Spot real cats, dogs and birds with your camera and fill a field album
Point your phone at a real cat, dog or bird. Sightfern recognises it on the device, reads its coat or plumage colour and stamps the time of day, then adds a sighting card to your field album. Fill every colour slot on the Cats, Dogs and Birds pages, collect badges, complete the daily quest and keep a streak. Photos and records stay in your browser; location is off unless you turn it on, and then it is rounded to about 11 km.
What is free and what the Fun Pass adds (Sightfern)
| Free | Fun Pass | |
|---|---|---|
| Camera recognition on the device | yes | yes |
| Cats, Dogs and Birds albums, badges, daily quest, streak | yes | yes |
| Tag a sighting yourself | yes | yes |
| Farm and Wild & zoo albums (horses, sheep, cows, bears, elephants, zebras, giraffes) | no | yes |
| Gold, Film and Holo card frames | no | yes |
| Photos uploaded | never | never |
Source: products/sightfern/README.md and content/games/seo.json (sightfern modes), checked 10 Oct 2026.
Sightfern vs the alternatives
Published prices, each checked on the date shown; prices change, so confirm on each site.
| Product | Price | Free | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sightfern (CyberMax) | free; Fun Pass $2.99/month, $19/year or $29.99 for life (every CyberMax game) | the whole game, no ads | live |
| AnimalDex: Animal ID & Collect (App Store) | AnimalDex Pro $9.99; 25 Credits $2.99; 100 Credits $7.99 | free download with in-app purchases | 2026-10-10 |
| Picture Bird: Bird identifier (App Store) | Picture Bird Premium listed at $3.99, $7.99 and $39.99 | free download with in-app purchases | 2026-10-10 |
| Dog Scanner (App Store) | Dog Scanner Premium $13.99; All Access $1.49 or $2.99 | free download with in-app purchases | 2026-10-10 |
Why teams pick Sightfern
- Recognition runs on your phone; photos and the album never leave it.
- A game, not a field guide: colour slots, rarity (night sightings rank higher), badges, quest and streak.
- Free with no ads or sign-up; the Fun Pass only adds albums and frames.
- Works in the browser, no app store install.
How it works
- Tap Start camera and point it at a cat, dog or bird.
- When the dashed box appears, tap Spot it.
- Fill colour slots, collect badges and keep your daily streak.
FAQ
Why not AnimalDex or Picture Bird?
They are identification apps that name species and breeds, with paid tiers (AnimalDex Pro $9.99, Picture Bird Premium from $3.99). Sightfern does not name breeds or species; it is a free collecting game that keeps your photos on your phone.
Which animals does it recognise?
Cats, dogs and birds free; the Fun Pass adds horses, sheep, cows, bears, elephants, zebras and giraffes.
Are my photos uploaded?
No. The recogniser and the album run in your browser.
How fast is it?
About 85 ms per look on a desktop CPU in our test; slower phones take longer, and you can always tag a sighting by hand.
Limits?
It recognises animal kinds, not breeds or bird species; the recogniser downloads about 14 MB on first use.