Comparison

Mirai Mobile vs BonsaiBuddy

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

Head to head
About

Mirai Mobile

Learn to grow bonsai trees with personalized guidance. This app offers short-form videos, tutorials, and species-specific calendars to help you care for your trees. Track progress, access detailed courses, and receive timely notifications tailored to your region.

Highlights
  • Personalized bonsai guidance
  • Short-form video tutorials
  • Species-specific care calendars
  • Timely care notifications
  • Tree progress tracking
  • Detailed bonsai courses
Features
Read full description

Mirai Mobile is THE destination for learning how to grow bonsai trees. As the FIRST and ONLY personalized bonsai guide, we use short-form videos and tutorials to walk you through fundamental bonsai care and the techniques that advance your bonsai practice. From first time bonsai beginners to the most advanced bonsai practitioners, Mirai Mobile customizes your experience to teach you what you need to know when you need to know it. Precisely timed notifications alert you to work you can perform on the bonsai trees in your collection with timing tailored to your growing region anywhere in the world. Species specific calendars provide step-by-step instructional videos telling you what to do with the bonsai in your collection throughout the year. Mirai Mobile’s robust gallery tracks your trees and documents their progress allowing you to review history and plan for the future. Detailed courses explain the why of bonsai care and cultivation, deepening your knowledge and enhancing your understanding. With Mirai Mobile we’ve taken the guesswork out of bonsai so you can focus on creating healthy, beautiful trees. Your on-the-go Mirai Mobile app compliments Bonsai Mirai’s cutting-edge online educational platform Mirai Live, an in-depth library of technical and artistic bonsai instruction. Try both for FREE when you register for the app and cancel at any time. Test your hand at the art of bonsai and experience the magic of this timeless pursuit. - My Trees allows you to track the progress of your garden's trees and show off your collection to friends and family with just a few taps. The Tree Detail Page displays what current and upcoming recommended work you can perform for each tree. The Activity History logs bonsai work you've accomplished so you know what actions were completed and when. The personalized gallery makes it easy to capture an image with your phone or upload images after each activity so you can store the progression of each of your bonsai in their own individualized gallery. - Academy provides a library of courses that help you build your knowledge and understand “why” you perform each calendar activity for your trees. With recommended courses based on season, technique, species, and trees in your collection, Mirai Mobile’s Academy is an endless wealth of bonsai knowledge. Complete with a syllabus that details what to expect and how long it will take to complete; we’ve brought an academic approach to your fingertips that demystifies bonsai. At the end of each course, test your knowledge with a course evaluation to ensure you can apply the knowledge you learned to your bonsai practice. - Calendar is the culmination of Mirai’s 30+ years of knowledge outlining what actions you should perform on each species in your bonsai collection and when to perform them over the year. Whether viewing the actual calendar or the sequential timeline, Mirai Mobile’s calendar feature allows you to quickly understand the upcoming activities on your bonsai with a short description to help you better prepare for the season ahead. Click on any activity within the calendar, and you’ll find a brief description of the work followed by a short-form step-by-step video teaching you the pivotal points to improving your bonsai. All your gallery trees requiring this same scope of work are listed together to log this activity once completed. Mirai Mobile is the newest installment to the greater Mirai Academy, our innovative, best-in-class online educational platform for bonsai practitioners. From beginning bonsai enthusiasts to the most serious and dedicated bonsai creators, anyone can learn bonsai in-depth and at their own pace. Join us with your 7-day free trial for all new users and treat yourself to discovering the art of bonsai and elevating your bonsai practice to the next level. Build your skills with Mirai! Privacy Policy: https://live.bonsaimirai.com/privacy

About

BonsaiBuddy

Features
Read full description

Understand your bonsai with precision. BonsaiBuddy turns a simple scan into clear, actionable insight—so you know exactly what your tree needs and when to act. Scan your bonsai to instantly analyze its health. Identify pests, diseases, and early warning signs. Get direct, step-by-step guidance to correct issues quickly. No guesswork. Just clarity. Make confident pruning and shaping decisions. See what to cut, what to keep, and how to guide your tree’s growth without setbacks. Keep your collection organized and improving. Track each tree, monitor progress over time, and stay consistent with care. Whether you’re caring for your first bonsai or refining a full collection, BonsaiBuddy gives you the insight to do it right. Know what your bonsai needs. Standard Apple Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Mirai Mobile4 screens
BonsaiBuddy4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: BonsaiBuddy at weekly against Mirai Mobile's fortnightly. BonsaiBuddy also leads on device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). On price, 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. Mirai Mobile sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $8.99 per month and BonsaiBuddy sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Mirai Mobile ships an update fortnightly, BonsaiBuddy weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Mirai Mobile versus BonsaiBuddy: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMirai MobileBonsaiBuddy
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (394 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings394 — better—
Update frequencyFortnightlyWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.015.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size16 MB70 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperInternational Bonsai Mirai LLCDylan Clark

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Mirai Mobile

Subscriptions3
  • Basic, App Only Access7 Days trial$8.991 Month
  • Standard, Limited App Only7 Days trial$15.991 Month
  • Pro, App Only Access7 Days trial$29.991 Month
3 purchases

BonsaiBuddy

Subscriptions3
  • BonsaiBuddy Pro Monthly$5.991 Month
  • BonsaiBuddy Monthly Pro$5.991 Month
  • BonsaiBuddy Annual Pro2 variants$29.991 Year

Questions

Is Mirai Mobile free?
Mirai Mobile is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is BonsaiBuddy free?
BonsaiBuddy is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Mirai Mobile or BonsaiBuddy have ads?
Neither Mirai Mobile nor BonsaiBuddy shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Mirai Mobile or BonsaiBuddy?
Mirai Mobile ships an update fortnightly, and BonsaiBuddy weekly. Most recently, Mirai Mobile was updated on November 3, 2026 and BonsaiBuddy on November 5, 2026.

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