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Education · head to head

Merlin Bird ID vs Securly

Merlin Bird ID logo

Merlin Bird ID

Education

Free bird identification app from Cornell Lab of Ornithology using photo, sound and step-by-step ID

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Securly logo

Securly

Education

Web filtering, student safety monitoring and device management for K-12 schools

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Merlin Bird ID has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Merlin Bird ID it only identifies birds, so it is not useful for plants, insects or other wildlife the way a general nature app is.; Securly pricing stacks by module and only Filter has rates that surface publicly, so the quoted total for Filter plus Aware plus On-Call is routinely several times the number a district budgeted from the filtering line alone.
  • They diverge on capability: Merlin Bird ID covers Sound ID, Securly covers Filter.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Merlin Bird ID and Securly actually diverge.

Attributes where Merlin Bird ID and Securly differ
AttributeMerlin Bird IDSecurly
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelFree, no ads and no in-app purchasesPer student per year by module
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsiOS, AndroidWeb, iOS, Android, Chrome OS, Windows

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Education).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Merlin Bird ID

  • Sound ID
  • Photo ID
  • Step-by-step ID
  • Offline regional packs
  • eBird-linked suggestions
  • No account required for basic use

Only in Securly

  • Filter
  • Aware
  • On-Call
  • Classroom
  • MDM
  • Pass
  • Home
  • Delegated admin

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Merlin Bird ID

  • A casual walker who hears a bird and wants to know what it is without paying for an appnot Securly
  • A birdwatcher building a life list who wants identification tied to real regional sighting datanot Securly
  • Someone teaching a child to identify birds without exposing them to ads or a paywallnot Securly
  • A hiker who wants offline bird identification in an area with no signalnot Securly

Securly

  • A district that must show CIPA compliance for take-home Chromebooks used on home broadband, where network-level filtering does nothingnot Merlin Bird ID
  • A district whose safeguarding policy requires that a human being reads a self-harm alert within minutes at any hour, including school holidaysnot Merlin Bird ID
  • A one-to-one iPad programme needing Apple device enrolment, filtering and classroom control from a single agent rather than threenot Merlin Bird ID
  • A district under pressure from parents who want visibility of what their child does on the school device at home, without the school having to field each request by handnot Merlin Bird ID

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Merlin Bird ID

  • It only identifies birds, so it is not useful for plants, insects or other wildlife the way a general nature app is.
  • Sound ID can struggle in noisy environments or with overlapping bird calls, since it depends on a clean audio signal.
  • Being a free institutional project, feature releases and interface polish move more slowly than a funded commercial app.
  • Photo ID accuracy drops for juvenile birds, moulting birds or poor-quality photos, more so than for well-lit adult specimens.
  • It has no social or gamified layer, so users who want streaks, badges or a community feed will find it plain by comparison.

Securly

  • Pricing stacks by module and only Filter has rates that surface publicly, so the quoted total for Filter plus Aware plus On-Call is routinely several times the number a district budgeted from the filtering line alone.
  • The safety scanning generates false positives at volume, including song lyrics, creative writing and health-class assignments, and each one consumes counsellor or administrator time that the vendor does not pay for.
  • Alerting on student writing is a surveillance decision with real community consequences, and districts that deploy it without an explicit board policy and parent notification have faced local objections after the fact.
  • Coverage is strongest on managed Chromebooks; personal devices, non-Chrome browsers and encrypted apps outside the agent leave gaps that the compliance story quietly depends on nobody testing.
  • Per-student pricing is charged on enrolment rather than on devices, so a district that issues devices to only some year groups still pays for every student on the roll.

Pricing, plan by plan

Merlin Bird ID

Free
  • Merlin Bird IDFree
    • All identification modes included
    • Offline regional bird packs
    • No account required for identification

Securly

On request
  • Filter$undefined/year
    • Web filtering on and off network
    • Tiered per-student rates that fall as enrolment rises
    • Published in some purchasing co-operative catalogues, not on the vendor site
  • Aware$undefined/year
    • Automated scanning of email, documents and search for safety risk
    • Quoted per student, no public rate
  • On-Call$undefined/year
    • 24/7 human review and escalation of serious alerts
    • Quoted per student, priced on top of Aware
  • Classroom, MDM and Pass$undefined/year
    • Sold as separate per-student modules
    • Quoted

Which should you pick?

Choose Merlin Bird ID if

  • You need sound id.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on iOS, Android.
  • You also want photo id.
Merlin Bird ID review

Choose Securly if

  • You need filter.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, Chrome OS, Windows.
  • You also want aware.
Securly review

Questions people ask

Is Merlin Bird ID or Securly better?
Neither clearly leads. Merlin Bird ID starts at Free and Securly at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Merlin Bird ID or Securly?
Merlin Bird ID has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Merlin Bird ID and On request for Securly.
Does Merlin Bird ID or Securly run on more platforms?
Merlin Bird ID runs on iOS, Android. Securly runs on Web, iOS, Android, Chrome OS, Windows.
Can I use Merlin Bird ID for free?
Yes. Merlin Bird ID has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Securly starts at On request.
What is Merlin Bird ID best used for?
Merlin Bird ID is most often used for a casual walker who hears a bird and wants to know what it is without paying for an app, a birdwatcher building a life list who wants identification tied to real regional sighting data, someone teaching a child to identify birds without exposing them to ads or a paywall, a hiker who wants offline bird identification in an area with no signal. Of those, a casual walker who hears a bird and wants to know what it is without paying for an app and a birdwatcher building a life list who wants identification tied to real regional sighting data are not what Securly is typically brought in for.
What can Merlin Bird ID do that Securly cannot?
Merlin Bird ID covers Sound ID, Photo ID, Step-by-step ID, Offline regional packs. Securly covers Filter, Aware, On-Call, Classroom.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Merlin Bird ID: Is Merlin Bird ID really free with no catch?

Yes. It has no ads, no in-app purchases and no subscription; it is funded by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology as a research and outreach tool.

Securly: Does Securly publish pricing?

Not on its own site. Tiered per-student rates for Filter appear in some US purchasing co-operative catalogues, falling as enrolment rises, but Aware, On-Call, Classroom, MDM and Pass are quoted.

Merlin Bird ID: How is it different from eBird?

Merlin identifies birds; eBird is where you log checklists and sightings that feed the research database Merlin draws its suggestions from.

Securly: What is the difference between Aware and On-Call?

Aware is the automated detection that produces alerts. On-Call is the staffed service that reads the serious ones out of hours and phones your escalation contacts. Buying Aware alone leaves the triage with your own staff.

Merlin Bird ID: Does it work offline?

Yes, once you download the regional bird pack for your area.

Securly: Does it filter on home internet?

Yes, filtering follows the managed device rather than the network, which is the point for take-home Chromebook programmes.

Securly: Is student data used for anything else?

Securly signs the US Student Privacy Pledge and district data processing agreements; check the specific DPA rather than the marketing page, since scanning scope and retention are negotiated terms.

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