Collins Bird Guide vs Raptor ID
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Collins Bird Guide
This comprehensive field guide app helps users identify European bird species with detailed illustrations, sounds, and text. It offers powerful search filters, sighting logs, and curated lists of similar birds for quick identification. Optional in-app purchases unlock video clips and advanced AI-powered identification assistance.
- 973 species covered
- 3,700+ illustrations
- Detailed species text
- Record sightings
- Powerful search filter
- Confusable species lists
- 1,100+ songs and calls
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‘It’s much more convenient than taking a big book with you...the Collins app is fantastic.’ – Chris Packham, Metro ‘The Collins Bird Guide app is destined to become a real triumph, the ultimate in field guide apps — and deservedly so.’ – BirdGuides The Collins Bird Guide App combines world-class illustrations and comprehensive information with intuitive design to create the ultimate field guide for passionate birders and casual birdwatchers alike. The app is based on the landmark book by Lars Svensson, Killian Mullarney and Dan Zetterström, universally acknowledged as the standard European field guide. This definitive work has been reimagined for iPad and iPhone by birders for birders. The Collins Bird Guide App provides everything you need to identify a species quickly and learn about it thoroughly. Immerse yourself in the exceptional illustrations, maps, calls and concise text. Use the powerful search filter and curated confusion lists to focus in on a species. The Collins Bird Guide App is an essential companion always to hand on your iPhone, and available to browse in full glory on your iPad. Features include: ‣ 973 species covered - 843 illustrated ‣ 3,700+ beautiful illustrations by Killian Mullarney and Dan Zetterström ‣ Detailed text covering habitat, range, identification and voice by Lars Svensson ‣ Record sightings, location and date with the listing tool ‣ Powerful search filter ‣ Intuitive design to quickly and easily swipe through species ‣ Curated lists of confusable species ‣ Over 1,100 carefully selected songs and calls – many by Lars Svensson ‣ Select species names from 30+ languages ‣ Expertly edited video clips for 811 species in the app (require in-app purchase) ‣ Available in English, Swedish, Norwegian, French and German ‣ Weighs nothing! Identify Assist is our brand-new subscription service. Instantly identify species from photos and recordings with cutting-edge AI. As well as this and the optional video library, the app incorporates British Trust for Ornithology/BirdWatch Ireland/Scottish Ornithologists' Club Bird Atlas 2007–11 mapping data as an in-app purchase, providing the most comprehensive location mapping of any bird guide app. The latest version of the app requires iOS 17.0 or later. If you like the app, don’t forget to share the app, rate it and leave a review. Privacy Policy natureguides.com/privacy-policy Terms of Use apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
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 price: Raptor ID at Free against Collins Bird Guide's $14.99. Raptor ID also leads on rating (4.5 vs 4.0) and in-app purchases (none vs 10). Collins Bird Guide's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 5 months). On ratings volume, device support and iOS requirement 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
Raptor ID is free to download; Collins Bird Guide costs $14.99 up front. Collins Bird Guide sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Raptor ID asks for nothing beyond the download.
Raptor ID holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 28 and 50 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 57% of Collins Bird Guide's written reviews are positive against 84% of Raptor ID's.
Collins Bird Guide ships an update every 3 weeks, Raptor ID every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Collins Bird Guide | Raptor ID |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $14.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.0 (28 ratings) | 4.5 (50 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 57.3% of reviews | 83.9% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 28 | 50 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks — better | Every 5 months |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Ad-supported — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 16.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 1.2 GB | 766 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | NatureGuides Ltd. | HawkWatch International |
Customer experience
Collins Bird Guide
Raptor ID
In-app purchases
Collins Bird Guide
- Identify Assist - monthly$2.991 Month
- Identify Assist - yearly14 Days trial$17.991 Year
- BTO Atlas Maps Pack$1.99
- DDA Maps$1.99
- Third edition$1.99
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- Video Library Volume 1$4.99
- Video Library Volume 2$4.99
- Video Library Volume 3$4.99
- EBBA2 Breeding Maps$4.99
- Video Library$9.99
Raptor ID
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Collins Bird Guide free?
Is Raptor ID free?
Which has better reviews, Collins Bird Guide or Raptor ID?
Do Collins Bird Guide or Raptor ID have ads?
Which is updated more often, Collins Bird Guide or Raptor ID?
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