Discover the Identity of Plants: Free Apps at Your Fingertips

Now that we've explored the fascinating relationship between mobile technology and botany and understand the potential of apps for identifying plants, it's time to discover the tools that will allow you to become a flora expert.

In this second part, we'll present a selection of the best free apps available, analyzing their key features, benefits, and important considerations to help you choose the perfect option that suits your needs and preferences.

What free apps will help you identify any plant?

The plant identification app market offers a wide variety of free options, each with its own strengths and approaches. From apps developed by scientific projects to tools powered by artificial intelligence, the diversity can be overwhelming.

In this section, we'll focus on those that stand out for their accuracy, ease of use, additional features, and user community, giving you a clear and concise overview of what each has to offer.

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PlantNet: Collaboration in the service of botany

PlantNet is a free application developed by a citizen science project that seeks to collect data on plant biodiversity through user contributions.

• What is it? PlantNet allows you to identify plants from photos taken with your phone. The app compares the images with an extensive collaborative database, fed by contributions from other users and experts.
• How does it work? Simply take a photo of the plant's leaf, flower, fruit, or bark and upload it to the app. PlantNet will provide you with a list of possible identifications, along with photos and information about each species.
• Benefits:
  • Free and easy to use.
  • High accuracy thanks to collaborative database and community participation.
  • It allows you to actively contribute to scientific research and biodiversity conservation.
  • Identify a wide variety of plants, including wild and cultivated, from around the world.
• Limitations:
  • Accuracy may vary depending on the quality of the photo and the rarity or complexity of the plant.
  • Requires internet connection to function properly.

Google Lens: Artificial intelligence to the rescue of flora

Google Lens is an image recognition tool developed by Google that, in addition to identifying objects and text, can also recognize plants.

• What is it? Google Lens is a feature built into the Google app (or available as a standalone app on some devices) that uses your phone's camera to search for information about what it sees.
• How does it work? Point your phone's camera at a plant and Google Lens will show you information about its name, characteristics, and, in some cases, even links to web pages with more details.
• Benefits:
  • Easy to use if you already use the Google app.
  • Identifies a wide variety of objects, including plants, animals, places, and products.
  • Provides links to additional information on the web, expanding knowledge about the plant.
• Limitations:
  • Plant identification accuracy may be lower than with specialized apps.
  • It depends on the internet connection to function properly.

Seek by iNaturalist: Learn botany through play

Seek by iNaturalist is an app developed by iNaturalist, a citizen science platform, that uses gamification to make plant and animal identification more fun and educational, especially for children and beginners.

• What is it? Seek lets you identify plants and animals from photos taken with your phone, and awards you “badges” and challenges as you discover new species.
• How does it work? Point your phone's camera at a plant, and Seek will provide its name and taxonomic classification. The app will also show you information about the plant and its role in the ecosystem.
• Benefits:
  • Friendly and fun interface, ideal for children and beginners in botany.
  • Promotes learning about nature and biodiversity conservation.
  • Identify both plants and animals, expanding the scope of exploration.
  • It does not require user registration, protecting data privacy.
• Limitations:
  • Accuracy may be lower than in more specialized botanical apps.
  • It depends on an internet connection for some features, such as obtaining detailed information.

Comparative Guide: The Best Free Apps for Identifying Plants

Don't know which app to download? Below, we compare three notable free options to help you choose the one that best suits your needs:

Key Aspect	PlantNet	Google Lens	Seek by iNaturalist
Usage model	Free and based on citizen collaboration	Free, integrated with other Google services	Free, with an educational and dynamic approach
Level of accuracy	Very high, thanks to its user-built database	Medium, sufficient for general uses	Medium, focused on learning rather than accuracy
Ease of use	Very intuitive, easy to use for any user	Practice for those who already use other Google products	User-friendly interface, ideal for children and beginners
Available functions	Botanical identification, submission of scientific observations	Plant and object recognition, web search	Recognition of flora and fauna, achievements and educational content
Internet connection	Requires connection to function properly	You need internet to perform searches	Some features can be used without a full connection
Privacy and data	You contribute with your photos to a global scientific database	Data is used to improve Google products	No account or prior registration required
Ideal for…	Botanical enthusiasts, people who love to collaborate	Regular Google users looking for a versatile app	Children, curious people, and those who learn best through play

Which one should you choose?
The ideal app will depend on your profile and goals. If you value accuracy and want to contribute to citizen science, you'll love PlantNet. If you just need to quickly identify objects, Google Lens will suffice. And if you're looking for a fun and educational experience, especially with children, then Seek by iNaturalist is perfect for you.

In Part 3, we'll tell you how to make the most of these tools: from taking great photos to interpreting the results to learn more about the natural world.

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