Comparison

Arbolapp vs Flora Incognita

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

Head to head
About

Arbolapp

Identify native trees with detailed descriptions, distribution maps, and photos. This offline app uses intuitive search methods and illustrations to help you learn about the trees around you. It's designed for anyone interested in expanding their knowledge of local flora.

Highlights
  • 143 native tree species identification
  • Distribution maps and photos
  • Intuitive directed and open search
  • Over 370 identification illustrations
  • Glossary of botanical terms
  • Offline functionality
Features
Read full description

Arbolapp is a free app that anyone can use, based on the scientific research carried out at the CSIC's Royal Botanic Garden. Its contents include: - 143 species described on 122 information sheets: all the native trees as well as those that most frequently become established in the wild in Andorra, continental Portugal, peninsular Spain, and the Balearic Islands. Each species entry includes a distribution map, a brief description and one or more photos. - 2 ways to search (directed and open) to intuitively identify species. - More than 370 illustrations that facilitate species identification. - More than 500 photos showing the most characteristic details of each tree. - A glossary of around 90 terms. Arbolapp does not need an internet connection to work, making it really useful for trips into the natural environment. Its contents are aimed at anyone wanting to learn about or increase their knowledge of the trees they find in their surroundings. For this reason, an effort has been made to use understandable language and simple explanations without dumbing down the content. Arbolapp is an initiative of the most important Spanish research association, the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), driven by its Deputy Vice Chair of Scientific Culture and the Royal Botanic Garden. Felipe Castilla Lattke is responsible for the content. He has drawn up the species information sheets and identification keys, and has contributed most of the photos from his personal image bank. Additionally, the project has been funded by the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology (FECYT).

About

Flora Incognita

Identify wild plants by taking a photo and learn about them with detailed fact sheets. Track your discoveries on a map and contribute to scientific research. This free, ad-free app uses AI for precise identification.

Highlights
  • Identify plants with a photo
  • Detailed plant fact sheets
  • Observation list with maps
  • AI-powered identification
  • Contribute to scientific research
  • Free and ad-free
Features
Read full description

FLORA INCOGNITA - DISCOVER THE DIVERSITY OF NATURE What's blooming? With the Flora Incognita app, this question is quickly answered. Take a picture of a plant, find out what it's called and learn everything you want to know with the help of a fact sheet. Highly precise algorithms based on artificial intelligence identify wild plants even when they are not (yet) in bloom! In the Flora Incognita app you can easily view all your collected plant finds in a observation list. Maps show where you have found your plants. This way you can see how your knowledge about wild plants is growing. But Flora Incognita is even more! The app is free of charge and without advertising, because it is part of a scientific research project that aims to improve nature conservation. The collected observations are used to answer scientific research questions that deal, for example, with the spread of invasive species or the effects of climate change on biotopes. In regular stories, you will learn about news from the project, get insights into the scientific work or will be made curious about what is happening in nature right now. WHY SHOULD YOU USE FLORA INCOGNITA? - Identify wild plants simply by taking a photo with your smartphone - Learn more about plant species with the help of extensive plant profiles - Collect your findings in your observation list - Become part of an innovative scientific community - Share your findings on Twitter, Instagram & Co! HOW GOOD IS FLORA INCOGNITA? Species identification with Flora Incognita is based on Deep Learning algorithms that have an accuracy of well over 90%. It is important to take sharp and as close as possible pictures of plant parts such as flower, leaf, bark or fruit for a high identification accuracy. WOULD YOU LIKE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR PROJECT? Visit our website at www.floraincognita.com or follow us on social media. You can find us on X (@FloraIncognita2), Mastodon (@FloraIncognita@social.mpdl.mpg.de), Instagram (@flora.incognita) and Facebook (@flora.incognita). IS THE APP REALLY FREE OF CHARGE AND ADVERTISING? Yes. You can use Flora Incognita anytime, as long as you want. It is free to use, with no ads, no premium version and no subscription. But maybe you will enjoy searching and identifying plants so much that it will become a new hobby. We have received this feedback many times! WHO DEVELOPED FLORA INCOGNITA? The Flora Incognita app is developed by scientists from the Technical University of Ilmenau and the Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry Jena. Its development was supported by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation with funds from the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety as well as the Thuringian Ministry for the Environment, Energy and Nature Conservation and the Foundation for Nature Conservation Thuringia. The project was awarded as an official project of the "UN Decade of Biodiversity" and won the Thuringian Research Award in 2020.

Screenshots

Arbolapp4 screens
Flora Incognita4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Flora Incognita at 4.8 against Arbolapp's 4.1. Flora Incognita also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 8 months) and ratings volume (575 vs 8). Arbolapp's advantage is iOS requirement (8.0 vs 15.9). 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Flora Incognita holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Flora Incognita has 575 ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 81% of Arbolapp's written reviews are positive against 94% of Flora Incognita's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Arbolapp ships an update every 8 months, Flora Incognita every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on June 11, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Arbolapp versus Flora Incognita: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterArbolappFlora Incognita
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.1 (8 ratings)4.8 (575 ratings) — better
Positive reviews81.1% of reviews94.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings8575 — better
Update frequencyEvery 8 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS8.0 — better15.9
Further details — not scored
Size81 MB30 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperOne2one Digital Strategy S.L.Patrick Maeder

Customer experience

Arbolapp

All ratings8 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral12.5%
Negative12.5%
Written reviews53 reviews
Positive81.1%
Neutral5.7%
Negative13.2%

Flora Incognita

All ratings575 ratings
Positive96.3%
Neutral1.7%
Negative1.9%
Written reviews345 reviews
Positive94.5%
Neutral2.9%
Negative2.6%

Bugs and requests

Arbolapp

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Flora Incognita

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Crashes or freezes on some devices
  • Occasional issues with photo uploads

Requested features

3 requests
  • Offline mode for plant identification
  • More comprehensive coverage of global flora
  • Additional plant care/cultivation information

In-app purchases

None

Arbolapp

No in-app purchases

None

Flora Incognita

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Arbolapp free?
Arbolapp is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Flora Incognita free?
Flora Incognita is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Arbolapp or Flora Incognita?
Flora Incognita is rated higher. Arbolapp averages 4.1 out of 5 from 8 ratings, while Flora Incognita averages 4.8 from 575 ratings.
Do Arbolapp or Flora Incognita have ads?
Neither Arbolapp nor Flora Incognita shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Arbolapp or Flora Incognita?
Arbolapp ships an update every 8 months, and Flora Incognita every 3 weeks. Most recently, Arbolapp was updated on June 11, 2026 and Flora Incognita on September 24, 2026.

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