The apps run two different models, and mobile phones are plenty powerful now to run some pretty complicated algorithms, so the offline accuracy of Merlin is pretty good.
BirdNET and Merlin Sound ID are such different use cases (real-time classification of a rolling window of audio vs classification of a user selection) that we don't have any comparison metrics between the two, and they are really geared for different purposes (BirdNET’s goals align more with research in bioacoustics, while Merlin’s goals align more with outreach and education.)
BirdNET and Merlin Sound ID are such different use cases (real-time classification of a rolling window of audio vs classification of a user selection) that we don't have any comparison metrics between the two, and they are really geared for different purposes (BirdNET’s goals align more with research in bioacoustics, while Merlin’s goals align more with outreach and education.)
source: Merlin dev