The shortlist
4 things that do it.
A citizen-science project that identifies plants from photos, run as a research and education initiative.
- Free
- Free and open to everyone; funded by donations (Pl@ntNet).
- Paid
- price not checked
- 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.
- ios
- android
- web
A free camera app from iNaturalist that suggests plants, animals and fungi from your photo.
- Free
- Free; no registration needed (App Store).
- Paid
- price not checked
- 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.
- ios
A plant identifier app and website with care guides, disease help and toxicity information.
- Free
- Site offers 'Try for Free'; the UK App Store says free with in-app purchases; free allowance not seen.
- Paid
- price not checked
- 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.
- ios
- web
Google's visual search, which can identify plants from a photo among other things.
- Free
- Free to use (Google).
- Paid
- price not checked
- 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.
- android
- ios
- chrome
The same shortlist, as a table
| Thing | Free tier | Paid from | Platforms | The catch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pl@ntNetrel="nofollow noopener" | Free and open to everyone; funded by donations (Pl@ntNet). | not checked | ios, android, web | Its FAQ describes a research and education initiative and makes no claims about accuracy or edibility. |
| Seek by iNaturalistrel="nofollow noopener" | Free; no registration needed (App Store). | not checked | ios | The UK App Store listing lists iPhone and iPad; we did not check an Android listing. Identifications are suggestions from image recognition. |
| PictureThisrel="nofollow noopener" | Site offers 'Try for Free'; the UK App Store says free with in-app purchases; free allowance not seen. | not checked | ios, web | 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. |
| Google Lensrel="nofollow noopener" | Free to use (Google). | not checked | android, ios, chrome | A general visual search tool, not a dedicated plant app; Google's page gives no plant accuracy figures. |
How we checked
What we read, and what we haven't tested yet.
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. Nothing was tested hands-on, so this is what those pages say.
If none of these fit
The manual way.
For anything you plan to eat, a phone app is not enough. The 2023 study says foragers must have adequate botanical knowledge. 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 you're unsure.