Getting to know the plants around us is a refreshing hobby to keep us engaged and connect with nature. Whether it is a visit to your nearest botanical garden or a walk at your nearby park, there must have been instances where you spot a unique plant or flower and are left clueless about its name and species. Well, not anymore. In this guide, we have handpicked the 10 best plant identifier apps you can use to recognize the plants near you.
There are many free plant identification apps available in the market, and we have also included paid apps that provide accurate and faster recognition. Moreover, if you’re someone with a passion for gardening, you might want to go the extra mile and want an app that offers tips on how to take care of your plants. We have apps for your needs on this list as well.
- PlantNetSeek by iNaturalistPlantSnapLeafSnapPictureThisBlossom – Plant Care GuideNatureID – Plant IdentificationFlora Incognitaiplant – Plant IdentifierWhat’s that flower?Bonus: Google Lens and Visual Lookup
1. PlantNet
PlantNet is a plant identifier app capable of recognizing over 20,000 plant species in the world. You can use the PlantNet app to identify flowering plants, trees, grasses, conifers, ferns, vines, wild salads, and even cacti. It’s worth mentioning that PlantNet’s database is crowdsourced, and you can contribute too.
2. Seek by iNaturalist
Seek is another app you can use to recognize plants. All you need to do is install the app, open the camera viewfinder, and point the camera at the plant. The app will automatically identify and give you context about the plant including the taxonomy and seasonality. I also like the fact that the app shows you similar species to explore in case the plant you want to grow is not available in your region.
Boasting a massive catalog, PlantSnap is another app worth checking out. Being capabile of identifying over 600,000 types of plants, PlantSnap is one of the leading plant identifier apps available on iPhone and Android phones. In addition to identifying plants, flowers, trees, succulents, mushrooms, and cacti, you can use the app to learn how to grow and properly take care of your plants.
Tip: Use PlantSnap Integration to Identify Plants on Snapchat
If you are a Snapchat user, you can also use PlantSnap’s Snapchat Lens to identify plants right from the Snapchat camera. This is a neat Snapchat trick you can use when you are in the middle of snapping or texting friends.
ProsConsVisually pleasing interfaceJust 5 daily plant ids in the free versionReliable and accurate with vast databaseWeb version requires premium subscriptionSnapchat integration
Apart from being an excellent app to identify plants, LeafSnap doubles as a reminder app to take care of your plants. As a result, you can create tasks to water, add fertilizer, prune, or harvest your plants. You also get tips that will help you grow plants better.
5. PictureThis
PictureThis is also an option you could consider when looking for an app to identify plants. The company claims that PictureThis is capable of identifying over 17,000 plant species with 98% accuracy. What I like about PictureThis is that it shows if the identified plant is toxic to pets like cats and dogs.
Blossom is a plant identifier app that doesn’t compromise on design. The app looks visually pleasing and is packed with features to help you get the most out of it. Like LeafSnap, Blossom positions itself as a complete solution for all your plant-related needs.
Pricing: Free; Offers in-app purchasesAvailability: Android, iOSDownload Blossom (Android, iOS)
Capable of recognizing over 10,000 plants with up to 95% accuracy, NatureID is our next pick. What makes NatureID unique is its ability to recognize mushrooms. I also like how the app lets you measure the height, width, and volume of pots and chat with experts for professional advice on caring for your plants. The good things about NatureID don’t end there.
Developed by scientists from the Technical University of Ilmenau and the Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry Jena, Flora Incognita is an app that lets you identify plants for free without ads. The app is available to use for free because it is part of a scientific research project that aims to improve nature conservation. Furthermore, it was awarded as an official project of the UN Decade of Biodiversity. As far as the accuracy goes, the researchers promise over 90% accuracy with the app.
Pricing: FreeAvailability: Android, iOSDownload Flora Incognita (Android, iOS)
As the name suggests, iplant is an iPhone-only app for identifying plants. With this easy-to-use app, you can capture and identify plants and flowers. Alongside identifying new plants, you also get the option to identify plant images you have saved in gallery, perfect for times when you want to track down plants from the last botanical garden visit. If you are looking for a plant identification app that’s made with iPhones in mind, iplant is the way to go.
ProsConsEasy to useNo Android appIdentify plants from the galleryWikipedia integration
As you might have guessed already, What’s that flower is an app that exclusively focuses on identifying flowers. However, there’s a twist. Instead of identifying a plant or flower based on a sample image, What’s that flower relies on your memory to identify the flower. The app also asks you several characteristics of the flower, including its color, habitats, number of petals, and more. The options are then narrowed down until you find the closest match. While the efficiency of this app relies on your memory, it’s an interesting app to track down a flower and have some fun in the process.
ProsConsIdentify flowers without photoCan’t identify plantsEngaging experienceCan’t scan flowersUse memory to identify flowers
Bonus: Google Lens and Visual Lookup
If you don’t want to install a separate app for identifying apps, you can use your Android phone’s Google Lens or iPhone’s Visual Lookup features instead. All you have to do is point the viewfinder at the plant and tap the shutter button to search. It will then perform an image search and show you reliable results.
