Comparison

Forest Insect Pests vs iNaturalist

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

Head to head
About

Forest Insect Pests

Identify common North American tree pests with detailed photos and life cycle information. This educational tool aids foresters and landscapers in recognizing insect damage and finding further resources.

Highlights
  • Pest identification photos
  • Life cycle information
  • Damage recognition
  • Resource links
  • North American focus
Features
Read full description

The photos present in this App are intended to help foresters, urban landscaping employees, or others working with trees recognize some of the common pest insects affecting trees in North America and understand their life cycles and how they damage trees. The information was drawn from book, websites, factsheets, and some original literature. This App is not a guide for specialists. In many groups, such as the bark beetles and aphids, confirmation of species identity requires attention to details not visible in photos with comparisons to other similar species and use of keys. Sources for further information (websites and articles) are given at the bottom of each species' page.

About

iNaturalist

Identify plants, animals, and fungi using your camera or imported photos. Get AI-powered species suggestions and connect with a global community of nature enthusiasts to learn more about the natural world and contribute to scientific conservation efforts.

Highlights
  • AI species identification
  • Record species observations
  • Contribute to scientific data
  • Explore biodiversity
  • Connect with nature enthusiasts
Currently charting
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Your photos of plants, animals, fungi, and more can help protect nature all around the world. iNaturalist is free, nonprofit, and community-powered. iNaturalist helps millions of people learn about and document the nature around them. Point your camera at plants, animals, and fungi to get instant identification suggestions, then share your photos or sound recordings as an "observation." Then, see your observation get reviewed by a global community of knowledgeable nature-lovers to turn it into a useful data point for science and conservation efforts. Your everyday moments of curiosity can directly contribute to protecting nature, and you don't need any previous experience or knowledge to get started. iNaturalist is a mission-driven nonprofit dedicated to connecting people to nature and advancing biodiversity science and conservation, and is freely available thanks to the generous support of our community. KEY FEATURES • Identify species from anywhere in the world • Contribute to science by sharing your observations • Keep a record of species you see • Explore and protect biodiversity • Connect with and learn from other nature enthusiasts

Screenshots

Forest Insect Pests4 screens
iNaturalist4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Forest Insect Pests at 4.8 against iNaturalist's 4.1. iNaturalist's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 45 months) and ratings volume (715 vs 4). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Forest Insect Pests holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: iNaturalist has 715 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Forest Insect Pests ships an update every 45 months, iNaturalist fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Forest Insect Pests versus iNaturalist: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterForest Insect PestsiNaturalist
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (4 ratings) — better4.1 (715 ratings)
Positive reviews—48.6% of reviews
Number of ratings4715 — better
Update frequencyEvery 45 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
Best chart rank—#114 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS18.615.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size586 MB220 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCharles T. BargeroniNaturalist

Customer experience

Forest Insect Pests

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

iNaturalist

All ratings707 ratings
Positive72.7%
Neutral8.8%
Negative18.5%
Written reviews451 reviews
Positive48.6%
Neutral15.3%
Negative36.1%

Bugs and requests

Forest Insect Pests

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

iNaturalist

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • App freezes when suggesting IDs on audio clips
  • Inconsistent tap responsiveness in search menu
  • Observation time not accurately filling based on upload time
  • Map showing incorrect observation locations
  • Crashes and performance issues on some devices

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to type in address/coordinates for location
  • Option to add observations to projects during upload
  • Batch editing/uploading of observations
  • More precise search filters (e.g. aquatic, parasitic, migratory)
  • Bring back colored observation markers on map

In-app purchases

None

Forest Insect Pests

No in-app purchases

None

iNaturalist

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Forest Insect Pests free?
Forest Insect Pests is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is iNaturalist free?
iNaturalist is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Forest Insect Pests or iNaturalist?
Forest Insect Pests is rated higher. Forest Insect Pests averages 4.8 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while iNaturalist averages 4.1 from 715 ratings.
Do Forest Insect Pests or iNaturalist have ads?
Neither Forest Insect Pests nor iNaturalist shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Forest Insect Pests or iNaturalist?
Forest Insect Pests ships an update every 45 months, and iNaturalist fortnightly. Most recently, Forest Insect Pests was updated on October 20, 2026 and iNaturalist on October 30, 2026.

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