--- title: "Is there an app to identify snakes?" url: https://isthereathing.com/an-app-to-identify-snakes/ answer: "yes" summary: "Yes. Snappit and Dragon Finder are free, and iNaturalist adds community review. Snappit says no app identification should be used to decide whether a snake is dangerous." category: "Identify things" published: 2026-10-12 updated: 2026-10-12 author: "Jack Stovell" publisher: "Adapt Progress Evolve Limited" language: en-GB --- # Is there an app to identify snakes? **Answer: yes.** Yes. Snappit and Dragon Finder are free, and iNaturalist adds community review. Snappit says no app identification should be used to decide whether a snake is dangerous. (Source: [Snappit snake identifier](https://www.snappit.app/identify/snakes)) Yes, there are a few. Snappit and Dragon Finder are free, and iNaturalist adds a community check on top. Snappit itself says no app identification should be used to decide whether a snake is dangerous. ## The shortlist ### Snappit A free family nature app that identifies a snake or reptile from a photo and shows its name, scientific name, habitat and facts written for young readers. - Link: https://www.snappit.app/identify/snakes - Free tier: yes. Free to download, and the page says you can identify snakes for free every day; an optional upgrade unlocks unlimited snaps. - Paid from: not checked (not verified: the page does not state the price of the upgrade) - Best at: Quick photo identification with a field guide of 430+ reptiles, aimed at families (rated ages 4+, no ads). - The catch: Snappit says no app identification should ever be used to decide whether a snake is dangerous or safe to handle. Free use is limited each day and the limit is not stated. - Platforms: ios, android - Source: [Snappit snake identifier](https://www.snappit.app/identify/snakes) ### Froglife Dragon Finder A free app from the UK charity Froglife that helps you identify UK reptiles and amphibians, including adults, eggs, larvae and calls, and submit sightings. - Link: https://www.froglife.org/what-we-do/dragon-finder-app/ - Free tier: yes. Froglife says the app is available to download for free. - Paid from: not checked (free) - Best at: Identifying British reptiles, snakes included, through simple questionnaires, illustrations and photographs rather than a photo scan. - The catch: It is built around UK species and recording sightings, and it identifies from your answers to questions, not from a photo you upload. - Platforms: ios, android - Source: [Froglife Dragon Finder app](https://www.froglife.org/what-we-do/dragon-finder-app/) ### iNaturalist A free, nonprofit, community-powered nature app and website where you photograph a plant, animal or fungus, get an instant suggested identification and have it confirmed or refined by other naturalists. - Link: https://www.inaturalist.org/ - Free tier: yes. The homepage says free, nonprofit, community-powered. - Paid from: not checked (free) - Best at: Pairing an instant suggestion with review by a global community, with a page for snakes (suborder Serpentes) in its taxonomy. - The catch: Your observation becomes open data used by scientists and researchers. It covers all living things, so it is not snake-specific. - Platforms: ios, android, web - Source: [iNaturalist homepage](https://www.inaturalist.org/) ### Snake Identifier: Serpiq An iPhone app where you photograph a snake and get a species identification with venom status, habitat, diet and behaviour, plus an AI chat for questions. - Link: https://apps.apple.com/app/id6749370615 - Free tier: yes. The App Store listing says free users can identify one snake type and ask up to two AI questions; unlimited access requires a subscription. - Paid from: not checked (not verified on a developer page: the App Store listing shows in-app purchases, but the developer's site does not list prices) - Best at: A snake-only app with an AI chat and a personal journal of saved sightings. - The catch: iPhone only, and the free version is very limited. The developer's own website has no pricing page, so prices here come from the App Store listing only. - Platforms: ios - Source: [Snake Identifier: Serpiq (App Store)](https://apps.apple.com/app/id6749370615) ## How they compare ### If you want a free photo scan with a large reptile guide Snappit is the closest match. It is free to download on iPhone and Android, and its page says you can identify snakes for free every day. The field guide lists 430+ reptiles, the app is rated ages 4+ and it has no ads, so it suits families where children are the ones holding the phone. You photograph a snake or reptile and it shows the name, scientific name, habitat and facts written for young readers. The catch is the daily limit. Snappit does not say how many free identifications you get, so you cannot plan around it. An optional upgrade unlocks unlimited snaps, but the page does not state its price, so that price is not verified. For a one-off sighting the limit probably will not matter. If you photograph everything in the garden, you may reach it without knowing where it sits. ### If you are in the UK Froglife's Dragon Finder is a free app from the UK charity Froglife. It helps you identify UK reptiles and amphibians, including adults, eggs, larvae and calls, and lets you submit sightings. Froglife's reptiles page lists the grass snake, adder and smooth snake among UK species. It works differently from a photo scan. Simple questionnaires, illustrations and photographs help you identify the animal, and you can compare photographs of different species to check your answer. That asks more of you than pointing a camera. It is built around UK species and recording sightings, so it is of limited use outside Britain. ### If you want people to check the answer iNaturalist is a free, nonprofit, community-powered app and website. You photograph a plant, animal or fungus, get an instant suggested identification, and other naturalists confirm or refine it. Its taxonomy includes a page for snakes (the suborder Serpentes). It covers all living things, so it is less tailored to snakes than the dedicated apps. It also works on the web as well as in the app. The other cost is that your observation becomes open data used by scientists and researchers, which is covered below. ### If you want a snake-only iPhone app with AI questions Snake Identifier: Serpiq is for iPhone only. You photograph a snake and get a species identification with venom status, habitat, diet and behaviour, plus an AI chat for questions and a personal journal of saved sightings. The free version is very limited. The App Store listing says free users can identify one snake type and ask up to two AI questions, and unlimited access requires a subscription. The developer's own website has no pricing page, so the price comes only from the App Store listing, which shows in-app purchases. We have not verified the price on a developer page. ### When to pay You do not need to pay to try any of the first three. Snappit and Dragon Finder are free to download, and iNaturalist describes itself as free. Snappit's upgrade only matters if you keep reaching the daily limit, and its price is not stated on its page. Serpiq's free version stops after one snake type and two AI questions, so it only makes sense to subscribe if you want the AI chat and the journal. ## What to watch for Snappit says no app identification should ever be used to decide whether a snake is dangerous or safe to handle. If anyone is bitten, it says to seek emergency medical care immediately. It also asks you to keep your distance, never approach or touch a snake to photograph it, and to use your camera's zoom from well away. In UK gardens, Amphibian and Reptile Conservation says the animals most likely to turn up are the grass snake or the slow-worm. A slow-worm is a legless lizard that looks very much like a snake, so check what you have found before assuming it is one. Check what you are sharing as well. iNaturalist observations become open data used by scientists, conservationists and researchers, and Dragon Finder records are shared with the National Biodiversity Network. ## How we checked On 2026-10-09 we read Snappit's snake identifier page, Froglife's Dragon Finder page and its reptiles page, iNaturalist's homepage and its snakes taxon page, the App Store listing for Snake Identifier: Serpiq, and Amphibian and Reptile Conservation's snakes in gardens page. We left out Seek by iNaturalist because it is aimed at under-13s and the iNaturalist homepage does not say it identifies snakes. Snappit's own site does not state its upgrade price, and Serpiq's developer site has no pricing, so those prices are not verified. Nothing was tested hands-on. ## If none of these fit Amphibian and Reptile Conservation says that if you are still unsure which snake you have found, you can email it a photo or a detailed description, or post a photo to its Facebook page. It also offers a poster called Identifying Britain's snakes, which is useful if you would rather compare against a printed guide. ## Also typed as - is there an app to identify snakes - is there an app that identifies snakes - is there a snake identifier app - is there an app for identifying snakes - is there a free app to identify snakes - is there an app to identify snakes by photo - is there an app to identify uk snakes - is there an app that can identify snakes ## Related questions - [Is there an app for identifying bugs?](https://isthereathing.com/an-app-for-identifying-bugs/) - [Is there an app that identifies plants?](https://isthereathing.com/an-app-that-identifies-plants/) - [Is there an app for identifying bird calls?](https://isthereathing.com/an-app-for-identifying-bird-calls/) ## Sources - [Snappit snake identifier](https://www.snappit.app/identify/snakes) (checked 2026-10-09) - [Froglife Dragon Finder app](https://www.froglife.org/what-we-do/dragon-finder-app/) (checked 2026-10-09) - [iNaturalist homepage](https://www.inaturalist.org/) (checked 2026-10-09) - [iNaturalist snakes taxon page](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/85553-Serpentes) (checked 2026-10-09) - [Snake Identifier: Serpiq (App Store)](https://apps.apple.com/app/id6749370615) (checked 2026-10-09) - [ARC: snakes in gardens](https://www.arc-trust.org/snakes-in-gardens) (checked 2026-10-09) - [Froglife: reptiles](https://www.froglife.org/info-advice/amphibians-and-reptiles/reptiles/) (checked 2026-10-09) ## Questions people ask ### Is there a free app to identify snakes? Yes. Snappit is free to download and says you can identify snakes for free every day. Froglife's Dragon Finder is free for UK reptiles, and iNaturalist describes itself as free and nonprofit. ### Can an app tell me if a snake is venomous? Snappit says it shares facts about each species as a learning aid, but no app identification should ever be used to decide whether a snake is dangerous. It adds that you should seek emergency medical care immediately if anyone is bitten. ### Is there an app to identify UK snakes? Froglife's free Dragon Finder app helps you identify UK reptiles and amphibians through questionnaires, illustrations and photographs. Froglife's reptiles page lists the grass snake, adder and smooth snake. ### Does iNaturalist identify snakes? iNaturalist suggests an identification for plants, animals and fungi, and its taxonomy includes a page for snakes (suborder Serpentes). It says a global community of naturalists confirms or refines the suggestion.