Comparison

British tree identification vs Plant Scan

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

British tree identification

Identify native and common non-native trees in the UK with this interactive guide. Use visual cues like bark, leaves, and fruits, or an A-Z index to determine species. Learn fascinating facts, history, and uses for each tree, even offline.

Highlights
  • Identify trees by bark, leaves, and more
  • Seasonal identification
  • Offline functionality
  • Detailed species facts and folklore
  • Record and map identified trees
  • Add trees to favorites
  • Share tree discoveries
Features
Read full description

An interactive British tree identification app from the Woodland Trust, the UK’s largest woodland conservation charity. In just a few steps, you can identify native and common non-native trees in the UK, whatever the season. Use bark, twigs, buds, leaves, flowers and fruits or our A-Z guide full of stunning, clear images to identify the most common British trees. Discover more about each species with fascinating facts, folklore, history and uses – from medicine to musical instruments. - Recognise species in spring, summer, autumn or winter, even when there aren’t any leaves on the trees. - Use the app when you’re out and about – no internet connection needed. - Family friendly and easy-to-use. - Packed with detailed images and illustrations for accurate identification. - Read fascinating tree facts. - Add identified trees to your favourites. - Use the map to record trees you’ve found. - Share your saved trees with friends - Add your saved trees to the public map - Use the map to explore thousands of ancient trees nationwide

About

Plant Scan

Instantly identify plants, flowers, and trees using your device's camera. Explore detailed information, add plants to favorites, and enhance your surroundings with augmented reality animations. A user-friendly tool for plant enthusiasts.

Highlights
  • Photo-less real-time plant scanning
  • Augmented reality animations (insects, birds, flowers)
  • Identifies plants, flowers, trees, bushes, fruits, and more
  • Detailed plant information (taxonomy, status, season)
  • Save plants to favorites
  • Searchable plant database
Features
Read full description

Introducing Plant Scan: The easiest to use and most advanced Plant Identification app. Plant Scan offers Photo-less Scanning of plants, Augmented Reality animations, best in class A.I. technology, and far more detailed information than any other app. To use Plant Scan, simply hold your device in front of the Plant and scanning will happen in real-time, and if you see a Plant that is a good match, simply touch it to view more information about it. In addition to Photo-less scanning, Plant Scan can identify entire Families, Genuses, and Species: Including Plants, Bushes, Trees, Flowers, Fruits, Vegetables, Nuts, Mushrooms, Cacti, and more! In addition to real-time scanning, simply Touch the Display to add animated Augmented Reality Insects and Birds; and if Plant Scan detects a horizontal/vertical surface (Such as a Bush or Grass or Table) Touch the Display to add Augmented Reality Flowers to make Bushes and Grass beautiful! With Plant Scan you can view far more detailed information than any other app; Including but not limited to: General Summary, Taxonomy Classification, Season, Endangered/Threatened Status, Weed Status, and much more. If you see a plant that you want to save, you can add the Plant to your Favorites simply by pressing the Heart button. And with the Search function, you can manually Browse or Search through our massive database of Plants. With all these features Plant Scan provides a superior Plant Identification experience all while being super easy to use! Super Cool Features - Scan a Plant by simply holding your device in front of it; no having to take a Photo required - Simply Touch the Display to Add Augmented Reality Insects, Birds, and Flowers - Scans more types of Plants than any other app; including but not limited to: Plants, Flowers, Trees, Bushes, Fruits, Vegetables, Nuts, Mushrooms, Cacti, and more - When a Horizontal/Vertical Surface is detected, you can Touch the Display to attach Flowers to it - View Detailed Information about any Plant; Including: General Description, Season, Type, Jurisdiction, Taxonomy Classification, Endangered/Threatened Status, Weed Status, and more - Best in Class A.I. technology - Add a Plant to your Favorites by simply Touching the Heart button - Edit your Favorites super easily by simply touching the Edit button - Search Function lets your scroll through our massive database of Plants and search through them in real-time - Super Advanced, yet super easy to use

Screenshots

British tree identification1 screens
Plant Scan4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: British tree identification at 55% against Plant Scan's 0%. British tree identification also leads on ads (none vs shown) and monetization model (free vs ad-supported). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

British tree identification ships an update every 10 months, Plant Scan every 9 months. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
British tree identification versus Plant Scan: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBritish tree identificationPlant Scan
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (8 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews55.2% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings8 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 10 monthsEvery 9 months — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterAd-supported
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS15.614.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size352 MB193 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperWoodland TrustMach Software Design

Customer experience

British tree identification

All ratings8 ratings
Positive87.5%
Neutral12.5%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews58 reviews
Positive55.2%
Neutral8.6%
Negative36.2%

Plant Scan

Written reviews20 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

Bugs and requests

British tree identification

Reported bugs

6 issues
  • Saved trees disappeared
  • Save your tree function does not work
  • App has pasted from messages notification
  • Crashes on iOS11
  • Crashes, used to work
Show 1 more
  • Database hasn't been checked

Requested features

9 requests
  • Clearer images of tree profile
  • Illustration for tree profile
  • Practice game for tree identification
  • Save more than 1 picture of a tree
  • Black and white profile picture
Show 4 more
  • Include less common UK trees
  • Identify cut trees by wood features
  • More trees in the database
  • Make app compatible for iPads in landscape mode

Plant Scan

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

British tree identification

No in-app purchases

None

Plant Scan

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is British tree identification free?
British tree identification is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Plant Scan free?
Plant Scan is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do British tree identification or Plant Scan have ads?
Plant Scan shows ads; British tree identification does not.
Which is updated more often, British tree identification or Plant Scan?
British tree identification ships an update every 10 months, and Plant Scan every 9 months. Most recently, British tree identification was updated on October 29, 2026 and Plant Scan on October 15, 2026.

Other comparisons