Updated June 9, 2026

The data behind PlumageDispatch

Every comparison and article on this site renders from one structured dataset. This page is that dataset: the headline numbers it currently shows, and the raw file, free to download, reuse, and check against our pages.

What the data shows right now

• 14 camera models across 11 brands, hardware prices from $39.99 to $329.99, with the honest footnote that the $39.99 floor is Wyze's camera-less housing, the dataset's single most-documented gotcha (the camera is sold separately).
• 9 of the 14 models put AI identification, cloud storage, or other key features behind an optional paid plan. The other 5 include their core AI with the hardware, though a few keep their best AI model behind an optional membership.
• 67 documented "gotchas": fine-print catches like look-alike SKUs that differ only in their AI plan, "lifetime free" promises contradicted by the brand's own blog, photos that expire on paid tiers too, and white-label apps that own the paywall instead of the brand on the box.
• 71 source URLs back the records: official brand pages first wherever one exists, clearly-labeled secondary sources (hands-on reviews, app-store listings) where brands publish nothing. And every record carries a last-verified date and a price-confidence level: currently 9 high, 2 medium, 3 low. Where a figure can't be confirmed on an official page, the record says so instead of pretending.

What re-verification has caught so far

We re-verify records against the brands' own pages: by hand around every big update, plus an automated weekly check (method on the methodology page). Findings from those re-verification passes so far, each dated:

• On our publish-day re-check alone (June 9, 2026), 8 of the 12 records then in the dataset needed corrections: at least 14 field-level fixes within days of the data being gathered. Subscription terms in this category genuinely move under your feet.
• FeatherSnap dropped its free-tier photo blurring: the feature 2024 hands-on reviews warned about no longer exists; the free-tier limit is now a 3-day photo expiration (verified June 2026). Reviews describing the blur are still circulating.
• Soliom's AI subscription doubled: the App Store listing shows $6.99/month while stale official pages still said $2.99 (verified June 2026).
• Kiwibit flipped to a two-SKU split: its standard kit now pairs included basic AI recognition with a $7.99/month "Plus" tier for advanced features, sold alongside a pricier lifetime-AI kit; it previously shipped with no subscription tier at all (verified June 2026).
• Wyze raised Cam Plus annual from $19.99 to $29.99 (March 2026; the monthly price was already $2.99).

Download and reuse

Download the full dataset (JSON). One record per model: brand, model, hardware price + confidence, subscription requirement, free-tier contents and limits, paid-tier pricing, documented gotchas, specs, and the primary source URLs each claim rests on.

Licensed CC BY 4.0: use it in articles, research, or tools (commercial use included) with attribution. A link to plumagedispatch.com satisfies attribution. Suggested citation:

PlumageDispatch, "Smart Bird-Feeder Camera Cost & Subscription Dataset," plumagedispatch.com/research/ (data as of June 9, 2026).

Found an error in a record? Tell us via [email protected] and we'll fix it: the dataset's accuracy is the whole product. Press and researchers: we're happy to run specific questions against the data.