Knowing the plants in our immediate environment can keep us interested and help us feel more connected to nature by using some of the best iPhone apps for identifying plants.
You must have encountered unusual plants or flowers while strolling through a park or visiting your local botanical garden, but you could not identify their name or species. Well, no longer.
A plant identifier app can help you recognize the flora in your surroundings, whether you are an avid gardener or simply someone curious about what plants are growing in the landscape.
These apps typically ask the user to upload a photo of the unidentified plant, after which the app will either use AI image recognition to identify it or send the user’s photo to their community for human identification.
However, finding the best plant identification app can be challenging due to the overwhelming number of available apps.
Also, to assist you in focusing your search, we have assembled a list of the top plant identification apps. Without much ado, here are some of the best iPhone apps for identifying plants.
1. PlantNet
Over 20,000 different plant species can be recognized by the plant identification app PlantNet. Identifying flowering plants, trees, grasses, conifers, ferns, vines, wild salads, and even cacti is possible with the help of the PlantNet app. It’s important to note that you can contribute to PlantNet’s crowdsourced database.
With PlantNet, you can scan any plant to identify it, and the app returns results along with an accuracy metric.
However, the results also include the plant’s common and botanical names to meet the needs of common users and botanists.
2. iNaturalist
More than 1 million scientists, biologists, and naturalists work on this app to help identify the plants that users upload.
When you need assistance placing a plant, upload a picture, and other app users will provide their best guess as to what the plant is.
The California Academy of Sciences and the National Geographic Society released iNaturalist in 2008.
It has a free app and a free online website for plant identification. It is frequently considered one of the most comprehensive free plant identification apps.
iNaturalist does have limitations, although it is highly regarded in the plant community. The most frequent criticism of iNaturalist is that the app and website appear and feel dated. This is one of the best iPhone apps for identifying plants.
3. PlantSnap
Also, if you use the social media app Snapchat, the name PlantSnap might sound familiar. This is due to the two’s collaboration to identify more than 600,000 plants.
There are free and paid versions of PlantSnap, which can identify thousands of plants in more than 30 languages.
Though PlantSnap has a free version, remember that some of its best features are only accessible through the paid version. Also, the number of plant snaps you can use in the free version is limited.
4. FlowerChecker
FlowerChecker isn’t a paid app but has a specific cost. In contrast to other applications, FlowerChecker charges for each accurate identification it provides.
Instead of using a computer to identify the plant, FlowerChecker analyzes and recognizes the plant using experts.
The identification isn’t instant like other apps, so getting one can take some time, which is a drawback.
However, FlowerChecker claims that about half of all identifications occur within an hour. This app is one of the best iPhone apps for identifying plants.
Furthermore, if you’re seeking outcomes that professionals have corroborated, FlowerChecker might be your best option. Remember that you must pay for each accurate identification the app provides.
This might not be the best option if you anticipate trying to identify many plants.
5. LeafSnap
LeafSnap is an excellent app for identifying plants and also serves as a reminder to take care of your plants. So you can water, fertilize, prune, or harvest your plants.
You can create tasks to do so. Additionally, you receive advice on how to improve plant growth.
Speaking of identifying plants, you can take a picture of a plant by pressing the “Identify” button on the app’s home screen. The app will quickly identify the plant for you and display its botanical name, common name, genus, and family.
6. PictureThis
A paid app called PictureThis uses cutting-edge artificial intelligence to identify plants. This app has correctly identified over 27 million plants, and PictureThis claims to have a 99.9% accuracy rate.
Furthermore, this app is more than just a tool for identifying plants; it also offers users a social network and advice on caring for plants. However, remember that no free version is available, and it is a paid app.
7. What’s That Flower
Unlike other plant identification apps that demand a photo, the What’s That Flower app uses a questionnaire to help you identify the plant. This is particularly helpful if you fail to photograph the plant.
Furthermore, the color of the bloom, the number of petals, the traits of the plant, and even the environment the plant was growing in are some of the questions the app asks to identify the plant. This is one of the best iPhone apps for identifying plants.
8. Blossom
The plant identification app Blossom doesn’t skimp on aesthetics. The app has an excellent visual design and plenty of features to make the most of it. Blossom is a one-stop shop for your plant-related needs, much like LeafSnap.
With Blossom, you can recognize plants, set reminders to care for them, learn how to care for them, and arrange all of your plants in the app’s garden.
However, while the free version is adequate for most users, the premium subscription offers extra benefits like unlimited plant identification, reminders, and a light meter to measure light levels.
9. NatureID
NatureID has a recognition rate of up to 95% for more than 10,000 plants. The capability of NatureID to identify mushrooms is what sets it apart.
I also like that the app allows you to chat with experts to get advice on caring for your plants and measuring the height, width, and volume of pots. NatureID offers even more benefits.
Furthermore, you can use the app to diagnose your plant for diseases in addition to all these features, and you can also set reminders.
NatureID is a feature-rich app you should check out if you want to take good care of your plants. This is one of the best iPhone apps for identifying plants.
10. Flora incognita
Flora Incognita is an app that allows you to identify plants freely and without advertisements. Researchers from the Technical University of Ilmenau and the Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry Jena created it.
The app is free to use because it is a component of a scientific study intended to advance nature conservation. It was also recognized as an official UN Decade of Biodiversity project. The researchers guarantee that the app will be accurate over 90% of the time.
11. Gardening Companion
The Gardening Companion app allows users to identify some plants, but it is more of a planning tool than a plant identification app.
You can track the development of your garden and create alerts for gardening upkeep and maintenance using this free iPhone app.
Additionally, Gardening Companion offers users access to a larger collection of videos, articles, resources, and tutorials that can benefit gardeners of any skill level.
But remember that you should use this app in conjunction with another plant identification app rather than using it as a standalone tool for identifying plants.
However, the Gardening Companion app is more of a general-purpose gardening companion than a plant identification app.
12. iPlant
As its name suggests, iPlant is a plant identification app available only on iPads. This simple-to-use app allows users to photograph and identify plants and flowers.
You can identify existing plants and plants from images you’ve saved in your gallery, which is helpful when you need to find plants from a previous trip to a botanical garden.
iPlant is the best option if you’re looking for a plant identification app designed for iPhones
13. Smart Plant
The SmartPlant app is more than just plant identification. It also offers instructions on caring for the plants, and you can add your plants to your account.
Although there is a free and a paid version of the app, the free version has many restrictions.
Additionally, some users have mentioned bugs and glitches that make using this app unpleasant.
However, the premium version allows you to chat with experts and receive unlimited pest and disease advice and plant identification.
14. Garden Answers
One of the gardening apps with the most downloads and popularity is Garden Answers. It is accessible on Android and iOS devices and has over 3 million users.
It provides information on identifying plants, pests, and diseases and expert guidance and solutions to various gardening-related queries.
Furthermore, garden Answers is free to download and use, but if you want more precise results, you’ll need to subscribe to their premium service.
This app can accurately identify more than 100,000 flowering plants using image recognition technology. Additionally, you can find gardening care instructions and manuals written by horticultural and gardening professionals.
15. Plant Identification ++
Only iOS devices can use the quick and precise plant identification tool Plant Identification ++.
This app is helpful because it can identify plants quickly and accurately.
Unfortunately, to access unlimited searches, you must purchase a subscription.
Even though it costs money, this app is one of the best for getting prompt and precise results.
However, it doesn’t provide many additional features frequently found in other paid apps. It does provide quick and trustworthy results, though.
16. Seek by iNaturalist
Compared to the other apps on our list, this one is unique for identifying plants. Consider it the Pokemon Go for plant lovers! It turns identifying plants into a game! Even better, it has a sizable community and allows you to identify insects.
Unfortunately, Seek doesn’t offer plant care instructions, so you’ll need to take clear, accurate photos for the app to recognize the plant correctly. However, consider this plant identification app, especially if you enjoy gaming.
17. Plantifier
Both Android and iOS users can download Plantifier for free. The crowdsourced app allows users to upload photos for potential identification. The MyGarden.org community will then attempt to identify the plant in the picture.
Even though the app is free, you still have to wait for a local to identify the plant, which might take some time. The community, however, does more than name the plants; they also respond to any inquiries regarding the flora. This is one of the best iPhone apps for identifying plants.
