iNaturalist vs Grindstone
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- AI species identification
- Record species observations
- Contribute to scientific data
- Explore biodiversity
- Connect with nature enthusiasts
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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
Grindstone
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A spaced repetition memory app built for learning tunes Add and sort tunes in the "library" tab. To add a tune press the + icon. After you enter the name of the tune you can click the search icon to search thesession.org's database and match the tune to one found there. Any fields left empty by you will be automatically filled. Grindstone can create a midi audio snippet from that search. In the practice tab you will find the tunes ordered by practice priority. You can view any sets you've created by sliding the toggle at the top. You can also pin tunes you want to prioritise by dragging the card sideways, or clicking the pin icon when the practice card is open. Select a tune you want to practice. When a tune is open for practice you can: - play an audio snippet - start a metronome - log your playing speed - record and playback the tune When you've practiced a tune, select "nope", "hard", "good" or "easy". This will help the app generate the next practice interval. Grindstone will encourage smaller practice intervals for new and difficult tunes, and larger practice intervals for tunes you know well.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is chart position: iNaturalist at #78 against Grindstone's unranked. iNaturalist also leads on iOS requirement (15.1 vs 18.6). 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
| Parameter | iNaturalist | Grindstone |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.1 (684 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 48.7% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 684 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | — |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Best chart rank | #78 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 — better | 18.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 220 MB | 1 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | iNaturalist | MARGAUX SJAAN HAYES |
Bugs and 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
Grindstone
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
iNaturalist
No in-app purchases
Grindstone
No in-app purchases









