Bat Detector?
BatLib ships an update every 26 months, and Bat Detector monthly. Most recently, BatLib was updated on December 13, 2025 and Bat Detector on September 2, 2026.

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