Echo Meter Touch Bat Detector vs Raptor ID
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Echo Meter Touch Bat Detector
This app works with a specialized hardware module to detect, record, and identify bats by their ultrasonic echolocation calls. It offers real-time listening, spectrogram visualization, and automatic species identification for outdoor enthusiasts, citizen scientists, and researchers.
- Listen to bat echolocation calls
- View real-time spectrograms
- Automatic bat species identification
- Record full spectrum .wav files
- Map bat recording locations
- Transfer recordings to computer
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Using the Echo Meter Touch 2 Pro plug-in module, this app allows you to listen to record and automatically identify bats by their ultrasonic echolocation calls. The module and this companion app reveal the silent and often times invisible world of bats, providing outdoor enthusiasts, citizen scientists, and researchers an affordable and informative way to interact with these important creatures. There are two models: Echo Meter Touch 2 (EMT 2) is intended for nature enthusiasts and batting hobbyists and Echo Meter Touch 2 Pro is designed for bat professionals and features a higher quality microphone, adjustable gain, and higher sample rate. The Echo Meter Touch Ultrasonic Module senses ultrasonic signals, digitizes the signal, and transmits the ultrasonic data to the app on your iOS device. LISTEN TO BAT’S ECHOLOCATIONS EMT2 translates bat echolocations into frequencies that are audible to humans using two technologies. Wildlife Acoustics’ patented Real Time Expansion (RTE) allows you to listen to bats in real time with unparalleled fidelity. RTE maintains the timing and tonality of the original echolocations. Heterodyne (HET) listening via manual and automatic tuning is also available, for those accustomed to that way of hearing bats. VIEW THE ECHOLOCATIONS ON A SPECTROGRAM A real-time spectrogram shows the frequencies and timing of the echolocations. Scroll back in time and zoom in on previous "bat passes." SEE MOST LIKELY BAT SPECIES IN REAL-TIME*** The Auto ID feature analyzes the echolocation calls and suggests the two most likely bat species matches in real time. This is the same technology used in our professional Kaleidoscope Pro Bat Auto Identification software. Currently, the app can identify 26 species in North America, 25 in Europe and 57 in the neotropics. For more information on Kaleidoscope and a full list of species, visit our website. RECORD .WAV FILES Activate triggered recording mode to automatically save bat passes to full spectrum .wav files for analysis on a computer or to view on your iDevice. Or use manual record mode to control start and stop of recording. View the recording spectrogram and add voice or text notes. Listen to the recording using RTE, HET, or traditional Time Expansion Playback (playback at fractional speed to make the ultrasound audible). SEE YOUR PATH AND RECORDING LOCATIONS View in satellite or road map view. View identified species codes directly on the map. Go to the recording's spectrogram from the map view. Transfer to your computer to view in Google Earth. Your iDevice must have GPS capability or you must use a Bluetooth GPS receiver for this functionality. *Continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life.* TRANSFER RECORDINGS TO YOUR COMPUTER The EMT 2 can transfer the .wav recordings to your computer over a Wi-Fi network or using a USB cable. SHARE RECORDINGS VIA EMAIL OR MMS MESSAGING And import and open files that have been shared with you. ***Because bats vary their echolocation calls in response to a wide variety of needs, no automated identification can achieve 100% accuracy in species identification. Auto-ID, though largely accurate, should not be relied on as a basis for scientific research. Auto-ID is intended for use in analyzing recordings of single bats in free flight in low clutter environments. Auto-ID will not work well on recordings of roost emergence, multiple or captive bats, bats in high clutter environments, or bat social calls. Auto-ID does not include every possible bat for each of the covered regions. Echo Meter is a registered trademark of Wildlife Acoustics, Inc.
Raptor ID
This app provides expert-level identification for North America's diurnal raptors. It features nearly 1000 annotated photos and videos to help users identify birds in flight, catering to both beginners and experienced birdwatchers.
- 1000+ annotated photos
- Identification videos in flight
- Range maps with eBird links
- Species vocalizations
- Expert Q&A forum
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The first raptor identification app designed for mobile devices; "HawkWatch International's Identification Guide to Raptors" puts expert hawk identification content in the palm of your hand. In this guide to North America's 34 species of diurnal raptors, you'll find nearly 1000 annotated photos, and cutting edge identification video for each species, geared toward helping you identify raptors in flight. If you're just getting started with birding, this app covers the basics; if you're already an expert hawk watcher, this app covers all the variation that can lead to identification confusion, even among the most seasoned birders. • Developed by HawkWatch International in partnership with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology • Comprehensive identification content created by Jerry Liguori and Brian Sullivan • ~1000 annotated photos covering plumage, age/sex, and geographic variation • Cutting edge ID-focused video showing each species in flight, including voice-over ID tips from Jerry Liguori • Range maps with links to interactive seasonal eBird maps • Vocalizations for each species • 'Ask the authors' raptor ID question forum
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: Echo Meter Touch Bat Detector at none against Raptor ID's shown. Echo Meter Touch Bat Detector also leads on update cadence (every 2 months vs every 5 months) and monetization model (free vs ad-supported). Raptor ID's advantage is review sentiment (84% vs 59%). On price, rating, 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for Echo Meter Touch Bat Detector against 4.5 for Raptor ID. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 139 and 44 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 59% of Echo Meter Touch Bat Detector's written reviews are positive against 84% of Raptor ID's.
Echo Meter Touch Bat Detector ships an update every 2 months, Raptor ID every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and August 20, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Echo Meter Touch Bat Detector | Raptor ID |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (139 ratings) | 4.5 (44 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 59.0% of reviews | 83.9% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 139 — better | 44 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months — better | Every 5 months |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Ad-supported |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 127 MB | 766 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Wildlife Acoustics | HawkWatch International |
Customer experience
Echo Meter Touch Bat Detector
Raptor ID
In-app purchases
Echo Meter Touch Bat Detector
No in-app purchases
Raptor ID
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Echo Meter Touch Bat Detector free?
Is Raptor ID free?
Which has better reviews, Echo Meter Touch Bat Detector or Raptor ID?
Do Echo Meter Touch Bat Detector or Raptor ID have ads?
Which is updated more often, Echo Meter Touch Bat Detector or Raptor ID?
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