Bird Buddy Premium
Bird Buddy subscription
What Premium unlocks, what the free tier still does, and what the plan adds to the feeder over the years.
Where this comes from: Bird Buddy's membership page and help centre, read on 30 Sep 2026; older prices from a public price tracker. How we compare.
Short answer
Do you need Bird Buddy Premium?
You open the app every day
Premium is worth it
Automatic ID saves a tap on every postcard.
You check a few times a week
Stay on the free tier
Tap the postcards you care about; the feeder works the same.
The family shares one feeder
Family Premium
$98.99 a year gives every guest Premium and the livestream.
You hate yearly plans
Choose a camera with AI included
COOLFLY Aura and Birdfy lifetime editions include ID for life.
Calculator
Premium or a camera without a plan?
Birdbuddy Pro Solar with each plan, against two cameras that include AI identification. Pick the years.
Device prices from the makers' US stores and plan prices from Bird Buddy, 30 Sep 2026. Taxes and shipping not included.
Free versus paid
What the free tier does – and what needs Premium
| Feature | Free | Premium |
|---|---|---|
| Postcards (photos and videos) | yes | yes |
| Species ID | tap each postcard | automatic |
| HD and 2K video | yes | yes, plus 2K Ultra |
| Livestream | depends on when you joined | yes |
| Name individual birds | – | yes |
| Bird health alerts | – | yes |
| Nature Chat | 1 prompt a day | unlimited |
| Guests | 10 | yes (Family: Premium for all guests) |
| Product discount | – | 20% |
| Price per year | $0 | $69.99 Individual · $98.99 Family |
Source: Bird Buddy help centre and membership page, 30 Sep 2026.
Price history
Bird Buddy Premium price rise
Premium got more expensive within a year. The monthly price is no longer shown on Bird Buddy's own page; it lists yearly plans only.
- Sep 2025Individual $59.99/yr · Family $89.99/yrpricetimeline.com
- Oct 2025Monthly Individual announced to rise from $5.99 to $7.99pricetimeline.com
- Sep 2026Individual $69.99/yr · Family $98.99/yrmybirdbuddy.com
Free tier
What a free Bird Buddy still does
- Automatic postcards (photos/videos)
- Personal livestream ("access can depend on when you started using the app")
- HD and 2K videos
- Frenzy mode
- Manual AI+ recognition (tap each postcard)
- 10 guests
- Downloads
- Pet alert
- Nature Chat 1 prompt/day
The catch sits in one word: recognition on the free tier is manual. The app identifies the bird when you tap the postcard. Bird Buddy's shop page still advertises “free AI species recognition” – both statements are true, which is why owners are often surprised.
Before you buy
Bird Buddy models and what they need
All current Bird Buddy feeders use the same membership. None has a microSD slot, so every clip lives in Bird Buddy's cloud. See every model with specs in our Bird Buddy review, or compare it with Birdfy's plans in Bird Buddy vs Birdfy.
Questions
Bird Buddy subscription: questions
Does Bird Buddy require a subscription?
No. The feeder records and sends postcards on the free tier. What you lose without Premium is automatic species ID – you tap each postcard to have the bird identified – plus 2K Ultra, naming individual birds and health alerts.
How much is the Bird Buddy subscription?
Individual Premium costs $69.99 a year and Family Premium $98.99 a year on Bird Buddy's membership page (30 September 2026). Bird Buddy shows yearly prices only.
Did Bird Buddy raise the Premium price?
Yes. A price tracker recorded Individual at $59.99 and Family at $89.99 a year in September 2025; Bird Buddy's own page showed $69.99 and $98.99 in September 2026.
What does Bird Buddy Premium include?
Automatic AI+ recognition of all postcards, Name That Bird, unlimited Nature Chat, 2K Ultra resolution, bird health alerts, Alexa, an ignored-species list, 20% off products and a one-week free trial.
Is Bird Buddy Premium worth it?
If you check the app daily and want every visitor named without tapping, yes. If you look a few times a week, the free tier does the job – and over three years Premium adds about $210 to the feeder.
Can I cancel Bird Buddy Premium?
Premium is a yearly plan; when it ends, the feeder falls back to the free tier and keeps working.
Related