BioSonic vs Kaleidoscope Pro
Two bat sound analysis tools tested on the same recordings. Independent benchmark: 98.9% vs 83.0% F1 accuracy.
At a glance
| Feature | BioSonic | Kaleidoscope Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Accuracy | 98.9% F1 (Drachmann benchmark) | 83.0% F1 (same benchmark) |
| Species per recording | Up to 7 | 1 |
| Social / feeding calls | Separated automatically | Combined |
| Platform | Browser-based — works on any computer | Desktop app — Windows, Mac, Linux |
| Team access | Unlimited users, shared projects | Single-user licence (from £262.50/yr) |
| Noise filtering | Deep-learning model (3.5M samples) | Frequency bandpass |
| Model updates | New model every weekend | Software version releases |
| Cloud storage | 9 years EU-hosted | BYO / Managed Cloud add-on |
| Report generation | One-click charts, maps, Word | CSV export to Excel |
| Detector compatibility | Any WAV-producing detector | Any WAV + ZC files |
| Geographic coverage | UK, NL, DK, DE, SE | UK, EU, NA, SA, Neotropics |
| Pricing | Per-GB, all-inclusive | From £262.50/yr (academic) to £595/yr per user + add-ons |
How BioSonic identifies bats
AI image recognition on spectrograms
BioSonic converts each recording into a spectrogram image and runs it through a convolutional neural network trained on 2.5 million labelled bat calls. The model sees the full time-frequency picture, detecting multiple species, social calls, and feeding buzzes in a single pass.
Kaleidoscope Pro uses Hidden Markov Models (HMMs) with Fisher scores and winnow classifiers to detect and classify bat calls (Agranat 2013). Classifier updates are tied to software releases, typically every 2–3 years.
Trained on millions of examples
The model is curated by 12 bat experts across five European countries and retrained every weekend. 3.5 million noise files teach the AI to reject rain, wind, insects, and equipment noise before classification.
This is why BioSonic produces 13.4× fewer false positives than Kaleidoscope Pro — the noise model is trained on as many non-bat recordings as bat recordings.
Accuracy comparison
In an independent benchmark by bat ecologist Jan Drachmann, both tools were tested on 6,126 bat calls across 15 Danish species, checked against expert manual identification.
In the Drachmann benchmark, BioSonic produced 13.4× fewer false positives and 16.3× fewer missed bats. On a dataset of 100,000 files, that difference translates to roughly 3,700 fewer phantom detections requiring manual review. Contact us to run a comparison on your own labelled data.
What working in BioSonic looks like
Spectrogram review
Inspect every call visually. Confirm or override AI classifications with right-click bounding boxes. Every decision is logged with a timestamp and user ID.
Kaleidoscope Pro outputs CSV files. Review happens in spreadsheets or by manually opening spectrograms one at a time.
Species heatmaps
See bat activity across your entire site on an interactive map. Filter by species, date, or time of night. One click to export.
Kaleidoscope Pro does not include mapping. You build maps manually from exported data.
Since joining BioSonic our analysis time has reduced significantly. The team is excellent in their support, super quick to respond.
— Luke Waddison, Ecological Consultant, Wharton (UK)
Emergence time analysis
Automatic emergence graphs pinpoint when bats leave roosts. Crucial for roost characterisation reports.
With Kaleidoscope Pro, building emergence graphs requires exporting data and constructing charts manually in Excel.
Weather integration
BioSonic automatically overlays temperature, wind, and rain data on your activity charts. No manual data entry.
Kaleidoscope Pro does not integrate weather data. You source and merge it yourself.
Who should choose which
Choose BioSonic
- Consultancy team — more than one person writing reports together
- Work in Europe and want the highest accuracy on European bat species
- Need feeding buzzes and social calls separated automatically
- Want 13× fewer false positives — less time reviewing noise
Choose Kaleidoscope Pro
- Work in North America, South Africa, or the Neotropics — regions BioSonic does not cover yet
- Need to process zero-crossing files from older Anabat detectors
- Prefer working offline on your own computer
- Already have a Kaleidoscope workflow and switching is not worth it for your use case
Some teams use both — Kaleidoscope for projects outside Europe, BioSonic for European work. The best test is to upload your own recordings to both and compare.
Frequently asked questions
Which is more accurate, BioSonic or Kaleidoscope Pro?
In an independent benchmark by bat ecologist Jan Drachmann, BioSonic achieved a 98.9% F1 score compared to Kaleidoscope Pro's 83.0% on the same dataset of 6,126 calls across 15 species. BioSonic also produced 13.4 times fewer false positives and 16.3 times fewer missed bats. See our benchmarks page for the full data.
Can I switch from Kaleidoscope Pro to BioSonic?
Yes. BioSonic accepts the same WAV files you already record with Wildlife Acoustics detectors (Song Meter, Echo Meter) as well as Batlogger, AudioMoth, Pettersson, and all other standard full-spectrum bat detectors. Upload your existing recordings and get results immediately — no format conversion needed. You can also re-analyse historical datasets. Start a free trial to test it with your own data.
Does BioSonic require software installation?
No. BioSonic runs entirely in your web browser on any operating system. There is nothing to download, install, or update. Kaleidoscope Pro requires a desktop installation on Windows, macOS, or Linux.
Does BioSonic detect feeding buzzes and social calls?
Yes. BioSonic automatically separates bat vocalisations into echolocation calls, feeding buzzes, and social calls. Kaleidoscope Pro combines social and feeding calls together. For habitat assessments where behaviour classification matters, this distinction is significant.
How many species can BioSonic identify per recording?
BioSonic can identify up to 7 species per recording. This is important for recordings that capture multiple bats passing simultaneously — a common occurrence at roost emergence sites and along commuting corridors. Kaleidoscope Pro assigns only 1 species per recording, which can result in missed species in multi-bat scenarios.
How often does BioSonic update its AI model?
BioSonic deploys a new AI model every weekend. Each model incorporates the latest training data, expert feedback, and performance improvements. Users do not need to do anything — the updated model is available automatically the following Monday. Kaleidoscope Pro updates only when a new software version is released, which typically happens a few times per year.
Which countries does each tool cover?
BioSonic currently covers the UK, Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, and Sweden, supporting all EUROBATS species in those regions. Coverage is expanding. Kaleidoscope Pro covers a broader geographic range including UK, Europe, North America, South Africa, and the Neotropics. If you work outside BioSonic's current coverage area, Kaleidoscope Pro may be the better option today.
How does pricing compare between BioSonic and Kaleidoscope Pro?
BioSonic uses per-GB-per-year pricing that includes all features, unlimited users, and EU-hosted storage. Contact us for a quote. Kaleidoscope Pro costs £262.50–£595 per year depending on subscription tier and reseller (NHBS lists £354.17 ex VAT for the Professional subscription), with Managed Cloud as an additional cost. For teams, BioSonic's all-inclusive model often works out more cost-effective because there are no per-seat charges.
Sources
- Agranat, I. (2013). "Automatically identifying animal species from their vocalizations on the Kaleidoscope platform." J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 134(5), doi:10.1121/1.4799403
- Drachmann, J. (2024). Independent benchmark of bat classifiers — full results on our benchmarks page
- NHBS pricing for Kaleidoscope Pro: £354.17 ex VAT (Professional subscription, April 2026)
- Wildlife Acoustics: wildlifeacoustics.com
Last verified: 2026-04-26.
Ready to try it?
See how BioSonic handles your recordings
Upload a batch of WAVs and compare results against Kaleidoscope Pro. No commitment, no credit card, no installation required.
Questions? Email josef.carlson@biosonic.se