10 Best Apps to Identify Plants in 2022 (Master Gardener-Reviewed)

PictureThis uses advanced artificial intelligence that learns from experts and specialists to identify plants with 98% accuracy. Just use the camera on your smartphone or tablet to take a picture of a plant, and PictureThis will provide you with the plant's name, genus, description, and even a care guide.

You can also share your photos with the community and explore interesting plants from around the world. PictureThis is especially great for home gardeners. You can add the plants you own to your collection within the app, then set care reminders for watering, fertilizing, and pruning.

Reviewers warned that the app pushes a free trial of the premium subscription, which is different from the free version. If you want the free version, make sure you pay attention to which option you select so you won't get charged down the line. 

However, reviewers who opted to pay for the upgrade said that it was well worth it for the unlimited, accurate identifications and in-depth information. With the premium subscription, you can even get advice from their network of experts.

With over 625,000 plant species, PlantSnap has one of the largest databases out of all of the plant identification apps we researched. It's powered by deep learning and artificial intelligence, so it's constantly improving and adding new species based on pictures submitted by its users. 

PlantSnap works in every country, making it a great option for travelers. In addition, you can connect with over 35 million other plant lovers to share discoveries, stories, and tips. There's even an "Explore" map that you can use to discover plants near you. 

However, certain features are only available via a paid subscription, like the global map and ability to submit your questions directly to botanists.  

Some reviewers complained about being limited to five snaps per day on the free plan. Other reviewers found that the app doesn't always correctly identify the plant on the first try. However, other reviewers loved the quick and easy identifications PlantSnap provides. Plus, they enjoyed having so much information to learn at their fingertips!

iNaturalist, a joint initiative by the California Academy of Sciences and the National Geographic Society, is ideal for explorers who want to learn about every facet of the living world around them. The app uses artificial intelligence to identify the species in your photo based on its defining characteristics and location.

iNaturalist can identify plants, animals, and insects, giving you a more comprehensive understanding of your habitat. And by submitting photos and observations, you're contributing to biodiversity science! iNaturalist shares its findings with scientific communities across the globe.

Some reviewers wished for extra features, like improved organization for their personal libraries or a social feed. However, the reviews for this app were overwhelmingly positive, with users saying that it's become their go-to app for identifying unknown flora and fauna.

Whether you want to identify plants in the wild or in your backyard, LeafSnap can help. This app uses artificial intelligence to recognize 90% of all known species of plants and trees! Once you snap a photo, the app will pull up a list of possible matches so you can compare.

For each species, LeafSnap will provide its taxonomic classification, description, care guide, and other useful information. You can also save plants to your personal collection for quick reference.

While there is a free version of the app, some reviewers complained that the ads were too obtrusive and distracting. 

However, the reviewers who opted to pay for the subscription praised this app for its accuracy, ease of use, and helpful information. They also liked the ability to save photos for future identification when out of range of wifi or cell data.

PlantNet takes a methodical, community-based approach to plant identification that nature nerds will love. This app not only helps you identify unknown plants but also lets you contribute observations and possible IDs for plants submitted by others.

Instead of relying on photos of the entire plant, PlantNet uses pictures of specific features, like leaves, fruit, flowers, or bark, to help make an identification. For the especially plant-savvy, you can also filter species by genus or family. Once the plant has been identified, the app provides links to websites with more in-depth information. 

Some reviewers found that this app does have a bit of a learning curve because of the scientific language it uses and its design. However, once users got the hang of it, they said it was an excellent field guide for gardening and nature walks! Plus, they like that it pulls up results quickly.

This plant identification app is less of a field guide and more of a plant identification service. Take a picture of an unknown plant, moss, lichen, or fungi, and submit it to the app. Instead of using artificial intelligence, a team of human experts will analyze the photo and send you an identification.

Along with the species name, you'll receive other information about the plant as well as the opportunity to chat with a botanist if you have further questions. While the app comes with some free credits, once they run out it costs $1 per identification. Although, you don't pay if they can't identify the plant!

Because this app uses real live humans instead of AI, it can take anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours to receive a result. Some reviewers weren't fans of the wait and others didn't like having to pay per identification. 

However, many reviewers thought that it was well worth it to pay to have their photo analyzed by a human. They especially liked that they could chat with a botanist for further information.

As the name suggests, PlantFinder is an app that helps you not only by identifying plants you see but also by showing you trending plants that you might be interested in. This is a handy feature for houseplant enthusiasts who are looking to expand their indoor gardens. 

PlantFinder compares the photo you upload to a database of over 250,000 individual plants to find a match. Find a plant you love? Add it to your personal collection! You can also set plant care reminders for your plants to help you help them thrive.

Some reviewers found that the app had a difficult time identifying their plants. However, other reviewers found it to be reliable and helpful. Many people praised its simple and easy-to-use interface.

If you prefer flowers over foliage, this might be the app for you. This app is made specifically to identify flowers across the world. Instead of using photos, the app uses a flowchart-style method to identify species. You narrow down the possible options by color, habitat, number of petals, and more.

Once you've found a match, you can view information about the plant's taxonomy and details about its leaves, stems, or fruit. Additional options are available with a subscription, including the ability to search by photo, customize filters, and search offline.

Some reviewers complained that the search by photo feature is not free. If this is your main priority, we found many other apps that don't require a subscription for photo identification! 

Other reviewers loved the method of identification because it made them look more closely at the flower itself. Plus, they like that this app often updates their flower database.

Plantix isn't your standard plant identification app, but that's why we like it. Created for farmers and hobby gardeners, this app's primary purpose is to help identify issues with unhealthy plants and teach you how to nurse them back to health. 

Just submit a photo of the plant in question, and Planitx will recognize the patterns left behind by specific diseases, pests, and deficiencies. You can also interact with experts and community members for tips, advice, and solutions.

Some reviewers found that the app did not have the specific crop they were looking for in their database. The developers did acknowledge that they started with the most popular crops and are constantly working to add more. 

Other reviewers noted that this app is wonderful for educating both beginner and advanced farmers and gardeners. They like how easy it is to use and find the community features helpful for figuring out problems.

While not strictly a plant identification app, Google Lens can be a great tool for this purpose! It uses the power of artificial intelligence to identify objects through the camera on your smartphone or tablet. Once the plant is identified, it returns a list of Google results.

Using Google Lens to identify plants can provide the name of the plant as well as other helpful links, like the Wikipedia page, commonly asked questions about the plant, and related YouTube videos. However, Google Lens doesn't have the extra features you'd find with other plant apps, like a social feed or the ability to save favorites.

Some reviewers noted that because this is a Google app, it does require you to use Chrome to view the results, which can be frustrating if that's not your main browser. 

However, reviewers who used this app specifically to identify plants found that it was quick and accurate. They also liked that they could use the app to identify other objects in their daily lives.