Comparison

Big Year Birding ABA vs Birds Watcher

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

Head to head
About

Big Year Birding ABA

Easily record bird sightings in the field with location, date, and time automatically captured. Discover local birds, view recent sightings nearby, and export your data. Works offline and includes a comprehensive database of North American species.

Highlights
  • Automatic GPS location, date, and time recording
  • Comprehensive database of North American birds
  • Discover local birds by location and month
  • View and navigate to recent nearby sightings
  • Offline functionality
  • Create eBird upload files
  • Add personal photos and notes
Features
Read full description

Big Year Birding gives birders—from beginners to serious listers—a fast, easy way to record, organize, explore, and share their bird sightings. Whether you’re doing a Big Year, participating in a Christmas Bird Count, traveling to a new birding destination, or simply keeping track of the birds in your backyard, Big Year Birding makes logging your sightings quick and easy. **A Vastly Improved Birding Experience** Big Year Birding features a completely updated and vastly improved user interface designed to make recording birds in the field faster and more intuitive than ever. Spot a bird? Tap Add Sighting and Big Year Birding can automatically record the date, time, and GPS location, including city, state, and country. Your sightings can be displayed on a map or browsed in sortable lists. Start typing a bird’s name and quickly select the species you’ve seen. Add a count, comments, identification by ear, sex, public or private location, and other useful details. **Built for eBird** Big Year Birding works seamlessly with eBird. Import species information from eBird and easily export your sightings in an eBird-compatible format, making it simple to move observations from Big Year Birding into your eBird account. You can also explore recent eBird sightings near your current location or another location you choose. Browse nearby reports by species, location, or date, see sightings plotted on a map, and get directions to where a bird was reported. **Designed for Birding in the Field** Big Year Birding continues to be useful even when you’re birding in remote areas without an internet or cellular connection. The app includes North American bird species recognized within the ABA region, along with numerous rare and accidental species and birds added with the expansion of the ABA Area to Hawaii. Each species can include a reference photo, and you can add your own photographs to your sightings. Links to resources such as Cornell and Wikipedia provide additional information when an internet connection is available. **Your Lists, Your Way** Big Year Birding is highly customizable. View and organize your sightings by date, location, or species. Filter your records to show particular dates or locations, or display unique species only. With just a few taps, you can review your: • Life List • Year List • State List • Previous years • Individual locations and trips • Complete sighting history You can also export sightings—or selected subsets of sightings—to another device running Big Year Birding, making it convenient to use an iPhone in the field and an iPad at home or to share lists with family and friends. Share your sightings through text, email, social media, or export them to eBird. Created by birders for birders, Big Year Birding puts your sightings, lists, maps, local bird information, and eBird tools together in one place—so you can spend less time managing your records and more time birding.

About

Birds Watcher

Features
Read full description

BirdsWatcher: Your Personal Birdwatching Companion Discover, learn, and connect with BirdsWatcher, your ultimate tool for bird enthusiasts! Whether you're new to birdwatching or a seasoned birder, BirdsWatcher helps you grow your knowledge and appreciation for birds in the wild. Features: Bird Identification: Snap a photo of any bird and receive instant identification along with detailed information about its species and habitat. Comprehensive Bird Database: Explore our extensive library of bird species, complete with descriptions, behavior tips, and stunning photos. Subscription Plans: Enjoy unlimited bird analyses with flexible subscription options – Monthly, 3 Months, or Yearly. Automated Photo Filtering: All photos taken within the app are automatically filtered to ensure appropriate content, fostering a safe and respectful community. Why BirdsWatcher? Easy to Use: A simple, intuitive interface makes it easy to identify birds and learn more about them. Accurate and Reliable: Powered by advanced bird recognition technology and a comprehensive species database. Secure and Respectful: We prioritize your privacy and ensure that your data is handled with the highest standards. Subscription Details: Monthly: Unlimited analysis for one month. 3 Months: Unlimited analysis for three months. Yearly: Unlimited analysis for one year. Terms of use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Big Year Birding ABA4 screens
Birds Watcher4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Big Year Birding ABA at none against Birds Watcher's 3. Big Year Birding ABA also leads on update cadence (monthly vs every 3 months). Birds Watcher's advantage is iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). On price, ads 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. Birds Watcher sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Big Year Birding ABA asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Big Year Birding ABA ships an update monthly, Birds Watcher every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Big Year Birding ABA versus Birds Watcher: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBig Year Birding ABABirds Watcher
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (4 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews66.7% of reviews—
Number of ratings4 — better—
Update frequencyMonthly — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationAd-supported—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.012.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size95 MB74 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPVI Maine LLCWINAPP LTD

In-app purchases

None

Big Year Birding ABA

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Birds Watcher

Subscriptions3
  • Monthly subscription3 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • 3 months subscription3 Days trial$4.993 Months
  • Yearly subscription3 Days trial$7.991 Year

Questions

Is Big Year Birding ABA free?
Big Year Birding ABA is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Birds Watcher free?
Birds Watcher is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Big Year Birding ABA or Birds Watcher have ads?
Neither Big Year Birding ABA nor Birds Watcher shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Big Year Birding ABA or Birds Watcher?
Big Year Birding ABA ships an update monthly, and Birds Watcher every 3 months. Most recently, Big Year Birding ABA was updated on November 1, 2026 and Birds Watcher on November 8, 2026.

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