The questions
Four questions live here. Two checked so far.
- Is there an app that can name a song by humming?yes
- Is there an app that identifies plants?yes
- Is there an app that can identify bird calls?being checked
- Is there an app that can scan coins for value?yes
The things
Every thing we've checked here. From 2 checked questions.
Vendors measure free use differently, so we show their own units.
Hum, whistle or sing for 10 to 15 seconds in the Google app and it suggests the most likely songs.
- Free
- Part of the Google app; no charge mentioned on the pages we read.
- Paid
- price not checked
- Best at
- Humming with no words to go on; Google says you don't need perfect pitch.
- The catch
- It gives likely matches, not a guaranteed one. At launch it was English-only on iPhone, with 20+ languages on Android.
- Android (Google app)
- iPhone (Google app)
- Google Assistant
Sound Search in the YouTube Music app: play, sing or hum a song to find it.
- Free
- not verified: the help page says nothing about price
- Paid
- price not checked
- Best at
- Finding the song and playing it straight away, if you already use YouTube Music.
- The catch
- The help page only describes the mobile app, and you need to be signed in with microphone access. Whether it needs Premium isn't stated.
- YouTube Music mobile app
Music ID app: tap the button for music playing nearby, or sing or hum the tune.
- Free
- Free to download and use, with in-app purchases.
- Paid
- from £6.99 one-off, Remove ads (in-app purchase, UK App Store)
- Best at
- One app that does both recorded music and humming.
- The catch
- Ads unless you pay to remove them.
- iPhone
- iPad
- Apple Watch
- Android
Apple's music recognition app for songs playing around you.
- Free
- Free app, and Music Recognition is built into Apple devices. Full-song listening needs Apple Music or another supported service.
- Paid
- price not checked
- Best at
- Naming a recording that's playing right now, in a shop or on the radio.
- The catch
- Apple's own pages only talk about music playing around you and never mention humming, so it's the wrong tool for a tune stuck in your head.
- iPhone
- iPad
- Mac
- Apple Watch
- Apple Vision Pro
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 answer key
Three honest answers.
yes
yesReal things do this today. Here's the shortlist.
partly
partlyThings exist, but they only do some of it, or not well.
not really
not reallyNothing does this properly. We say so, and point to the nearest fix.