iTrack Africa vs TheTreeApp SA
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
iTrack Africa
This digital field guide helps identify Southern African mammal tracks and signs. It offers detailed measurements, photos, and descriptions for 61 species, aiding enthusiasts, hunters, and researchers.
- 61 Southern African mammal species data
- 650+ high-quality track and sign photos
- Precise track measurements and scale bars
- Detailed descriptions of tracks and dung
- Powerful search tool for identification
- Offline Wikipedia access for species
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Read the stories animals leave behind. iTrack Africa is a field guide to the tracks and signs of southern African mammals, with photographs, measurements, identification notes and comparisons for 68 species and species groups. Created by Jonah Evans and Dave Hood, the guide brings detailed tracking information into the field, even when you are offline. EXPLORE AND IDENTIFY • Browse track, sign and comparison photographs, and tap any photo for a larger view with its caption. • Compare front and hind track icons and measurements in centimeters or inches. • Search common or scientific names and filter by track size, visible features and southern African regions. • Keep favorite species close at hand. • Read lessons on track identification, anatomy, gait patterns and following tracks. TOOLS FOR THE FIELD • Calibrate an on-screen ruler using a real ruler or standard bank card, then use it in full-screen mode. • Study Track & Sign Flashcards using the guide's photographs. Choose Tracks, Sign or Both, optional flip animation, and decks of 10, 20, 30, 40 or 50 cards, or Continuous study. Reveal each photo's identification and caption when you are ready. • Restrict flashcards to species recorded near your location or a destination you choose while preparing for a trip. Photos can come from anywhere in the selected collection. • Read 68 saved Wikipedia articles offline. Download newer copies individually or together under Tools when you choose. OPTIONAL iNATURALIST FEATURES • Explore reusable, community-reviewed track and sign photographs from African Track-annotated observations and the Spoor & Signs project. Sort by Newest or Closest and follow credits and links to the original observations. • Filter the guide using nearby iNaturalist records, or generate a broader animal species list grouped by taxonomic group. Sort alphabetically or by observation count, optionally limit it to Spoor & Signs, and keep the last list for offline use. • Try Experimental iNaturalist flashcards from Spoor & Signs in Africa. Browse an observation's reusable photos before revealing its community identification, with public location labels where available. iNaturalist identifications can be mistaken or ambiguous, and an observation may contain animal or habitat photographs as well as tracks. Nearby records are approximate and do not prove that an animal is present or absent. The field guide, bundled flashcards, ruler and saved Wikipedia articles work offline. New iNaturalist requests and article updates require internet access. Location permission is optional; location checks occur only when requested. This update modernizes the existing paid iTrack Africa app. Existing owners do not need to buy it again. No subscription, in-app purchase or app account is required. Requires iOS 17 or iPadOS 17 or later.
TheTreeApp SA
Identify over 1200 South African trees using detailed descriptions, artwork, and photographs. Search by scientific or common name in 11 languages, or use interactive location and random search functions. An evaluation version is available, with a yearly subscription unlocking the full database and two versions of the app.
- Identify over 1200 South African trees
- Detailed species descriptions
- Artwork and over 6000 photographs
- Search by scientific/common name
- Search in 11 South African languages
- Interactive location-based search
- Random Tree Search function
- Offline functionality after initial download
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Identify and discover over 1200 indigenous and selected invasive trees of South Africa. The app provides full species descriptions as well as uses and gardening information. Tree details are described in artworks, over 6000 photographs, maps, and texts. Searching for a species can be done by scientific or common name, using any of the 11 South African languages. Once loaded using Wi-Fi, no internet is needed; but satellite coverage improves the map and Location search experience. Interactive Location options based on unique, highly detailed species distribution maps, rapidly reduce the number of tree species to the actual number that can grow there naturally. Using the powerful, rapid, and highly intuitive random Tree Search function; the characteristics of your tree are matched to those on the app. Select the relevant tick-boxes and watch as the number of species’ choices in the Tree List reduces! If you are a new user, you can download and test the free Evaluation version of TheTreeApp SA, covering a limited number of trees (155). To load all 1 399 trees, you must buy a yearly subscription of R179,99 by pressing the Buy Full Subscription Version button on the Home Screen in the app and following the steps. TheTreeApp SA has an inbuilt education system; based on clicking InfoHotSpots, for explanations about any detail that is not clear. In Settings on the home screen, you can select your use of primary and secondary languages from Scientific, English, or Afrikaans. In addition, the Sightings function allows you to add and list the names of your own personal tree discoveries. You can also type in notes and record GPS locations. The Second Edition is a two-in-one app that contains both the Original version (simple English terms) and the Botanical version (classical Botanical terms). Therefore, you only pay for one subscription per year but you receive both versions of the app. Users can switch between versions on the app home screen. The language differences apply to the search, text, and captions. Both versions include all South African trees, and all species’ artwork, photographs, and maps. *** MTN App of the Year Winner 2017 – Agriculture (Conservation) ***
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: TheTreeApp SA at Free against iTrack Africa's $14.99. iTrack Africa's advantage is rating (4.3 vs 2.7) and in-app purchases (none vs 5). On ratings volume, update cadence, ads 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
TheTreeApp SA is free to download; iTrack Africa costs $14.99 up front. TheTreeApp SA sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per year. iTrack Africa asks for nothing beyond the download.
iTrack Africa holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 2.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 3 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 60% of iTrack Africa's written reviews are positive against 33% of TheTreeApp SA's.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. Both last shipped on November 1, 2026.
| Parameter | iTrack Africa | TheTreeApp SA |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $14.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.3 (3 ratings) — better | 2.7 (3 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 60.0% of reviews — better | 33.3% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 3 | 3 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 16.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 325 MB | 1.4 GB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | NatureTracking.com | High Branching cc |
Customer experience
iTrack Africa
TheTreeApp SA
In-app purchases
iTrack Africa
No in-app purchases
TheTreeApp SA
- TheTreeAppAddOn$6.991 Year
- TreeProBotAddOn$6.991 Year
- TheTreePro SA$8.991 Year
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- TheTreeApp$9.991 Year
- TreeProBot$9.991 Year
Questions
Is iTrack Africa free?
Is TheTreeApp SA free?
Which has better reviews, iTrack Africa or TheTreeApp SA?
Do iTrack Africa or TheTreeApp SA have ads?
Which is updated more often, iTrack Africa or TheTreeApp SA?
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