Free application for plant identification by photo

See an unfamiliar plant and don’t know its name or want information about it? No problem. Previously, to read information and find photos, you had to read more than one book or magazine, a long search for materials on the Internet. With cell phones life has become easier, and technology does not stand still. By installing a free apps for plant identify by photo you can easily identify about 93% of all plants known to science.

Regardless of whether your goal is to determine the names of indoor flowers, garden or wild plants, to learn how to grow them, it is worth to decide – which application to use. We have compiled for our reader a list of the 10 best mobile plant identification apps to help you solve this problem.

What are the features of mobile apps for plants identifying by photo

Almost all of the software described below is based on the principle of object recognition, by photo or during the broadcast from the camera online. In addition to this, it is worth noting a few other common characteristics:

• Image recognition technology. The applications use advanced image recognition technology to identify plants based on photos or videos taken by the user. They compare the photo provided with a database of known plant species and try to find a match. Artificial intelligence has recently begun to be incorporated into AI.
• Large database. Almost all applications work with a large database of already known plants for quality identification. The more photos of plants in the database, the more accurate the identification will be.
• User-friendly interface. Mobile apps are designed to have a user-friendly interface that is easy to navigate. There is usually a simple layout and clear instructions for identification, which makes them accessible to people of all ages and skill levels.
• Offline functionality. Many of these apps can work offline, which means a portion of the knowledge base can reside. This feature is especially useful for people who are hiking or camping in places with limited or no online Internet access.
• Additional Information. Many apps provide additional information about an identified plant, such as its scientific name, common name, description, and habitat. Some applications even provide information about the medicinal properties, edibility, and toxicity of the plant.
• Community Contributions. Some apps also allow users to contribute to an existing database by providing photos of the plants they identify, which can increase the accuracy of identification over time.
• Compatibility: These apps are generally available for Android and iOS platforms and can be downloaded from their respective app stores.

However, each program has its own unique features. We’ll describe the best of them in more detail below.

List of mobile apps to identify plants by photo

PlantSnap

This is a popular mobile app that helps users identify different types of plants and trees. This software has numerous advantages that make it one of the best for nature lovers, gardeners and botanists. What are the features of PlantSnap:

• Impressive Accuracy: A big advantage of PlantSnap is its high level of accuracy in identifying plants. It uses advanced machine learning algorithms and pattern recognition technology to compare images of plants taken by your smartphone with its database.
• Extensive plant database: PlantSnap boasts a fairly large database of flora known to science, including over 600,000 plants and trees. This means that users can easily identify a wide range of plants, including rare and exotic ones, simply by taking a picture of them on their smartphone.
• Ease of Use: The app has a simple and intuitive interface, making it easy to use even for a novice. Users can take a picture of a plant and get instant results within seconds, as well as detailed information about the plant, its habitat and other important information.
• An educational resource: PlantSnap is not only a plant identification tool, but also a valuable educational resource. It can provide the user with detailed information about the characteristics, habitat, and beneficial properties of plants, helping the user learn more about the natural world around them.

The app has a community feature that allows users to share plant identification results with other users, get feedback and additional information.

PlantSnap is a fairly popular highly accurate and easy-to-use plant identification tool that also serves as a valuable educational resource for users. It is available for both iOS and Android.

PictureThis (free and paid version)

Another plant identification app that helps users identify plants simply by taking a picture of them.

What “PictureThis” Features:

• Quick plant identification: The app uses advanced artificial intelligence algorithms and recognition technology to accurately identify plants. Users can take a photo of any plant or part of a plant (flower, leaf) and get an instant identification.
• A database of plant care tips: After identifying a plant, the app provides users with useful information on how to care for it. This includes information on watering, soil type, exposure to sunlight, and more.
• Plant Encyclopedia: PictureThis has an extensive database of more than 30,000 plant species and varieties, making it a useful resource for plant lovers, gardeners and horticulturists.
• Large Community: The app also allows users to share photos of their plants and connect with other plant lovers from around the world. Here you can ask for advice, share recommendations and exchange ideas.
• Plant Diary: PictureThis allows users to keep a record of their plant care activities, including watering, feeding, pruning, and more. This helps them keep track of their plants’ progress and identify possible problems.
• Language Support: The app supports multiple languages, making it accessible to users from different parts of the world.

Overall, apps for plant identify by photo “PictureThis” is a powerful and user-friendly app that makes plant identification and care easy and accessible for everyone, and it’s available for iOS and Android.

iNaturalist (free version)

This is not just an app, but a whole social network for nature lovers, allowing you to share observations of plants, animals and other living creatures. Let us briefly describe some features of the iNaturalist app.

• Recording Observations: Users can take photos of plants and animals they encounter and indicate the location of the photo, the date and other important details.
• Species identification: Image recognition and machine learning are also used here. Even if the software cannot accurately identify the subject of the photo, users can seek help from the iNaturalist community to identify their observations. Explore Others’ Observations: You can view photos of observations taken by other users around the world. You can also filter observations by location, date, species, and other criteria.
• Participate in projects: iNaturalist users can join projects dedicated to specific plants, places, or topics. These projects give users the opportunity to contribute to scientific research and conservation efforts.
• Communicating with the community: iNaturalist has a large community of users who share a passion for nature. Users can follow each other, comment on their photos, and participate in discussions. Observations made by users are already being used in research projects and contribute to our understanding .

Overall, iNaturalist is a powerful tool for nature lovers to document and study the natural world, as well as to contribute to scientific research and conservation efforts.

The app can be downloaded for both App Store and Android.

Leafsnap

Leafsnap is a mobile app developed by researchers at Columbia University, the University of Maryland and the Smithsonian Institution. It is designed to help users identify plant species simply by taking a photo of a leaf. Let’s briefly describe some of Leafsnap’s features:

• Image recognition: Leafsnap uses visual recognition technology to analyze leaf characteristics such as shape, color, texture and edge to determine the species of a herbaceous plant, shrub or tree.
• Large database: The app has a large database of plant species. As of 2022, it contains information on more than 32,000 plant taxa from around the world.
• High quality images: Leafsnap will provide you with high quality images of the leaves, flowers, fruits and bark of every plant species it knows of for accurate identification.
• Interactive Plant Map: The program will provide an interactive map that shows the distribution of each species and their likelihood of being found in a particular area.
• Interactive Quiz: The app has a quiz mode where users can test their knowledge of different plant species by identifying them from leaves or a general photo.
• Unfortunately, the knowledge base only covers the flora of North American regions.

Leafsnap is a useful tool for identifying and learning about the natural world around us. The program is available for iOS and is already available for Android.

PlantNet

It is a mobile application that performs plant identification based on image recognition technology from photos taken with a smartphone or tablet.

The program is available for iOS and Android operating systems and has a number of features:

• Image recognition technology: Users can take pictures of leaves, flowers, fruits, or the entire plant, and the app will analyze the images and compare them to a database of tens of thousands of plant species to provide more accurate identification results.
• Large database: PlantNet has a database of over 20,000 plant species from around the world, including wild plants, garden plants, and houseplants. The database is constantly being updated and expanded, so over time the application can recognize more and more plants.
• PlantNet allows users to contribute to the growing database by providing photos of plants and adding information about them. This will help improve the accuracy and completeness of identification results in the future.

Users can take photos of plants from different angles and immediately upload them to the app to help increase the accuracy of identification results. Once PlantNet identifies a plant, it provides you with a detailed description of its important organs, such as leaves, flowers, and fruits, as well as information about its habitat, distribution, and use. The app can be used offline, making it ideal for use in places with limited or no Internet access.

The app can be downloaded for both iOS and Android.

Plant Lens (free and paid version)

This clever app will come in handy for newcomers who want to learn more about plant names. If you find a flower in the forest or see an unusual plant with unique leaves, just take a picture and let this app tell you something about the plant. It’s a great plant identifier that will become your personal assistant.
What is Plant Lens?

• It’s a huge database of up to 60,000 plant species. With up to 92% accuracy, this mobile app identifies plant species using visual information such as petals, leaves and other traits.
• You can find other features in this tool, such as your own collection, where you can track information about trees, flowers, succulents and other plants you’ve seen and photographed.
• There’s also a plant map created from your photos.
• In addition, Plant Lens provides you with a mobile encyclopedia to enrich your knowledge of local flora.

The app can be downloaded for both App Store and Google Play.

Flora Incognita

A program designed for nature lovers, botanists and anyone interested in discovering and studying the plants around them. Some of the key features of the app include:

• Flora Incognita also leverages artificial intelligence and technology to recognize a photo of a plant taken by your phone’s camera.
• The app contains an extensive database of plant species, including native and non-native species, with detailed descriptions of each plant’s characteristics, habitat and habitat.
• The app uses GPS technology to determine your location and provide you with a map of nearby plant species.
• In addition, “Flora Incognita” will offer you fun quizzes to test your knowledge of plant species and their characteristics.
• The application also has a social networking functionality, through which users can share their plant observations with others, get feedback on a particular plant and communicate with other plant enthusiasts.
• The developer of the app guarantees that it does not collect or store any personal data, ensuring the privacy and security of its users.

This free plant identify app is available for download on both iOS and Android.

“Seek by iNaturalist”: apps for plant identify

This mobile app helps the user identify and explore the natural world around them. The app not only recognizes images to identify plants and animals, but can also provide information about their features, habitat, and distribution.

What are the features of “Seek by iNaturalist”:

• The program is designed as an educational and learning tool, giving users the opportunity to learn about the natural world in an engaging and interactive way.
• It uses machine learning algorithms to identify plants and animals in real time by simply taking a picture of them.
• After identifying an individual, the app provides information about its species, including its common name, scientific name, family and related species.
• “Seek by iNaturalist” will provide you with information about the habitat and geographic range of each identified species, including a map showing where the species can be found.
• The program also offers users incentives to explore and learn about the natural world, including badges and achievements for identifying different species.
• You can share your observations and discoveries on social media and connect with other users who share their interests in nature.

Overall, “Seek by iNaturalist” is a valuable tool for anyone interested in exploring the natural world, from amateur naturalists to students and teachers, and is available for download on both iOS and Android.

NatureID (conditionally free)

It is a mobile app that combines several functions in one smartphone, making plant identification easy. Getting started with NatureID is quite easy, and all you have to do is take a picture of a leaf or flower, and the app will do the rest. You can also use a previously taken picture from your phone’s gallery to identify the plant. Once the identification is done, you can add it to a special “My Yard” section in the app.

This section provides users with information on caring for their plants, including reminders to water regularly. NatureID also includes a plant disease identifier. It lets you learn about problems with your garden or house plants, and fix them. Thanks to an updated algorithm used in the program, information from factors such as leaf shape helps you identify a plant with up to 95% accuracy.
If you want more than just plant identification, the app also has a decent flora blog section with essential articles on plant care. The combination of these features makes NatureID one of the best plant identification apps out there.

This app is available for download on iOS and Android.

Google Lens

This service needs no introduction. Google Lens is an image recognition technology developed by Google, designed to obtain relevant information related to the objects it identifies through neural network-based visual analysis. Google Lens has many features. It can help you identify plants, trees, flowers and even animals and insects around you.

While it program may not be as accurate in identifying and will not provide plant information as the other plant identification apps we have described in this article, it is certainly worth a try.

Users can also use an image from their photo gallery to find out the name of that flower or fruit. Overall, plant lovers will definitely love Google Lens because of its versatility and large database. Especially since the app is completely free to download and has no ads or paid content. This app will work on phones/tablets running Android 6.0 and above.

Overall, mobile plant identification apps are a handy and useful tool for people who want to learn more about the plants around them.

Some tips on how to use a plant identification app

Most of the above photo plant identification applications show good results for flowering garden and home ornamental plants (at species level, but not a specific variety) and native species of local fauna. But, there are often problems with identifying small herbaceous crops.

Often users complain about misidentifying a plant that they have photographed and sent to the program’s cloud service. There are several reasons for this. Let’s describe them in more detail.

Poor quality of the photo

This factor greatly affects the process of identifying plants. The latest versions of smartphones are equipped with high-quality cameras and good optics, but not everyone can afford to buy an expensive device. Cheaper and older mobile models cannot boast of the quality of their cameras. As a result of poor optics and a weak sensor, images may not shine. And this is the very first and main criterion for such programs.

The right angle and focus for a good photo

With today’s smartphones with good cameras, it’s not a given that you’ll take the right shot for proper plant identification. We will give you some photo examples of how to choose the right angle and how to focus your phone to get a good photo.

Some tips on how to take a good photo:

• Take a separate, well-defined close-up photo of the flower, leaf or fruit in the center of the image;
• Avoid photographing fingers or any other object / or plant that does not belong to the desired species (pot, ruler, etc.);
• Make sure the focus is on the desired organ of the flower and not in the background of the image;
• Combine multiple images of the same plant before you send yours in for identification.

If you have any questions about how the plant identification app works, you can always find information in their guide or FAQ page.