Tree Trails vs iNaturalist
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Tree Trails
Discover and learn about trees in your local area. Create interactive trails to share with others and explore the benefits of various tree species. Integrates with conservation education activities.
- Interactive trail creation
- Tree benefits exploration
- Local tree species identification
- Conservation education integration
- Shareable trails
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Create an interactive trail of trees to connect and share with others. Explore benefits provided by trees. Find living examples of tree species near you. The Tree Trails app integrates with TexasForestInfo.com/TreeTrails to utilize conservation education activities.
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
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: iNaturalist at 4.1 against Tree Trails's 3.5. iNaturalist also leads on ratings volume (707 vs 4) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months). Tree Trails's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.1). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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.
iNaturalist holds the better App Store score, 4.1 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: iNaturalist has 707 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 33% of Tree Trails's written reviews are positive against 49% of iNaturalist's.
Tree Trails ships an update every 2 months, iNaturalist fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 6, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Tree Trails | iNaturalist |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.5 (4 ratings) | 4.1 (707 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 33.3% of reviews | 48.6% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 4 | 707 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | — | #83 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 15.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 125 MB | 220 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Texas A&M Forest Service | iNaturalist |
Customer experience
Tree Trails
iNaturalist
Bugs and requests
Tree Trails
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or 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
In-app purchases
Tree Trails
No in-app purchases
iNaturalist
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Tree Trails free?
Is iNaturalist free?
Which has better reviews, Tree Trails or iNaturalist?
Do Tree Trails or iNaturalist have ads?
Which is updated more often, Tree Trails or iNaturalist?
Other comparisons
