TreeSnap vs Budburst
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
TreeSnap
Contribute to vital tree research by identifying and tagging healthy trees in your area. Your data helps scientists study genetic diversity and develop better tree breeding programs to combat invasive diseases and pests.
- Identify and tag trees
- Contribute to scientific research
- Support forest health initiatives
- Locate trees for genetic studies
- Aid tree breeding programs
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Help Our Nation’s Trees! Invasive diseases and pests threaten the health of America’s forests. Scientists are working to understand what allows some individual trees to survive, but they need to find healthy, resilient trees in the forest to study. That’s where concerned foresters, landowners, and citizens (you!) can help. Tag trees you find in your community, on your property, or out in the wild using TreeSnap! Scientists will use the data you collect to locate trees for research projects like studying the genetic diversity of tree species and building better tree breeding programs.
Budburst
Observe and record plant data to contribute to a national community science project. Identify plants, track their life cycles, and collaborate with others to understand and preserve nature.
- Observe plants with interactive map
- In-app plant identification tool
- Monitor plant life cycles
- Track plant-animal interactions
- Collaborate in community groups
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Capturing the beauty of nature and collecting plant data has never been easier. With the Budburst app, you can contribute to a national community science project by observing plants, uploading your data, and sharing your findings in an instant. When you use the Budburst app, you can observe plants in your area with the interactive map, learn about plants with the in-app identification tool, monitor plant life cycles and plant-animal interactions over time, and collaborate in groups with other community scientists. Preserve the nature around you by helping us better understand it.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: TreeSnap at 100% against Budburst's 50%. TreeSnap also leads on rating (4.6 vs 4.2) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
TreeSnap holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 19 and 13 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of TreeSnap's written reviews are positive against 50% of Budburst's.
TreeSnap ships an update every 3 weeks, Budburst every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | TreeSnap | Budburst |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (19 ratings) — better | 4.2 (13 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better | 50.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 19 — better | 13 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | 15.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 134 MB | 48 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | University of Tennessee | Chicago Horticultural Society |
Customer experience
TreeSnap
Budburst
In-app purchases
TreeSnap
No in-app purchases
Budburst
No in-app purchases
