Aussie Bird Count vs iNaturalist
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Aussie Bird Count
Participate in a nationwide citizen science event by counting local birds. Spend 20 minutes observing and recording avian species in your chosen outdoor location. The app assists with bird identification and contributes valuable data to conservation efforts.
- Citizen science bird counting
- Local bird observation
- Bird identification tool
- Data contribution to conservation
- Outdoor nature connection
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Join the Aussie Bird Count! BirdLife Australia’s Aussie Bird Count is one of Australia’s biggest citizen science events. Every October, join tens of thousands of Australians of all ages and experiences in getting outdoors and having fun getting to know your local birds – while helping BirdLife Australia collect information about the birds around us. To take part, register as a counter at aussiebirdcount.org.au and download the Aussie Bird Count app. Then, during the Count, simply spend 20 minutes at a time watching, counting and recording the birds you see in the app. You can count from anywhere: from home, at school, in your backyard or a nearby park or any outdoor space of your choosing. Each count takes just 20 minutes, and it’s a great excuse to get outdoors and connect with nature. The app even has a handy built-in Bird Finder tool to help you identify birds you’re unsure of.
iNaturalist
Identify plants, animals, and fungi using your camera or imported photos. Get AI-powered species suggestions and connect with a global community of nature enthusiasts to learn more about the natural world and contribute to scientific conservation efforts.
- AI species identification
- Record species observations
- Contribute to scientific data
- Explore biodiversity
- Connect with nature enthusiasts
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Your photos of plants, animals, fungi, and more can help protect nature all around the world. iNaturalist is free, nonprofit, and community-powered. iNaturalist helps millions of people learn about and document the nature around them. Point your camera at plants, animals, and fungi to get instant identification suggestions, then share your photos or sound recordings as an "observation." Then, see your observation get reviewed by a global community of knowledgeable nature-lovers to turn it into a useful data point for science and conservation efforts. Your everyday moments of curiosity can directly contribute to protecting nature, and you don't need any previous experience or knowledge to get started. iNaturalist is a mission-driven nonprofit dedicated to connecting people to nature and advancing biodiversity science and conservation, and is freely available thanks to the generous support of our community. KEY FEATURES • Identify species from anywhere in the world • Contribute to science by sharing your observations • Keep a record of species you see • Explore and protect biodiversity • Connect with and learn from other nature enthusiasts
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Aussie Bird Count at 5.0 against iNaturalist's 4.1. Aussie Bird Count also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.1). iNaturalist's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 12 months) and ratings volume (684 vs 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.
Aussie Bird Count holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: iNaturalist has 684 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 50% of Aussie Bird Count's written reviews are positive against 49% of iNaturalist's.
Aussie Bird Count ships an update every 12 months, iNaturalist fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Aussie Bird Count | iNaturalist |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better | 4.1 (684 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 50.0% of reviews — better | 48.7% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 2 | 684 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 12 months | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Ad-supported | Free — better |
| Best chart rank | — | #63 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 15.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 70 MB | 220 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | BirdLife Australia Ltd. | iNaturalist |
Customer experience
Aussie Bird Count
iNaturalist
Bugs and requests
Aussie Bird Count
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
iNaturalist
Reported bugs
5 issues- App freezes when suggesting IDs on audio clips
- Inconsistent tap responsiveness in search menu
- Observation time not accurately filling based on upload time
- Map showing incorrect observation locations
- Crashes and performance issues on some devices
Requested features
5 requests- Ability to type in address/coordinates for location
- Option to add observations to projects during upload
- Batch editing/uploading of observations
- More precise search filters (e.g. aquatic, parasitic, migratory)
- Bring back colored observation markers on map
In-app purchases
Aussie Bird Count
No in-app purchases
iNaturalist
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Aussie Bird Count free?
Is iNaturalist free?
Which has better reviews, Aussie Bird Count or iNaturalist?
Do Aussie Bird Count or iNaturalist have ads?
Which is updated more often, Aussie Bird Count or iNaturalist?
Other comparisons
