Smart Bird ID Reviews

by Trefoiles

If the developer would like me to purchase the ad free version it would help if it would correctly ID a bird ! I started my test with a Northern Cardinal whose call I knew. To be able to start a recording I had to listen to a 30 second commercial. Of course the bird had stopped singing by the time the commercial was finished. So I tried again and after another 30 seconds the matches were first a starling, next an American goldfinch and best of all a male mallard. When I selected one of the “matches” I got a screen with several calls, songs and some other choices. After playing the first call which did not match at all I tried to select another. I would only be able to listen to another listed call if I purchased it or listened to another 30 second commercial. Of course, I could not reject the choice I made and choose another without starting over. Needless to say I will not purchase the ad free version and will delete SmartBirdID .

by Men Igna

SmartBirdID is fun to use as I am a longtime bird enthusiast. My primary issue is every time I try to identify a bird either through song or by camera, I must watch a 30 second advertisement first. Usually the bird is long gone by the time the ad finishes.
The accuracy of the bird identifier is about 50%. We had a bird singing all night, SmartBirdID identified the song as a Mockingbird. Next day I saw the Mockingbird singing the same song. Today I saw and heard a crow clucking in a tree. I ran the song identifier and 30 seconds later it indicated the bird was either a Veery or a Marsh Wren, which is not even close. I attempted to use the camera ID but the bird was gone before the ad finished.
I also find it annoying every time I search for information I need to visit the store.
I use other bird identifier apps, as I am trying to determine which one I will spend money. This one is among the more accurate ones, but that is not saying much. I have no problem spending money on an app to rid the ads, but not if SmartBirdID is not accurate. The search continues...

by H8hackers

There’s multiple birds in my yard & I wanted to know which ones. I had to screenshot to save to show the neighbors since we feed them. But when I go to confirm a bird, it only lets me confirm one of six that are in my area. I can’t go back & look at all the birds & their calls, etc. You’d think if it confirmed several birds, that when I stopped the recording, I’d be able to go & scroll through all of them, but nope & that’s disappointing!
Otherwise I’d give you 5 stars!
If you could find a way to fix that eg: so ppl know that there’s starlings in my back yard & they’re a pain, others might want to know their location bcz of how destructive they are to other nesting birds! Please try & fix this & save all of the birds that it has recognized & we can go back & add each one & not just look at the ‘one’ we accepted!
Thank You in Advance esp if you’re able to modify SmartBirdID to do this!

by Skfhfenwnzicovndnwozjxdffff

So much good about SmartBirdID. I tested plenty of others. A few highlights: by sound SmartBirdID suggests the bird you are hearing and the % of liklihood. You can also take a picture and SmartBirdID helps identify the bird. Search by bird name (lots of good info), search by location. The social network allows you to see other (real) people’s sightings in your area - and you can track your findings! My favorite feature is the ability to listen to the various sounds of various birds. And SmartBirdID has more sounds than other apps. My only dislike is the inability to copy and paste info on the birds. I’d like to easily add notes to my journal by doing so. Excellent app that functions well. The free trial helps you know what level you want to pay for. And for what you get, the price is low. Great app!

by Brittski8

So far I do like SmartBirdID, even though I’ve had an app on my phone for birding that I do love! It’s always good to have another. I do love how you can take quizzes too. I have yet to try the identifying parts but look forward to doing that. However, the downside, as people have mentioned, are definitely the ads. I was attempting to take one of the quizzes but every five questions it stops to play a 30 or 15 second ad which is annoying. I know you have to expect that with a free app but 30 seconds is a long time. Plus one of the ads wouldn’t let me exit out so I had to exit SmartBirdID so now I will have to start the quiz all over again. Overall, seems like a decent app and I look forward to exploring it more and hopefully will be successful in taking future quizzes!

by Wine Steward

Much of the time SmartBirdID vacillates between three birds and none of them is correct. Moreover, when you want to listen to the default song for whatever it comes up with it says you have no internet connection. Then if that problem goes away, you can’t hear the sample song because it doesn’t play through the speakers! Frankly pathetic. I can do better listening to a song and going through another app full of songs per bird and narrowing it down that way.

UPDATE: The internet connection message seems to have resolved AND sounds now play through the speakers. Making progress!

by Tugsie

Here’s my situation and it may be a minute or so long but I just wanted to thank some people!
First off I was never looking for birds but my grandmother broke her wrist and came to live with me it’s been a couple months but a few weeks ago she started to ask about birds and bird feeders because we live in Phoenixville, PA
That being said I have like 10 bird feeders,bird suet feeders and meal worm feeders hummingbird feeders and of course I did this all for her so I found SmartBirdID and downloaded it next thing I know my wife and I are bouncing from window to window looking for birds and Identifying them with SmartBirdID so needless to say there’s 3 bird watchers at my house and grandma is running in 3rd place but we all love it thanks so much great app and fully recommend it to anyone I even asked for help and got a ID back the next day after I sent the email so thanks so much just happy and amazing things for us!!

by The Indestructible Virus

I use Merlin’s bird ID for basic identification of bird through their song and their plumage, but I find there isn’t much information about the bird on their app.

SmartBirdID is outstanding for more information about the bird! With information about what they eat and their habits, it’s a great education tool. I also really enjoy the song identification features and for people like me who find it hard differentiating bird songs every now and then. I also really like the social feature of SmartBirdID! Great to see where other borders have spotted some great finds!

Highly recommended :v

by Darklyde

I was looking for an app that is easy to use, responds quickly, and would identify birds by sound. This is it. When I hear a bird I want to identify, it is quick to get to the sound option. I like that I can save my identified birds and their sounds and any pictures I took. The free version worked fine, but I wanted more features. The price is right for upgrading. Make sure to understand the different options before selecting the right one for you. I impulsively selected the cheap option. I may upgrade to the more advanced option.

by LindaT24

I downloaded SmartBirdID to help identify a flock of birds I have been seeing this year that I had not seen before. SmartBirdID pulled up some suggestions based on my description, but none matched. I used the contact info in SmartBirdID to see if a person could give me a definitive match. Sure enough, within a day I had a reply back and the link he sent to a picture was a match to what I saw. Loved the quick personal response. Thanks, Michael!
P.S. I scrolled through the list of recent sightings and found a picture and name of a bird my sister and I had been trying to identify.

by JoyBethBrooks

I just purchased the full app and I think it is so worth it. It’s really fun to identify the birds using the camera and microphone. Sometimes if there are a lot of bird sounds around me, it takes awhile for the microphone to pick up the exact bird. I’ve noticed if I keep recording and wait a few minutes, it will give me a few birds to possibly choose from. The percentages and multiple attempts help me pick the right one. Im also able to verify it if I can get a picture of the bird. I’m happy to support SmartBirdID and get to know the birds in my surroundings and places I visit. Thank you for something educational that I can do with my children!

by Redlornie

I’ve never paid much attention to the birds that frequent my garden, but last year, during the lockdown, I spent more and more time outside and found myself fascinated by the birds who call my garden home.
I had absolutely no knowledge of what I was seeing and the Bird ID app has been absolutely invaluable in helping me to identify the birds and learn more about them.
SmartBirdID is easy to use, has multiple ways that you can search for a bird and the way that the birds are categorized is so simple.
I’m into my second spring of watching the activity in my garden and still use SmartBirdID every day.

by Hazard, Ky. Birdwatcher

Since retirement bird watching has become one of my great joys-the thing I wanted to do but never had time for. I have been so happy with the Smart Bird ID App. Everyday I discover something new in my own backyard. I am discovering the names, songs and feeding habits of a wide variety of birds using SmartBirdID as my primary learning tool. It is great having Michael and a team of experts at my fingertips. When I have a question I get immediate feedback. I can send a bird photo and they even confirm my identification. Without a doubt my most often used and shared app is Smart Bird ID. I would highly recommend it.

by ApplePie1

I love SmartBirdID!

It has a robust list of birds from all around the world and best of all it has all the birds where I live also.

As a novice birder, its hard to identify birds when you don’t have much to go on other than a few details like a splash of color here or there...but SmartBirdID makes it super easy to go through birds that other people are seeing in the same area. If you can get even a so-so picture of the bird you can upload it and it will give you suggestions on what bird it could be. You can even upload a sound bite or the bird’s song to help ID the bird — that’s amazing!

SmartBirdID also has built in quizzes to help you learn how to identify different birds. And even a quiz for learning sounds of birds!

And one of the most impressive aspects of SmartBirdID is the support. I had a few questions and suggestions and got feedback from the developer within the hour! That is an unprecedented level of support!

SmartBirdID is totally worth the money!

by M.e.m.d

I’ve been using the free version of SmartBirdID for about a year now. I finally decided to upgrade to the paid version because of their option to email pictures to a live person to help ID a bird that Didn’t find a match in the free database. The email came in Less than 24 hours. Michael was who wrote back and he verified the bird and also explained that the bird may not have successfully been Identified because it is molting. I especially like that you can reply to the emails and it is not a robo mail. If you’ve enjoyed the free version for awhile, I recommend you give the paid version a try.

by YoginiLG

I downloaded SmartBirdID, hoping it could help identify some of our backyard birds.
I was blown away at the fact that SmartBirdID can also give more insight into the specific bird that is located. Appx distance and tells how many were heard. Then begins your log of your birds, and keeps the recording for you.
As a mother of three sons, ages 9, 7 & 4 who want to know all these birds we see and hear in our yard... it’s SO much fun to do with them! And then, some kind of crazy magic happens and my boys are now reading ALL about birds. 🤩🤓 🦅 🐦
We are so excited to use it on our vacation next week to the Gulf of Mexico. On our hikes we love using this!
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️- 5 stars 100%!

by Abbracia

Some bird calls and songs happen out of my sightline, and I love SmartBirdID for allowing me to quickly record sound and identify the birds. Then I get to read more about the bird, sample its other calls, and even report the bird's location. I use SmartBirdID in my home garden of many feeders and bird baths, or at the local Wildlife Reserve where many migratory birds pass through seasonally. I like the ID features such as by question/look/size, and calls. There is a ton of good information supplied with SmartBirdID , like a field guide. I think it's perfect for everyone interested in birds. I tested out quite a few apps before deciding this one is well worth the premium all-in-one subscription membership. Thank you.

by 99chuck9999

So I’ve had SmartBirdID for awhile now and used it a bunch last summer while sitting on the porch to identify the neighborhood birds. Now that it is spring again, my little bird collection is growing as new flocks come in and over while they migrate. This morning I had a sweet little bird sitting right outside my office window chirping at me for hours. So I got curious and fired up my bird identification app! Of course I didn’t realize it was several updates behind - SmartBirdID just kept crashing so I emailed for help. Michael was very patient with me emailing back and forth - but we eventually figured out what had occurred and I was at last able to identify my sweet little house swallow. Thanks for your help, Michael! I anticipate using SmartBirdID a ton this spring and summer! I also absolutely love the birdsong library.

by Smokeydog1957

Fabulous app for a novice or seasoned bird watcher! For years, my husband and I have been searching through books trying to identify birds. No more! I even used a picture of a bird that my husband took last year to identify it. Amazing, had it within 10 seconds. Then I took my phone onto the deck to identify what bird the beautiful song was coming from, and bingo, just a few seconds and I had it. We have a number of bird feeders, and all I need to do is aim my camera on my phone at a bird, and within seconds I know what kind of “customers” are calling. As an added bonus, the yearly subscription was 50% off! For $10, I no longer need to frantically page through bird books, trying to remember every detail of a bird, and arguing with my husband as to what it is! Great app, great price and great timesaver! I highly recommend it.

by Liv, Dane And Bobby

My grandmother and I share a love for watching birds. Now living several states away, I am able to still connect with her over new birds we come across. My 7 year old son LOVES SmartBirdID.
My son is excited to spend time outdoors identifying various birds either by sight or sound.
I recently identified, what I thought was an Owl who hated me as it would “hoot” loudly near my window during the mid morning hours as a Mourning Dove!
My grandmother won the bet as she believed it was not an owl hooting mid-morning or afternoon.
SmartBirdID is basically making money for my grandmother!
In all seriousness, SmartBirdID is fun, educational, well organized, and by far my favorite app.
I emailed a question when I had trouble locating a bird and was pleasantly surprised to receive an email back within hours! It was an error on my part (no surprise) and not SmartBirdID .
I was very happy for such a persons experience in resolving my issue in a timely manner.
Worth every cent!
Well done and thank you to the owner of SmartBirdID!

by Batsandbugs524

I was excited to use SmartBirdID because it creates a collection of identified birds. I was willing to watch ads to see if I liked it and then would pay the 2.99 to upgrade. Instead, I don’t even want SmartBirdID . It makes me watch 5 or 6 videos in a row before it will let me ID anything, and by then, the bird is gone. Also the camera lags so badly, when I finally do get through the ads, I can’t properly take a picture. I’ll find another bird app to use.

by Mmzehr

Even more disappointing than having to put up with 30 second advertisements every five pictures, was the poor visual identification performance. I loaded photos of a Gadwall, Limpkin, Loggerhead Shrike, Common Gallinule, and Common Ground Dove. It only correctly identified the Common Ground Dove. The others were not even listed as viable options in the returns.

by Mooseman Of Milford

I added SmartBirdID and it will not open up. It downloaded the the camera and downloaded the data but when you try to use it it will not take a picture, accept a picture or let me manuel load the information. I even paid an extra $2.99 for no ads and when I try to open it the ad shows up.

by Marjimm

Says all that it will do: it was On my phone for all of five minutes Dash I would point my phone to a bird it just kept flashing pictures and show me percentages and that was just two or three times. The fourth time it was telling me if I wanted to remove the ads it was going to cost me $2.99 before we go any further. So don’t bother didn’t work got rid of it

by HornedPuffin

SmartBirdID may be free but it doesn’t work. It guesses wrong and it doesn’t even name the birds it finds. Instead of telling you the bird in the photo it just shows a percentage on 8 thumbnail images; as if that’s supposed to help.

I bought iBird Photo Sleuth which cost $4.99 but really works. I submitted 3 very bad quality bird photos. That app identified each perfectly. Plus it provided a ton of field guide details.

Why does Apple allow these bogus apps in the store?

by Artjojo

Rip off. Makes you watch video after video and never identifies one bird. Gives you choice of watching video and paying 2.99 for no ads but when you choose “watch video”, it still makes you watch more and never identifies!!! Want a refund! Rating less than one star.

by Brentmelben

I purchased the whole package and was excited that it actually found a bird by recording its sound. However, even with recording many many other times with other birds being definitely loud enough, it only ever gives that one bird as a result...even if that bird is no where near my yard (a mourning dove). So I feel that I’ve wasted nearly $7 bucks on an app that only ever hears a dove. I’m really disappointed.

by Southern~Belle

I think SmartBirdID is great & quite helpful, however with the last update all my saved bird sightings were deleted. I was rather upset about losing all my bird info!

by Fairygirl7321

OK so I tested this On a black capped chickadee seeing if it worked and it so in accurate it’s classified it as a Woodcock or something like that and I took another picture of it and then it’s still classified it as a type of Woodcock. And then I tried it on a Robin... wasn’t accurate they called it like a Woodcock or something a Woodcock or northern cardinal if I do remember correctly. So it’s inaccurate i’m going to head down to a pond probably and try it out on a mallard duck.

by Ash Play12774956:892

SmartBirdID is great for identifying birds and is great for me to identify them from song! But there is two things I dislike. 1, that ads are way too frequent. As soon as the ad ends, the bird flies away. It’s very annoying and I think that you should change the time of a ad every 5-10 mins so we can actually birdwatch. I also dislike that the pro is in only subscription form. I would definitely pay at least $10 to buy pro forever.

by Orion1950

Had a minor issue with SmartBirdID and sent Michael an email - he responded within 5 minutes with resolution options. It is obvious he is committed to the success of his product. Thank you Michael!

by Mister Fix-it

SmartBirdID is the best one I’ve ever had! The microphone and camera features are second to none! Never ending pleasure. The playing of the bird calls brings them around. I love it!

by JackieSheehan

I had been watching a bird cleaning out a bird house I have mounted on a tree near my feeder but was having a problem matching the photo I took and a bird identifying book that we use.
I downloaded SmartBirdID and it identified the bird for me painlessly!
I sent a message to the Facebook page to confirm that our birds nesting in a house was normal and almost immediately I got a response from a very attentive and proud owner of SmartBirdID & site. Turns out our Nuthatches are uncommon but they do sometimes use bird house!
Great app !

by Jena8672

This is such a fun app to use! No needing to figure out what kind if tail a bird has, or its relative size, etc because it does a “live action” view of it and narrows it down with a % of likelihood until it positively identifies it!
I love that I can also identify birds by their calls. So much easier than trying to remember the call as I listen to the bird calls CD I have. My only issue with this feature that we live in a heavily forested area next to a river so there are a good number of birds singing at any given time so ID is more difficult.
Overall, I’m glad I found this AND very happy to have spent the extra money to upgrade it!!