Comparison

PlantNet vs Hidden History Project

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

Hidden History Project

Features
Read full description

Effortlessly discover the stories lying just around the corner with Hidden History. By notifying users when they near sites of historical significance primarily around the greater Palo Alto area, Hidden History hopes to forge new connections between the land and the locals. Although history isn’t always easy to see in Silicon Valley, it’s everywhere. Whether you’re on your morning jog or evening commute, the Hidden History Project hopes to make it easier for you to find it. History is scientifically proven to facilitate a sense of place. Whether you were born and raised in Silicon Valley or moved in a year ago, history can motivate you to engage with and invest in your communities. Features of this app: Historical map of the Palo Alto area 32 historical sites ranging from Ohlone native history to tech-era history represented by pins on the map Sites regularly added Ability to filter sites by era Short and long descriptions of historical sites featuring context, visual descriptions, and anecdotes Contemporary and historical photos of sites Counter of sites visited Search for historical sites

Screenshots

PlantNet4 screens
Hidden History Project4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Hidden History Project at every 9 days against PlantNet's every 2 months. Hidden History Project also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.1). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PlantNet ships an update every 2 months, Hidden History Project every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
PlantNet versus Hidden History Project: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPlantNetHidden History Project
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (7K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews82.6% of reviews—
Number of ratings7K — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 9 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.113.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size82 MB24 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperCirad-FranceYing Chen113492257131

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

Hidden History Project

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

PlantNet

No in-app purchases

None

Hidden History Project

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is PlantNet free?
PlantNet is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Hidden History Project free?
Hidden History Project is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do PlantNet or Hidden History Project have ads?
Neither PlantNet nor Hidden History Project shows ads.
Which is updated more often, PlantNet or Hidden History Project?
PlantNet ships an update every 2 months, and Hidden History Project every 9 days. Most recently, PlantNet was updated on October 24, 2026 and Hidden History Project on October 6, 2026.

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