PlantNet vs Botanica
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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/
Botanica
This app helps users learn about 382 different plants, including their common and botanical names, uses, and bloom colors. Test your knowledge with over 3000 questions and create custom learning levels to prepare for exams.
- Learn about 382 plant species
- Detailed plant information (names, uses, colors)
- Over 3000 quiz questions
- Category-specific exam questions
- Create custom learning levels
- Study plant characteristics
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Du bist gerade in deiner Ausbildung zum Landschaftsgärtner? Oder einem entsprechenden Studium? Oder einfach an Pflanzen interessiert? Dann ist Botanica genau die richtige App für dich. Mit Botanica kannst du Eigenschaften von 382 verschiedenen Pflanzen lernen. Beispielsweiße der deutsche Name, der botanische Name, die Verwendung, Blütefarbe und viele weitere, nützliche Informationen. Dein Wissen kannst du in über 3000 Fragen unter Beweis stellen. Zusätzlich gibt es für jede der 13 Kategorien spezielle Prüfungsfragen. Außerdem kannst du dir, passend zum Unterricht, seit Version 1.6.0 freie Level erstellen. Je eigenes Level kannst du bis zu 10 Pflanzen auswählen. Zudem kannst du bis zu 5 gemeinsame Eigenschaften auswählen. Diese eigenen Level kannst du beliebig oft wiederholen und über die Infoblätter gezielt lernen. Bereite dich also perfekt auf die nächste Klausur oder deine Prüfung vor. Wir wünschen viel Spaß beim Lernen!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: PlantNet at none against Botanica's 2. PlantNet also leads on review sentiment (83% vs 65%). On price, update cadence, ads 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
Both are free to download. Botanica sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.49 per month. PlantNet asks for nothing beyond the download.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | PlantNet | Botanica |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (7K ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 82.6% of reviews — better | 64.5% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 7K — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | 14.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 82 MB | 104 MB |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Cirad-France | MEMOgreen-media UG (haftungsbeschränkt) |
Customer experience
PlantNet
Botanica
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
Botanica
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
PlantNet
No in-app purchases
Botanica
- Pro Version monatlich$3.491 Month
- Pro Version jährlich$33.991 Year









