eBird Alert! vs Spark Birds
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
eBird Alert!
Discover rare bird sightings in your vicinity based on community-submitted checklists. Customize your search by distance, recency, and location. Access identification details and photos to aid your bird spotting.
- Find nearby rare bird sightings
- Customize sighting proximity and recency
- Filter by county or view all local birds
- Open sighting locations in maps
- View sighting comments
- Access bird identification details and photos
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eBird Alert! shows rare bird sightings in your area, found from the checklists your fellow birders have submitted to eBird -- a global online database of bird records used by hundreds of thousands of birders around the world. Features - Select how nearby and how recent the sightings can be. - Select which nearby county in which to find birds. - See rarities or all local birds. - Open a sighting location in Apple or Google Maps. - See all sighting comments for a particular location. - Get identification details and photos to help you spot the bird,. - If you spot it, add it to your checklist in the eBird app. Privacy - eBird Alert! requires your location to find nearby birds. It will never upload your location, or any other data, to any server.
Spark Birds
Identify birds with AI assistance, log your sightings, and discover avian activity in your area. This app offers a comprehensive library of species and allows you to receive alerts for birds nearby. It's designed for anyone interested in learning about and documenting birdlife.
- AI-assisted bird identification
- Save and manage bird sightings
- Explore nearby bird activity
- Receive local bird alerts
- Browse species library with details
- Share sightings with community
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Spark Birds helps you identify birds, save your sightings, and explore species around you. Full Access starts with a 7-day free trial, then £1.99 a year. Cancel anytime in your Apple ID subscriptions. Use Spark Birds to: - browse a rich bird species library with images and details - save and manage your own bird predictions and sightings - ask bird questions with AI-assisted answers - explore nearby bird activity and sightings - enable nearby bird alerts for locations you care about - share selected sightings with the community Whether you are birdwatching in the garden, on a walk, or while travelling, Spark Birds gives you a simple way to learn more about birds and keep a personal record of what you have seen. Some features require sign-in. Nearby alerts and uploads may require notification, microphone, photo library, or location permissions depending on how you use the app. Terms of Use (EULA): https://spark.clevermatrixdevelopments.co.uk/spark-birds/terms/ Privacy Policy: https://spark.clevermatrixdevelopments.co.uk/spark-birds/privacy/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Spark Birds at every 10 days against eBird Alert!'s every 3 weeks. Spark Birds also leads on iOS requirement (15.1 vs 18.2). On price, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
eBird Alert! ships an update every 3 weeks, Spark Birds every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | eBird Alert! | Spark Birds |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (8 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 8 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 10 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 18.2 | 15.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 12 MB | 50 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Colin Rafferty | Delroy Peters |
Customer experience
eBird Alert!
Spark Birds
In-app purchases
eBird Alert!
No in-app purchases
Spark Birds
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is eBird Alert! free?
Is Spark Birds free?
Do eBird Alert! or Spark Birds have ads?
Which is updated more often, eBird Alert! or Spark Birds?
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