# eBird vs Birder

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 (#136 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.

Both are free to download. Birder sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month. eBird asks for nothing beyond the download.

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | eBird | Birder |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.8 (825 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ebird/id988799279/reviews) | **[4.2 (34 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/birder-bird-identifier/id6754037886/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **825** | 34 |
| Positive reviews | **37.1% of reviews** | 30.8% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Subscription |
| Best chart rank | **#136** | — |
| Size | 81 MB | 75 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **16.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Cornell University](https://appshunter.io/developer/382072985) | [Kazan Software](https://appshunter.io/developer/1812423921) |

## What reviewers say

### eBird

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ebird/id988799279)

**Currently charting:** #136 Top Free · Reference (US App Store)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Excellent for citizen science
- 🔍 Helpful for finding birds at hotspots
- 📚 Useful for tracking life lists
- 👍 Easy to use and submit checklists
- 🤝 Integrates well with Merlin Bird ID

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- 🔋 High battery consumption
- 📍 Issues with location tracking and mapping
- 🤔 Unintuitive user interface
- 🔒 Privacy concerns with location data

**Reported bugs**

- 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**

- 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

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/birder-bird-identifier/id6754037886)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (7)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Birder Pro Monthly | $7.99 | per month |
| Birder Pro Monthly | $8.99 | per month |
| Birder Pro Monthly | $9.99 | per month |
| Birder Pro Yearly | $19.99 | per year |
| Birder Pro Yearly | $29.99 | per year |
| Birder Pro Yearly | $34.99 | per year |
| Birder Pro Yearly | $39.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked 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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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*