Kayla Dube · August 19, 2022 · 6 min read If you’re just starting out caring for indoor plants, you’ll soon notice that there is a lot to learn. This includes identifying house plants, whether you see them in a store or are gifted a plant by a friend or family member. Then, once you know what kind of plant you’re going to be caring for, you’ll need to know its light needs, watering schedule, and potential problems, such as diseases or insect infestations.
Like many problems in this day and age, there are apps available to help you figure it all out. The apps in this list can help you identify what types of plants you have or find, and many of them can tell you when and how to care for them. Some of these apps can even identify issues with your plant. Here are the best apps to help you identify and care for houseplants.
NatureID
This app is an all-in-one houseplant care app, that allows you to quickly identify plants as well as notify you of what problems your plant may be facing. The identification features work quickly and very well, even in low-light conditions.
If the app notices there is a problem with your plant, you’ll receive possible causes and some information about it. The app also includes plant care guides to help you on your journey. You can also add plants to a database and get reminders to care for them. The free version of the app has a good amount of features available, or you can pay $14.99 a year to get access to the full app.
Download Nature ID for iOS
Download Nature ID for Android
PictureThis
This app excels at giving you detailed information on the plants you scan for identification. You’ll receive images, plant descriptions, gardening tips, condition requirements, care guides, uses and even poems. You can save each plant you scan to a database, and use the entry to add reminders or a diary of your plant’s progress.
The app also features a section to diagnose problems with your plant by taking pictures of the problem areas. You can also get expert consultation through the app if needed. PictureThis has tons of features for free, but you can pay $29.99 a year to get everything it offers.
Download PictureThis for iOS
Download PictureThis for Android
PlantSnap
PlantSnap, besides being an identification app, also has some interesting social media and exploration features. These allow you to post pictures of plants you’ve identified, ask others for advice with plants, or see others pictures. With the explore feature, you can also look around your area, or anywhere in the world, to see collections of plant pictures from that area.
The app also has a database of plants you can search by name to find info such as a description, care information, and even where to buy the plants. The app allows you to use most features free, but you can get premium for $2.99 a month, $19.99 a year, or $39.99 for permanent access.
Download PlantSnap for iOS
Download PlantSnap for Android
PlantIn
For indoor plant lovers, PlantIn is a great app for identifying and managing your house plants. You can add each plant you have either by photo identification, or by searching them by name. From there, you can get a care schedule for each plant to ensure they all get what they need to thrive. You can also get information for caring for plants during each respective season.
There is also a blog section where you can find information on plants and caring for them. Even more features available on this app include disease diagnosis, botanist help, app customization, moon calendar, and more. Many of these features can be accessed for free, but you can get premium for $7.99 a week or $49.99 a month.
Download PlantIn for iOS
Download PlantIn for Android
Plant Identification
This app provides lots of information for each plant you take a picture of to identify. After taking or uploading a picture, you’ll receive a list of possible species from most to least likely. When you tap on a species, you can see information such as how to care for it, reviews of the plant by others, description, taxonomy, and more. The app will also let you know whether your plant is healthy or not.
You can also see pictures others have taken of the plant to better determine if yours is looking the way it should and which species it fits into. Once you identify a plant, it will be added to your collection on the app. You can use much of the app for free, but premium gives you full access and it costs $1.49 a week, $3.99 a month, or $29.99 for the year.
Download Plant Identification on iOS
Planty
Planty is a beautifully designed and helpful app for plant owners. When you first start the app, it will ask you some questions to better determine how to help you. From there, you can add plants by uploading or taking a picture. You can then enter some information about what help you’d like with this plant, and then add it to your My Garden page.
Planty will help you with water reminders, and it even has a function to measure light levels around your plant to make sure it’s getting adequate sunlight. These are all amazing things to have if you’re just starting out with plant care. Best of all, every feature in this app is free.
Download Planty for iOS
Planta
Planta is an extremely good app for taking care of all your plants. You can set up groups of “sites” where your plants are grown, and add each plant within each site. So, for example, you could have “windowsill,” “porch,” and “garden” plants grouped separately, making keeping up with their needs much easier. The app also provides disease diagnosis, so if any of your plants are having issues you can determine what needs to be done.
Of course, the app also helps identify plants by taking a photo. You can also search for plants by name to find information about them. Planta allows you to use many features for free, but some of the more in-depth features will need a premium subscription of $35.99 a year, $17.99 for three months, or $7.99 for one month.
Download Planta for iOS
Download Planta for Android
Take Care of Your Plants With These Plant Apps
Each of these apps can help you a tremendous amount, whether you’re just starting to take on the task of caring for plants or are a skilled gardener and just need some help keeping everything in order. Many of these app’s features can be used entirely for free, as well. These are also great apps to use if you ever want to identify plants in the wild or that someone else is planting.
Are there any apps you like using to identify or care for plants? Let us know in the comments below.
