Comparison

eBird vs Birder

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

Head to head
About

eBird

Easily record bird sightings in the field and contribute to a global database for scientific research and conservation. This app offers offline functionality, customized checklists, and GPS-enabled location plotting.

Highlights
  • Record bird observations globally
  • Global taxonomy and local common names
  • Location and time-based checklists
  • Rare species flagging
  • Offline functionality
  • GPS location plotting
  • Trip and day list tracking
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

eBird Mobile makes it easy to record the birds you see in the field, and seamlessly link these observations with eBird--a global online database of bird records used by hundreds of thousands of birders around the world. This free resource makes it easy to keep track of what you see, while making your data openly available for scientific research, education, and conservation. eBird Mobile is the only app that passes information directly from the iOS device to your eBird account on the web. Features - Enter bird observations from any location around the world. - Full global taxonomy based on The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. - Common names available in local languages (e.g., Portuguese names in Brazil or in Portugal). - Checklists customized for your location and time of year, showing most likely species based on eBird data. - Rare species flagged during data entry and on the checklist. - "Record as you go" functionality for incremental list keeping and counting while birding. - GPS enabled location plotting to ensure accuracy. - Map tools that enable selecting from hundreds of thousands of eBird "Hotspots." - Full offline functionality, enabling use in places with limited or no Internet connection. - Trip and Day list functionality that makes it easy to keep track of your species list on a particular outing. - Support for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. - Entire app translated to German, Mandarin, French, Spanish, Portuguese (Brazil), Turkish, and Dutch.

About

Birder

Discover and identify birds in the real world to complete your collection. Use your camera for automatic recognition or manually log species you know. Explore regional decks and track your progress towards 100% completion.

Highlights
  • Build bird collection
  • Photo recognition
  • Manual logging
  • Regional decks
  • Track stats
  • Complete sets
Features
Read full description

Birder is a collecting game played in the real world. The birds are already out there, on your street, in the park, along the trail. Your goal is simple: find them all, hatch every egg in your region, and complete your deck! Every bird species starts as a locked card. To reveal and collect the card, you have to find the bird in the real world. Whether you are walking to work or exploring a new city, you are already playing the game! You have two ways to unlock a bird: • Snap a photo and Birder identifies it for you • Manually log species you recognize yourself The more you look, the more you see. A quick errand becomes a chance to find something new. Places you walked past a hundred times might have the treasure! Game Features: • Build Your Collection: Start with a clutch of eggs and hatch them open one by one. Watch your gallery fill up as you unlock birds, building a unique deck of your finds. • Capture & Log: Unlock new birds instantly using the camera, or manually check off species you identify to keep your collection growing. • Keep Streak: Spot at least one bird a week to grow your streak. Miss a week? Your freeze quietly catches it. Once... • Regional Decks: Roam every region. Every location, from North America to Europe or Oceania, has its own unique set to complete. Master your home region, then conquer other regions when travelling. • Track Your Stats: See exactly how many birds are left to find to reach 100% completion in your region. Birder is a subscription-based app. All features require a paid subscription. Birder Yearly: • Gives you unlimited bird identifications for $29.99/year Subscriptions are auto-renewed. These prices are in US Dollars (USD). Pricing in other currencies and countries may vary and actual charges may be converted to your local currency depending on the country of residence. Read more about Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy below: • https://trybirder.com/terms-and-conditions.html • https://trybirder.com/privacy-policy.html

Screenshots

eBird4 screens
Birder4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: eBird at none against Birder's 7. eBird also leads on ratings volume (825 vs 34) and chart position (#149 vs unranked). Birder's advantage is rating (4.2 vs 3.8) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 2 months). On price, review sentiment, 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. Birder sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month. eBird asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Birder holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: eBird has 825 ratings behind it against 34, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 37% of eBird's written reviews are positive against 31% of Birder's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

eBird ships an update every 2 months, Birder every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
eBird versus Birder: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParametereBirdBirder
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.8 (825 ratings)4.2 (34 ratings) — better
Positive reviews37.1% of reviews — better30.8% of reviews
Number of ratings825 — better34
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterSubscription
Best chart rank#149 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.016.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size81 MB75 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCornell UniversityKazan Software

Customer experience

eBird

All ratings824 ratings
Positive67.6%
Neutral9.7%
Negative22.7%
Written reviews369 reviews
Positive37.1%
Neutral18.2%
Negative44.7%

Birder

All ratings34 ratings
Positive76.5%
Neutral5.9%
Negative17.6%
Written reviews26 reviews
Positive30.8%
Neutral11.5%
Negative57.7%

Bugs and requests

eBird

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • App crashes when trying to start a new checklist
  • Inability to log in or access account
  • Inconsistent behavior with bird pack downloads
  • Checklist data not syncing across devices
  • Explore feature not working as expected

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add ability to upload photos and audio directly in the app
  • Implement alphabetical sorting for checklists
  • Improve syncing between app and website
  • Add more advanced filtering and search options
  • Provide offline access to bird information

Birder

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

eBird

No in-app purchases

7 purchases

Birder

Subscriptions7
  • Birder Pro Monthly$7.991 Month
  • Birder Pro Monthly$8.991 Month
  • Birder Pro Monthly$9.991 Month
Show 4 more
  • Birder Pro Yearly7 Days trial$19.991 Year
  • Birder Pro Yearly7 Days trial$29.991 Year
  • Birder Pro Yearly7 Days trial$34.991 Year
  • Birder Pro Yearly7 Days trial$39.991 Year

Questions

Is eBird free?
eBird is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Birder free?
Birder is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, eBird or Birder?
Birder is rated higher. eBird averages 3.8 out of 5 from 825 ratings, while Birder averages 4.2 from 34 ratings.
Do eBird or Birder have ads?
Neither eBird nor Birder shows ads.
Which is updated more often, eBird or Birder?
eBird ships an update every 2 months, and Birder every 2 weeks. Most recently, eBird was updated on October 24, 2026 and Birder on October 25, 2026.

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