--- title: "Is there an app to identify spiders?" url: https://isthereathing.com/an-app-to-identify-spiders/ answer: "yes" summary: "Yes. Picture Insect, Snappit and Spider Identifier all name spiders and are free to download, and iNaturalist adds review by other people. In the UK, the Natural History Museum also helps with spider finds." 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 spiders? **Answer: yes.** Yes. Picture Insect, Snappit and Spider Identifier all name spiders and are free to download, and iNaturalist adds review by other people. In the UK, the Natural History Museum also helps with spider finds. (Source: [Picture Insect on the UK App Store](https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/picture-insect-bug-identifier/id1461694973)) Yes, there are apps that identify spiders. You take or upload a photo and the app suggests a name. Picture Insect, Snappit and Spider Identifier are all free to download, and iNaturalist is free and adds review by other people. This page compares the four, and points to the Natural History Museum for UK finds. ## The shortlist ### Picture Insect: Spiders & Bugs An identifier app from Next Vision Limited: you take or upload a picture and the app suggests what the insect or spider is. The UK App Store title is Picture Insect: Spiders & Bugs. - Link: https://www.pictureinsect.com/ - Free tier: not verified. Free to download with in-app purchases, and the website says you can identify thousands of insects for free, but the free allowance is not stated. - Paid from: £4.99 per month (Month Premium, UK App Store) (checked 2026-10-09; Yearly Premium £29.99 with a 7 day trial; Quarter Premium £14.99 and Month Pro £9.99 are also listed) - Best at: A big-name app with spiders in its title, plus pest control tips and, on Premium, answers from entomologists. - The catch: The free allowance is not stated. The App Store text says 1000+ species and an accuracy rate of 95.28%, figures from the developer that we could not check, while its Premium panel says 4000+ species. - Platforms: ios, android - Source: [Picture Insect on the UK App Store](https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/picture-insect-bug-identifier/id1461694973) ### Snappit A free-to-download nature app for families: you photograph a spider and it shows the suggested match with a name, scientific name, habitat and facts written for young readers. - Link: https://www.snappit.app/identify/spiders - Free tier: yes. Snappit says it is free to download on iPhone and Android and you can identify spiders for free every day; an optional Snappit Full subscription adds unlimited snaps and custom adventures. - Paid from: $2.99 per month (Snappit Full, homepage) (checked 2026-10-09; $12.99 per year is also listed; prices are shown in dollars on the homepage and no UK price is given) - Best at: Families and children: each identified spider becomes a collectible card, the app is rated 4+ and says it has no ads. - The catch: Its spider page shows American examples such as the American Nursery Web Spider, so it may suit UK finds less well; we did not verify its UK coverage. Its upgrade prices are listed in dollars, and no UK price is shown. - Platforms: ios, android - Source: [Snappit spider identifier](https://www.snappit.app/identify/spiders) ### Spider Identifier A spider-only app that says its AI matches your photo against thousands of spider species and returns the species, a risk profile and habitat information. - Link: https://spider-identifier.com/ - Free tier: yes. The site says the app is free to download on iOS and you can identify spiders immediately with the free tier; a premium subscription unlocks unlimited identifications. - Paid from: not checked (not verified: the premium price is not stated on the site) - Best at: A single-purpose spider app, with a free tier and species profiles. - The catch: iPhone only on its site, no developer name or price on the page, and its download and rating figures are the developer's own claims. - Platforms: ios - Source: [Spider Identifier](https://spider-identifier.com/) ### iNaturalist A free, nonprofit, community-powered app and website: the app suggests an identification instantly and a global community of naturalists confirms or refines it. - Link: https://www.inaturalist.org/ - Free tier: yes. The homepage calls it free, nonprofit and community-powered. - Paid from: not checked (free) - Best at: Having people check the answer, on a service that covers animals generally. - The catch: Its homepage does not name spiders or arachnids, only animals, plants, fungi and other organisms. Your observation becomes open data. - Platforms: ios, android, web - Source: [iNaturalist](https://www.inaturalist.org/) ## How they compare ### If you want a well-known app with spiders in its name Picture Insect: Spiders & Bugs has spiders in its UK App Store title. You take or upload a picture and its AI returns a result. On Premium you also get answers from entomologists. It is available on iPhone and Android. The figures need care. The App Store text says 1000+ species and an accuracy rate of 95.28%, while the Premium panel says 4000+ species. These are the developer's numbers and we could not check them. The free allowance is not stated, so you cannot tell how far the free version goes before you try it. ### If you want a free app for children Snappit is free to download on iPhone and Android, and it says you can identify spiders for free every day. It is rated 4+ and says it has no ads and no chat. Each spider you identify becomes a collectible card with a name, scientific name, habitat and facts written for young readers. Its spider page shows American examples, such as the American Nursery Web Spider and the California Flattened Jumping Spider, and it does not say how well it covers UK species. We did not verify its UK coverage. An optional Snappit Full subscription adds unlimited snaps and custom adventures. Its homepage lists it at $2.99 a month or $12.99 a year, in dollars, and shows no UK price. ### If you want an app that only does spiders Spider Identifier is a spider-only app. It says its AI matches your photo against thousands of spider species and returns the species, a risk profile and habitat information. The site says it is free to download on iOS and that you can identify spiders straight away on the free tier. Its site mentions iPhone only, and it gives no developer name or price. Its download and rating figures are the developer's own claims. It lists the Brown Recluse and Black Widow among the species it recognises, and neither is a UK species, so check how well it handles what you find at home. ### If you want people to check the answer iNaturalist is a free, nonprofit, community-powered app and website. The app suggests an identification instantly, and a global community of naturalists confirms or refines it. It works on iOS, Android and the web. Its homepage names animals, plants, fungi and other organisms but does not name spiders or arachnids, so try it yourself before you rely on it for a spider. Your observation also becomes open data. ### When paying is worth it Picture Insect shows UK prices. On the UK App Store, Month Premium is £4.99 and Yearly Premium is £29.99 with a 7 day trial. Quarter Premium at £14.99 and Month Pro at £9.99 are also listed. Premium adds unlimited identification and answers from entomologists. Snappit's homepage lists its optional Snappit Full upgrade at $2.99 a month or $12.99 a year, in dollars. Spider Identifier says a premium subscription unlocks unlimited identifications, but its price is not verified because the site does not state it. ## What to watch for Picture Insect subscriptions renew automatically unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the period (UK App Store wording). If you start the trial, set a reminder. Safety matters more. Snappit says an app identification should never be used to decide whether a spider is safe, and that if someone is bitten you should seek medical help immediately, whatever any app says. That applies to every app here. The Natural History Museum says that of the 650 species of spider found in the UK, only about 12 have been recorded as able to bite people. Treat an app's answer as a suggestion. ## How we checked On 2026-10-09 we read the UK App Store listing and website for Picture Insect, Snappit's spider page, the Spider Identifier website, the iNaturalist homepage, and the Natural History Museum's identify nature and Spiders in your home pages. We left out Seek, which the iNaturalist homepage points under 13s to, because we did not check it. Nothing was tested hands-on. ## If none of these fit For a UK find, the Natural History Museum's Identification and Advisory Service answers questions about wildlife found in the UK. Email images with a detailed description, where and when you saw it, and its approximate size. If your find is another kind of creature or plant, see Is there an app for identifying bugs and Is there an app that identifies plants on this site. ## Also typed as - is there an app to identify spiders by photo - is there an app that identifies spiders - is there an app for identifying spiders - is there a free app to identify spiders - is there a website to identify spiders - is there an app that can identify spiders - is there a spider identifier app - is there an app to identify spiders uk ## 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 - [Picture Insect on the UK App Store](https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/picture-insect-bug-identifier/id1461694973) (checked 2026-10-09) - [Picture Insect website](https://www.pictureinsect.com/) (checked 2026-10-09) - [Snappit spider identifier](https://www.snappit.app/identify/spiders) (checked 2026-10-09) - [Snappit homepage](https://www.snappit.app/) (checked 2026-10-09) - [Spider Identifier](https://spider-identifier.com/) (checked 2026-10-09) - [iNaturalist](https://www.inaturalist.org/) (checked 2026-10-09) - [Natural History Museum: identify nature](https://www.nhm.ac.uk/take-part/identify-nature.html) (checked 2026-10-09) - [Natural History Museum: spiders in your home](https://www.nhm.ac.uk/take-part/identify-nature/spiders-in-your-home.html) (checked 2026-10-09) - [British Arachnological Society: identification guides](https://britishspiders.org.uk/id-guides) (checked 2026-10-09) ## Questions people ask ### Is there a free app that identifies spiders? Yes. Snappit and Spider Identifier are free to download and each says you can identify spiders on a free tier, and iNaturalist is free and nonprofit. Picture Insect is free to download with paid Premium. ### Is there a website that identifies spiders? iNaturalist works on the web. In the UK, the Natural History Museum's identification service takes emailed images with a description, and its website has guides to spiders found in UK homes. ### Is there a UK app to identify spiders? We found no UK-specific spider app on the vendor pages we read. Snappit and Spider Identifier show non-UK examples, so the Natural History Museum's spider guides and identification service are worth using alongside an app. ### Can an app tell me if a spider is dangerous? Do not rely on one. Snappit says no app identification should be used to decide whether a spider is safe, and that anyone bitten should seek medical help immediately. ### Is there a book for identifying British spiders? The British Arachnological Society lists Britain's spiders (WILDGuides, 2020), a guide to all 38 British families aimed at people new to spider identification. It also lists Roberts' guides as the standard current identification works.