eBirdvs
Merlin Bird ID
Merlin Bird ID: If you need help identifying a bird rather than logging one you already recognise
eBird
Free citizen-science checklist app from Cornell Lab of Ornithology for logging bird sightings
As of 1 September 2026, eBird is free to use. A free app and database for recording bird checklists, run by the same Cornell Lab of Ornithology that builds Merlin. Softwr lists it under Education. eBird is made by Cornell Lab of Ornithology, available on iOS, Android, Web.
Overview
What eBird does
eBird lets birdwatchers log checklists of species seen at a location and time, which are submitted to a global database reviewed by volunteer regional editors for plausibility. That database is used by ornithologists, conservation groups and government agencies to track migration timing, population trends and range shifts, making eBird one of the few consumer apps where casual use directly produces research data. The distinguishing fact against Merlin, its sister app, is purpose: Merlin is an identification tool for someone who does not yet know what they are looking at, while eBird is a recording tool for someone who already knows and wants to log it, explore hotspots, and track a personal life list. The two integrate, since Merlin can pull likely-species rankings from eBird sighting data and identifications made in Merlin can be pushed into an eBird checklist. Buyers are again nobody, since eBird is free like Merlin, funded the same way through Cornell Lab of Ornithology donor and grant base. The audience ranges from casual backyard listers to serious birders competing on regional rarity boards, and the trade-off is that eBird assumes identification competence; it does not tell you what bird you saw.
What people use it 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
Related searches
The honest half
Where it falls short
Concrete and checkable, so you can decide whether any of them matter to you. This is the half of a review a vendor will not write about 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.
Cross-shopped
What people choose instead of eBird
Each pairing was judged by two reviewers asking whether a buyer would genuinely weigh the two against each other. The ones that failed were deleted rather than published.
- eBirdvsSeek by iNaturalist
Seek by iNaturalist: If you want to log broader wildlife and plant sightings rather than birds specifically
Pricing
What eBird costs
Taken from the vendor's own pricing page. Prices move, so check before you buy.
eBird
Free
- Unlimited checklist logging
- Hotspot and rare bird alerts
- Web and mobile access
Capabilities
Features
Checklist logging
Record species, counts, location and time as a structured checklist
Hotspot exploration
Browse nearby birding locations ranked by species diversity and recent activity
Life list tracking
Personal running totals of species seen by location, year or lifetime
Rare bird alerts
Notifications when a notable or rare species is reported nearby
Regional review
Volunteer editors flag and verify unusual sightings before they enter the public dataset
Data used in research
Sightings feed studies on migration timing, range shifts and population trends
Answered, with sources
Questions people ask
Each answer names the page it came from, so you can check it rather than take our word for it.
Is eBird free?
Yes, entirely, with no ads or paid tier, funded by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
Does eBird identify birds?
No, it records checklists of species you already believe you saw; Merlin Bird ID handles identification.
Who uses the data?
Researchers, conservation organisations and government agencies use eBird data to study migration and population trends.
Keep looking
Where to go from eBird
- eBird alternativesEvery product people weigh against it
- eBird pricingPlans, floors and what the tiers exclude
- eBird badgesWhich rules it meets, and the figure behind each
- All Education softwareThe full category
- Best Education softwareThe shortlist, and how it was cut
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Softwr does not host reviews and shows no star rating for eBird, because a rating we did not collect is not ours to publish. What is here is the pricing and platform detail from the vendor’s own pages, limitations we could state concretely, and alternatives a reviewer confirmed people weigh against it. Tell us if any of it is wrong.
More on eBird
eBird alternatives
What people switch to, and what they give up
eBird pricing
Every tier, and where the cost actually lands
Compare eBird
Put it head to head with anything we hold
eBird badge
Its rating, and an embed for your own site
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