# CitSci vs Creek Critters

The clearest difference is rating: Creek Critters at 4.8 against CitSci's 4.5. Creek Critters also leads on ratings volume (25 vs 2) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). CitSci's advantage is update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 4 months). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Creek Critters holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Creek Critters has 25 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.

CitSci ships an update every 6 weeks, Creek Critters every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | CitSci | Creek Critters |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/citsci/id657196305/reviews) | **[4.8 (25 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/creek-critters/id896125310/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 2 | **25** |
| Positive reviews | — | 92.3% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 6 weeks** | Every 4 months |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 33 MB | 33 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Greg Newman](https://appshunter.io/developer/1536428997) | [Nature Forward, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1060530145) |

## What reviewers say

### CitSci

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/citsci/id657196305)

Empower your community with a tool for collecting and uploading scientific observations. This app facilitates citizen science projects, allowing users to contribute valuable data directly to a central platform.

**Highlights:** Data collection for citizen science, Upload observations to CitSci.org, Empowers community science projects, Syncs with web platform, Facilitates observation contribution

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Creek Critters

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/creek-critters/id896125310)

Identify aquatic macroinvertebrates to assess stream health. This educational tool uses visual keys and automatically generates reports based on your findings, allowing you to map your stream's condition.

**Highlights:** Identify stream macroinvertebrates, Visual identification key, Automatic stream health reports, Map stream health reports, Educational tool

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is CitSci free?

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

### Is Creek Critters free?

Creek Critters is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, CitSci or Creek Critters?

Creek Critters is rated higher. CitSci averages 4.5 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while Creek Critters averages 4.8 from 25 ratings.

### Do CitSci or Creek Critters have ads?

Neither CitSci nor Creek Critters shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, CitSci or Creek Critters?

CitSci ships an update every 6 weeks, and Creek Critters every 4 months. Most recently, CitSci was updated on November 1, 2026 and Creek Critters on November 6, 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.*