--- title: "Is there an app that identifies plants?" url: https://isthereathing.com/an-app-that-identifies-plants/ answer: "yes" summary: "Yes, several, and Pl@ntNet and Seek are free. Treat results as a suggestion: a 2023 study of four apps concluded that apps cannot be used to safely identify edible plants." category: "Identify things" published: 2026-10-02 updated: 2026-10-02 author: "Jack Stovell" publisher: "Adapt Progress Evolve Limited" language: en-GB --- # Is there an app that identifies plants? **Answer: yes.** Yes, several, and Pl@ntNet and Seek are free. Treat results as a suggestion: a 2023 study of four apps concluded that apps cannot be used to safely identify edible plants. (Source: [Clinical Toxicology 2023: plant identification applications and toxic and edible plants (PubMed)](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37535032/)) Yes, several apps identify plants from a photo, and two of them, Pl@ntNet and Seek, are free. Treat whatever they tell you as a suggestion, though, because a 2023 study of four apps concluded that apps cannot be used to safely identify edible plants. ## The shortlist ### Pl@ntNet A citizen-science project that identifies plants from photos, run as a research and education initiative. - Link: https://plantnet.org/en/ - Free tier: yes. Free and open to everyone; funded by donations (Pl@ntNet). - Paid from: not checked (free) - Best at: Free identification backed by a collaborative, community-reviewed database. - The catch: Its FAQ describes a research and education initiative and makes no claims about accuracy or edibility. - Platforms: ios, android, web - Source: [Pl@ntNet](https://plantnet.org/en/) ### Seek by iNaturalist A free camera app from iNaturalist that suggests plants, animals and fungi from your photo. - Link: https://www.inaturalist.org/pages/seek_app - Free tier: yes. Free; no registration needed (App Store). - Paid from: not checked (free) - Best at: Free use with no registration, with suggestions drawn from iNaturalist observations. - The catch: The UK App Store listing lists iPhone and iPad; we did not check an Android listing. Identifications are suggestions from image recognition. - Platforms: ios - Source: [Seek by iNaturalist on the UK App Store](https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/seek-by-inaturalist/id1353224144) ### PictureThis A plant identifier app and website with care guides, disease help and toxicity information. - Link: https://www.picturethisai.com/ - Free tier: not verified. Site offers 'Try for Free'; the UK App Store says free with in-app purchases; free allowance not seen. - Paid from: not checked (not verified: UK App Store lists Pro in-app purchases at £3.99, £7.99, £34.99 and £39.99 and a Family Plan at £49.99, with periods not stated) - Best at: Plant ID plus care and toxicity information; it scored best of four apps in a 2023 study (94% species accuracy on 16 US Midwest species). - The catch: The same study concluded apps cannot be used to safely identify edible plants. The UK App Store lists it as free with in-app subscriptions. - Platforms: ios, web - Source: [PictureThis homepage](https://www.picturethisai.com/) ### Google Lens Google's visual search, which can identify plants from a photo among other things. - Link: https://search.google/ways-to-search/lens/ - Free tier: not verified. No price stated on Google's Lens page. - Paid from: not checked (not stated on Google's Lens page) - Best at: Plant ID inside the Google app, Chrome or Photos, with nothing extra to install. - The catch: A general visual search tool, not a dedicated plant app; Google's page gives no plant accuracy figures. - Platforms: android, ios, chrome - Source: [Google Lens](https://search.google/ways-to-search/lens/) ## How they compare Which one suits you depends on what you want from it, so here are the likely reasons, one at a time. ### If you want it free with no strings Pl@ntNet is free and open to everyone, funded by donations, and its identifications are backed by a collaborative, community-reviewed database. It runs on iOS, Android and the web, so you're not tied to one phone. What do you give up? Pl@ntNet's FAQ describes a research and education initiative, and it makes no claims about accuracy or edibility. That's honest, but it also means you get no figure to lean on. ### If you would rather not install anything Google Lens identifies plants from inside the Google app, Chrome or Photos, so if you already use any of those, you've got it. There's nothing extra to install. Google's Lens page names no price, so we have not listed one. The catch is that it's a general visual search tool, not a dedicated plant app, and Google's page gives no plant accuracy figures, which is less reassuring if you want to know how often it's right. ### If you want care and toxicity help as well PictureThis adds care guides, disease help and toxicity information to the identifying itself. It also scored best of four apps in the 2023 study, with 94% species accuracy on 16 US Midwest species. It costs you in other ways. We couldn't see what its free allowance covers, and the UK App Store lists it as free with in-app subscriptions. Those are Pro in-app purchases at £3.99, £7.99, £34.99 and £39.99 and a Family Plan at £49.99, with periods not stated. We read its UK App Store listing and website; we didn't check an Android listing. ### If you are on an iPhone and want no account Seek by iNaturalist is free, needs no registration, and draws its suggestions from iNaturalist observations. The trade is platform. Its UK App Store listing covers iPhone and iPad, and we didn't check an Android listing, so on Android, check for yourself. Like the others, its identifications are suggestions from image recognition. ### When paying is worth it PictureThis is the only one here with paid options: UK App Store in-app purchases from £3.99 to £49.99, with the periods not stated. Pl@ntNet and Seek are free, and Google's Lens page names no price. So is it worth paying? If you want the care and toxicity side, perhaps. But paying does not make any app safe for deciding what to eat. Accuracy also varied widely in the study: species accuracy averaged 58%, ranging from 94% for PictureThis down to 34% for PlantSnap. Only 16 species were tested, all in the US Midwest, so don't treat any single figure as gospel for a garden in the UK. ## What to watch for The finding that matters most: in the 2023 study, five of eleven potentially toxic species were identified as an edible species by at least one app. The authors concluded that apps cannot be used to safely identify edible plants. That is the study's overall conclusion, not a quirk of one weak app. Pl@ntNet's FAQ describes it as a research and education initiative and makes no claims about accuracy or edibility. That's sensible modesty, but don't mistake silence for a green light. ## How we checked On 2026-10-02 we read the Pl@ntNet site and FAQ, the Seek and PictureThis UK App Store listings, the PictureThis homepage, Google's Lens page, the NHS poisoning page and the abstract of a 2023 Clinical Toxicology study. Seek's own website blocked our request, so we relied on its App Store listing. Nothing was tested hands-on, so this is what those pages say. ## If none of these fit For anything you plan to eat, a phone app is not enough. The 2023 study says foragers must have adequate botanical knowledge, and no app stands in for that. If someone has eaten a plant and might be poisoned, the NHS says to call 999 or go to A&E, or call 111 if unsure, and not to make them vomit. Do that first. ## Also typed as - is there an app for identifying plants - is there an app that identifies plants - is there a website that identifies plants by picture ## Related questions - [Is there an app that can name a song by humming?](https://isthereathing.com/an-app-that-can-name-a-song-by-humming/) - [Is there a website that can detect ai images?](https://isthereathing.com/a-website-that-can-detect-ai-images/) - [Is there an app that can detect hidden cameras?](https://isthereathing.com/an-app-that-can-detect-hidden-cameras/) ## Sources - [Pl@ntNet](https://plantnet.org/en/) (checked 2026-10-02) - [Pl@ntNet FAQ](https://api.plantnet.org/views/faq) (checked 2026-10-02) - [PictureThis homepage](https://www.picturethisai.com/) (checked 2026-10-02) - [PictureThis on the UK App Store](https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/picturethis-plant-identifier/id1252497129) (checked 2026-10-02) - [Clinical Toxicology 2023: plant identification applications and toxic and edible plants (PubMed)](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37535032/) (checked 2026-10-02) - [NHS: poisoning](https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/poisoning/) (checked 2026-10-02) - [Seek by iNaturalist on the UK App Store](https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/seek-by-inaturalist/id1353224144) (checked 2026-10-02) - [Google Lens](https://search.google/ways-to-search/lens/) (checked 2026-10-02) ## Questions people ask ### Can I use an app to decide if a wild plant is safe to eat? No. A 2023 study of four apps found five of eleven potentially toxic species were identified as an edible species by at least one app, and concluded that apps cannot be used to safely identify edible plants. ### Which plant identification apps are free? Pl@ntNet is free and funded by donations, Seek is free with no registration, and Google's Lens page names no price. PictureThis is free to download with paid subscriptions. ### How accurate are plant identification apps? In the 2023 study, genus accuracy averaged 76% and species accuracy 58%, ranging from 94% for PictureThis to 34% for PlantSnap on species. It tested 16 species in the US Midwest, so results elsewhere may differ. ### What should I do if someone eats a poisonous plant? The NHS says to call 999 or go to A&E if you think someone has swallowed something harmful, and to call 111 if you are unsure. Do not make them vomit.