Comparison

Antkey Mobile vs Insect ID

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

Head to head
About

Antkey Mobile

This application aids in the identification of invasive, introduced, and commonly intercepted ant species worldwide. It utilizes a 'Find Best' function to assist users in identifying ants, drawing from a comprehensive community resource.

Highlights
  • Invasive ant species identification
  • Introduced ant species identification
  • Commonly intercepted ant species identification
  • Global ant species database
  • Find Best identification function
  • Community resource
Features
Read full description

Ants are conspicuous components of most terrestrial ecosystems. Ants are important predators, scavengers, granivores, and in the new world, herbivores. Ants also engage in an astonishing array of associations with plants and other insects, and can act as ecosystem engineers as agents of soil turnover, nutrient redistribution, and small-scale disturbance. Over 15,000 species of ants have been described, and more than 200 have established populations outside of their native ranges. A small subset of these have become highly destructive invaders including the Argentine ant (Linepithema humile), the big-headed ant (Pheidole megacephala), the yellow crazy ant (Anoplolepis gracilipes), the little fire ant (Wasmannia auropunctata), and the red imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta) which are currently listed among the world’s 100 worst invasive species (Lowe et al. 2000). Additionally, two of these species (Linepithema humile and Solenopsis invicta) are among the four most well studied invasive species generally (Pyšek et al. 2008). Although invasive ants are economically costly in both urban and agricultural areas, the most serious consequences of their introduction may be ecological. Invasive ants can greatly modify ecosystems by reducing native ant diversity, displacing other arthropods, negatively impacting vertebrate populations, and disrupting ant-plant mutualisms. Invasive ants form a small and somewhat distinct subset of ants introduced into new environments by humans. A majority of introduced ants remain confined to human-modified habitats and some of these species are often referred to as tramp ants because of their reliance on human-mediated dispersal and close association with humans generally. Although hundreds of ant species have become established outside of their native ranges, most research has concentrated on the biology of only a few species. Antkey is a community resource for the identification of invasive, introduced and commonly intercepted ant species from across the globe. This key was designed to be used with the “Find Best” function. Find best is invoked by tapping on the wand icon on the navigation bar, or by selecting the Find Best option in the navigation drawer. Authors: Eli M. Sarnat and Andrew V. Suarez Original source: This key is part of the complete Antkey tool at http://antkey.org (requires internet connection). External links are provided in the fact sheets for convenience, but they also require an internet connection. Full references for all citations may be found at the Antkey website, along with distribution maps, behavior videos, a fully illustrated glossary, and more. This key was developed in cooperation with the USDA APHIS Identification Technology Program. Please visit http://idtools.org to learn more.

About

Insect ID

Instantly identify over 100,000 insect species using your phone's camera. Simply point and learn about bugs, spiders, butterflies, and more. Perfect for anyone interested in entomology or curious about the insects around them.

Highlights
  • Instant insect identification
  • Identify 100,000+ species
  • Camera-based identification
  • Identify spiders and butterflies
  • Learn about insect orders
  • Identify anywhere, anytime
Read full description

Are you looking for a professional insect identification app? Just point your phone camera at an insect and let the educating begin with the bug identifier. Insect identification make up the great biodiversity of the earth. There are several million insect species, and entomologists have divided them into a reasonable number of units called "orders." The members of each insect order come from a common ancestor, have similar structural features, and have certain biological characteristics. insect identification app, Features: Instantly Identify 100000+ species of insects. Instantly identify insects with Insect identifier, spiders or butterflies and many other insects in the photo or camera. Identify anywhere anytime. With Insect Identification, Butterflies Identifier, Spiders Identifier, Bug Identifier anyone can identify insects like a Pro. Different species of insect, bug, butterfly, spiders, flies, ants, ladybugs, bees, fireflies, fleas, bumblebees, cockroaches, caterpillars, wasp, mosquito, dragonflies, flying spider, beetle, moths and more can be recognized. - Information about the auto-renewal of subscription: + Subscription price starts at 1 Month ($6.99 USD), 1 Year ($25.99 USD) • Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. • Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase. • Any unused portion of a free trial period will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription. • Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase. • Account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. The cost depends on the selected plan. Private Policy : https://sites.google.com/view/termofpolicy Terms & Conditions: https://sites.google.com/view/termofcondition

Screenshots

Antkey Mobile4 screens
Insect ID4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Antkey Mobile at none against Insect ID's 3. Antkey Mobile also leads on ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (10.0 vs 13.0). Insect ID's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 27 months) and ratings volume (87 vs 1). On price, rating 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. Insect ID sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Antkey Mobile asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.0 for Antkey Mobile against 3.9 for Insect ID. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Insect ID has 87 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 67% of Antkey Mobile's written reviews are positive against 87% of Insect ID's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Antkey Mobile ships an update every 27 months, Insect ID every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 6, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Antkey Mobile versus Insect ID: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAntkey MobileInsect ID
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (1 ratings) — better3.9 (87 ratings)
Positive reviews66.7% of reviews87.2% of reviews — better
Number of ratings187 — better
Update frequencyEvery 27 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS10.0 — better13.0
Further details — not scored
Size100 MB33 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperUnited States Department of Agriculture-APHISManh Tran

Customer experience

Antkey Mobile

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%

Insect ID

All ratings87 ratings
Positive72.4%
Neutral1.1%
Negative26.4%
Written reviews141 reviews
Positive87.2%
Neutral0.7%
Negative12.1%

Bugs and requests

Antkey Mobile

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Insect ID

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • App crashes or freezes during use
  • Login and subscription problems
  • Identification issues with certain insects

Requested features

3 requests
  • More detailed information on each insect
  • Offline mode for identification
  • Improved search and filtering options

In-app purchases

None

Antkey Mobile

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Insect ID

Subscriptions2
  • 1 Month Premium$4.991 Month
  • 1 Year Premium$24.991 Year
One-time1
  • forever insect$69.99

Questions

Is Antkey Mobile free?
Antkey Mobile is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Insect ID free?
Insect ID is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Antkey Mobile or Insect ID?
Antkey Mobile is rated higher. Antkey Mobile averages 4.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while Insect ID averages 3.9 from 87 ratings.
Do Antkey Mobile or Insect ID have ads?
Insect ID shows ads; Antkey Mobile does not.
Which is updated more often, Antkey Mobile or Insect ID?
Antkey Mobile ships an update every 27 months, and Insect ID every 3 weeks. Most recently, Antkey Mobile was updated on October 6, 2026 and Insect ID on October 13, 2026.

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