Comparison

PlantNet vs INPN Espèces

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

Head to head
About

PlantNet

Identify plants by taking photos with your smartphone. Contribute to a global citizen science project to understand and preserve plant biodiversity. Recognizes thousands of wild and cultivated species.

Highlights
  • Identify plants by photographing them
  • Citizen science project for biodiversity
  • Supports identification of flowering plants, trees, grasses, and more
  • Recognizes cultivated plants in parks and gardens
  • Filter recognized species by genus or family
  • Map your observations
  • Links to plant factsheets
Features
Read full description

Pl@ntNet is an application that allows you to identify plants simply by photographing them with your smartphone. Very useful when you don't have a botanist on hand! Pl@ntNet is also a great citizen science project: all the plants you photograph are collected and analysed by scientists around the world to better understand the evolution of plant biodiversity and to better preserve it. Pl@ntNet allows you to identify and better understand all kinds of plants living in nature: flowering plants, trees, grasses, conifers, ferns, vines, wild salads, cacti (and many more). Pl@ntNet can also identify a large number of cultivated plants (in parks and gardens) but this is not its primary purpose. We especially need Pl@ntNet’s users to inventory the wild plants, those that you can observe in nature, but also those that grow on the sidewalks of cities or in the middle of your vegetable garden! The more visual information you give to Pl@ntNet about the plant you are observing, the more accurate the identification will be. There are indeed many plants that look alike from afar and it is sometimes small details that distinguish two species of the same genus. Flowers, fruits and leaves are the most characteristic organs of a species and it is them that should be photographed first. But any other detail can be useful, such as thorns, buds or hair on the stem. A photograph of the whole plant is also very useful information, but it is often not sufficient to allow a reliable identification. At present, Pl@ntNet makes it possible to recognize about 20,000 species. We are still a long way from the 360,000 species living on earth, but Pl@ntNet is getting richer every day thanks to the contributions of the most experienced users among you. Don't be afraid to contribute yourself! Your observation will be reviewed by the community and may one day join the photo gallery illustrating the species in the application. The new version of Pl@ntNet released in January 2019 includes many improvements and new features: -The ability to filter recognized species by genus or family. -The differentiated data revision that gives more weight to users who have demonstrated the most skills (in particular the number of species observed, validated by the community). -The re-identification of shared observations, whether yours or those of other users of the application. -The multi-flora identification that allows you to search for the photographed plant in all the flora of the application and not only in the one you have selected. Very useful when you are not sure what flora to look for. -The selection of your favorite floras to access them more quickly. -The navigation at different taxonomic levels in image galleries. -The mapping of your observations. -Links to many factsheets. The web version of the application is also available at the following address: https://identify.plantnet.org/

About

INPN Espèces

Discover local wildlife and contribute to biodiversity monitoring. Easily share your observations with experts by uploading photos, location, and species details. Participate in scientific quests and educational activities.

Highlights
  • Discover local species
  • Share observations with experts
  • Photo identification
  • Geolocation of observations
  • Taxonomic group identification
  • Participate in scientific quests
  • Educational activities for schools
Features
Read full description

L’application mobile INPN espèces vous permet de découvrir la diversité des espèces présentes autour de vous depuis votre mobile et de partager vos observations avec les experts. Curieux de la nature, passionnés, scolaires, participez à l’inventaire de la biodiversité de votre commune que vous soyez en métropole ou en outre-mer ! Pour partager votre observation, rien de plus simple, il suffit de quelques clics sur votre téléphone : - prenez une à trois photos de l’espèce que vous souhaitez identifier (espèce sauvage, photo nette, critères déterminants visibles, etc.) ou recherchez vos photos dans votre galerie ; - renseignez les experts sur la date et le lieu de l’observation en vous aidant de la fonction « géolocaliser » ou en rentrant manuellement le nom de votre commune ; - précisez le groupe simple de l’espèce (mammifère, insecte, plante, etc.). Si vous souhaitez aller plus loin dans l'identification, vous pouvez essayer d'indiquer le groupe taxonomique (papillons de jour, salamandres et tritons, plantes à fleur, etc.). Une aide à l’identification de l’espèce est également proposée avec une liste illustrée d’espèces pouvant correspondre à votre description. Vous serez informé des avancées concernant la validation de vos observations et permettrez aux experts de compléter les cartes de répartition des espèces. Devenez ainsi un observateur de la biodiversité de votre commune et un acteur de la connaissance ! Les enseignants peuvent également inventorier la biodiversité avec leurs élèves en créant des comptes classes (de la primaire à la terminale) puis en sélectionnant les observations des élèves avant la transmission aux experts. Des activités pédagogiques à retrouver sur le site Détermin’Obs accompagnent la classe en fonction des niveaux et des programmes scolaires. Enfin, des quêtes sont proposées afin de répondre à une question scientifique concernant un groupe ou une espèce en particulier. Les données récoltées permettront aux experts de mieux comprendre l’écologie, la répartition ou le cycle de vie des espèces ciblées. En fonction des saisons, de nouvelles quêtes seront régulièrement proposées. Certaines se dérouleront sur plusieurs mois tandis que d’autres seront proposées sur de plus courtes périodes. De même, certaines cibleront la métropole, d’autres l’outre-mer, certaines seront nationales et d’autres beaucoup plus locales.

Screenshots

PlantNet4 screens
INPN Espèces4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: PlantNet at 4.6 against INPN Espèces's 4.0. PlantNet also leads on ratings volume (7.1K vs 1) and review sentiment (83% vs 70%). On price, update cadence, 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

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

PlantNet holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PlantNet has 7.1K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 83% of PlantNet's written reviews are positive against 70% of INPN Espèces's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PlantNet ships an update every 2 months, INPN Espèces every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 10, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
PlantNet versus INPN Espèces: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPlantNetINPN Espèces
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (7.1K ratings) — better4.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews82.5% of reviews — better70.0% of reviews
Number of ratings7.1K — better1
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 6 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.1 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size82 MB49 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperCirad-FranceMuséum national d’Histoire naturelle

Customer experience

PlantNet

All ratings7,048 ratings
Positive90.8%
Neutral2.4%
Negative6.8%
Written reviews858 reviews
Positive82.5%
Neutral3.1%
Negative14.3%

INPN Espèces

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews50 reviews
Positive70.0%
Neutral22.0%
Negative8.0%

User reviews

PlantNet

From 7.1K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🌟 Accurate plant identification
  • 📚 Extensive plant database
  • 🔍 Multiple identification options (flower, leaf, bark, etc.)
  • 🤝 Community-driven identification
  • 🆓 Free to use with no ads or subscriptions

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional identification errors
  • 🌍 Limited coverage of certain regions/countries
  • 🤖 Struggles with rare or unusual plants
  • 🤔 Confusing interface for some users
  • 📤 Difficulty uploading/accessing past photos

INPN Espèces

From 1 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 💡 Educational and informative
  • 🌟 Contributes to biodiversity knowledge
  • 🎯 Gamified with points and quests
  • 🤝 Expert validation of observations

Room to improve

  • 🐌 Slow performance/loading
  • 🐛 Frequent bugs and glitches
  • ⏳ Long wait for observation validation
  • ⚠️ Login/connection issues (expired token)
  • 🤔 Difficulty creating accounts

Bugs and requests

PlantNet

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Crashes or freezes on some devices
  • Geolocation issues (app thinks user is in wrong location)
  • Inconsistent or missing plant identification results

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add more regional/local plant information
  • Improve search and filtering options
  • Provide plant care and usage details
  • Allow users to save and organize identified plants
  • Add a community forum or discussion features

INPN Espèces

Reported bugs

27 issues
  • Observations not being validated for a month
  • Bugs in the application
  • Impossible to send observations to experts
  • Expired token error, preventing login
  • Cannot reconnect after password reset
Show 22 more
  • Problems creating accounts (password issues)
  • App disconnects frequently
  • Observations impossible to submit
  • Intempestive disconnections
  • Cannot reconnect even with correct credentials
  • Problems with login/password reset
  • Camera photos refused
  • App lags regularly
  • Difficult to recover forgotten password
  • Observations in pending validation for a long time
  • Cannot connect after update
  • App not working on older iPhones (iPhone 5S)
  • Observation upload is slow
  • Some validations take weeks
  • App freezes on loading screen
  • GPS search bugs, requires manual input
  • Scrolling on discovery pages is laborious
  • Search function behind network indicators on iPhone XS
  • Photos taken by the camera are refused
  • Cannot transmit new observations after a week of use
  • Error message during observation submission
  • Observation sharing systematically deleted after 3 observations

Requested features

21 requests
  • AI-based identification
  • Social features (friends, sharing)
  • Statistics directly in the app
  • Ability to filter quests by location
  • Display species already spotted in the commune
Show 16 more
  • Increased character limit for comments
  • Dark mode option
  • Ability to edit profile and delete duplicate observations
  • Daily/weekly challenges for bonus points
  • Seasonal events with point bonuses
  • Color-coded threat levels for species
  • Link with NaturaList database
  • More detailed species information (not just Google links)
  • More observation photos
  • Ability to follow other users
  • Option to delete incorrect observations
  • Improved ergonomics for beginners
  • Faster validation or a way to see updated observations more easily
  • Direct access to vernacular names after observation sharing
  • Ability to zoom in on photos
  • Larger map view for distribution

In-app purchases

None

PlantNet

No in-app purchases

None

INPN Espèces

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is PlantNet free?
PlantNet is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is INPN Espèces free?
INPN Espèces is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, PlantNet or INPN Espèces?
PlantNet is rated higher. PlantNet averages 4.6 out of 5 from 7.1K ratings, while INPN Espèces averages 4.0 from 1 ratings.
Do PlantNet or INPN Espèces have ads?
Neither PlantNet nor INPN Espèces shows ads.
Which is updated more often, PlantNet or INPN Espèces?
PlantNet ships an update every 2 months, and INPN Espèces every 6 weeks. Most recently, PlantNet was updated on November 10, 2026 and INPN Espèces on November 2, 2026.

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