Education · head to head
eBird vs Securly
eBird
Education
Free citizen-science checklist app from Cornell Lab of Ornithology for logging bird sightings
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
Securly
Education
Web filtering, student safety monitoring and device management for K-12 schools
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only eBird has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: eBird it does not identify birds for you, so a beginner needs Merlin or field guide knowledge alongside it.; 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: eBird covers Checklist logging, Securly covers Filter.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which eBird and Securly actually diverge.
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 eBird
- Checklist logging
- Hotspot exploration
- Life list tracking
- Rare bird alerts
- Regional review
- Data used in research
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.
eBird
- A birder who wants to keep a searchable life list across every location they have visitednot Securly
- Someone wanting alerts when a rare species is reported nearbynot Securly
- A researcher or land manager pulling public sighting data for a specific regionnot Securly
- A group leading a birding outing who wants to log a shared checklist for the tripnot Securly
Securly
- A district that must show CIPA compliance for take-home Chromebooks used on home broadband, where network-level filtering does nothingnot eBird
- A district whose safeguarding policy requires that a human being reads a self-harm alert within minutes at any hour, including school holidaysnot eBird
- A one-to-one iPad programme needing Apple device enrolment, filtering and classroom control from a single agent rather than threenot eBird
- 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 eBird
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
eBird
- It does not identify birds for you, so a beginner needs Merlin or field guide knowledge alongside it.
- Data quality depends on volunteer regional review, so unusual sightings can take time to verify or may be rejected.
- The interface is built for structured data entry rather than casual browsing, which some users find less inviting than a photo-first app.
- Hotspot and rare bird alert usefulness varies heavily by region, since it depends on local birder density submitting checklists.
- As a research tool first, some workflows such as trip list exports and taxonomy changes prioritise data accuracy over ease of use.
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
eBird
Free- eBirdFree
- Unlimited checklist logging
- Hotspot and rare bird alerts
- Web and mobile access
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 eBird if
- You need checklist logging.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on iOS, Android, Web.
- You also want hotspot exploration.
Choose Securly if
- You need filter.
- You work on Web, iOS, Android, Chrome OS, Windows.
- You also want aware.
Questions people ask
- Is eBird or Securly better?
- Neither clearly leads. eBird 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, eBird or Securly?
- eBird has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for eBird and On request for Securly.
- Does eBird or Securly run on more platforms?
- eBird runs on iOS, Android, Web. Securly runs on Web, iOS, Android, Chrome OS, Windows.
- Can I use eBird for free?
- Yes. eBird has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Securly starts at On request.
- What is eBird best used for?
- eBird is most often used for a birder who wants to keep a searchable life list across every location they have visited, someone wanting alerts when a rare species is reported nearby, a researcher or land manager pulling public sighting data for a specific region, a group leading a birding outing who wants to log a shared checklist for the trip. Of those, a birder who wants to keep a searchable life list across every location they have visited and someone wanting alerts when a rare species is reported nearby are not what Securly is typically brought in for.
- What can eBird do that Securly cannot?
- eBird covers Checklist logging, Hotspot exploration, Life list tracking, Rare bird alerts. Securly covers Filter, Aware, On-Call, Classroom.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
eBird: Is eBird free?
Yes, entirely, with no ads or paid tier, funded by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
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.
eBird: Does eBird identify birds?
No, it records checklists of species you already believe you saw; Merlin Bird ID handles identification.
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.
eBird: Who uses the data?
Researchers, conservation organisations and government agencies use eBird data to study migration and population trends.
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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