Imagine this - you've just welcomed home a shiny new Monstera, only to watch its lush, split leaves wilt and droop in the coming weeks. Sound all too familiar? You’re not alone. Many of us have experienced the heartbreak of watching a once-thriving plant fade away making us question if we are really a good plant parent. It could be due to overwatering, under-sunning, or simply not knowing what our green companions truly need.
Navigating the world of plant care can sometimes feel like an endless maze, especially when you're juggling different plant species each with its unique care requirements. Remembering when to water your Peace Lily as opposed to your succulent can get quite overwhelming. Plants undeniably bring beauty to our living spaces and enhance our culinary experiences, while also reconnecting us with nature. But let's face it - keeping those green friends alive and thriving is often easier said than done. One moment you're rejoicing over new leaf sprouts, and the next, you're lamenting over a shriveled succulent or a browning fern.
But here’s the good news - your phone could be the key to unlocking the secrets of successful plant parenting. In this article, we’re exploring 8 of the best plant care apps that are actually worth downloading. These apps go beyond just reminders for watering. They're equipped with tools for plant identification, disease diagnosis, light measurement, and much more . Whether you're new to the plant-parent club or you've been a member for years, we have gathered the best plant care apps that you should download today. Let these apps guide you on your journey towards a greener thumb and a happier home garden. Time to dig in!
A Quick Look at the Best Plant Care Apps
How We Chose The Apps
Picking the right apps for our list wasn't just a random decision. We wanted to make sure that each app we recommended would provide an amazing experience for you, the plant enthusiast. So, we carefully evaluated each app based on several important factors:
User-friendliness
We know that an app's value lies in its ease of use. So, we picked apps with intuitive interfaces, easy navigation, and a smooth overall user experience.
Features
The best apps offer more than the basics. They go the extra mile to provide innovative features that enhance your plant care journey. We chose apps with a range of unique, helpful features that set them apart from the rest.
Transparency
We believe that apps should be open and clear about how they work, their policies, and any costs involved. So, we chose apps that provide all the necessary information upfront, leaving no room for unpleasant surprises.
Price
While quality is essential, affordability matters too. We considered the price of each app, including any subscription fees or in-app purchases, to ensure they offer good value for money.
User Reviews
What better way to judge an app's performance than by the experiences of other users? We paid close attention to user reviews to understand the pros and cons of each app from people who've used them.
Own Experience
We didn't just rely on other people's opinions. We also tested these apps ourselves to get firsthand experience of how they work, ensuring they live up to their promises.
So, rest assured that the apps on our list have been thoroughly evaluated and chosen with care. Let these apps guide you on your journey towards a greener thumb and a happier home garden. Time to dig in!
Plant Parent
The Plant Parent app is an all-inclusive tool designed to simplify plant care for both novices and seasoned plant enthusiasts. This mobile app, rated 4.6 with over 15.1K ratings on the App Store, offers a broad range of features including smart care reminders, plant identification, and a customized plant calendar.
The smart care reminders feature sends notifications on when to water, fertilize, prune, and repot your plants. The app's robust plant identification tool allows you to snap a picture of a plant to identify it instantly, which can be a lifesaver when plant name cards go missing or you have an unidentified plant.
But what if something goes wrong and your plant gets sick? Plant Parent is equipped with a feature called Plant Illness 101. It helps you figure out what's bugging your plant and gives you a step-by-step treatment plan.
A unique feature is the in-app light meter tool, helping users gauge the light level their plants receive and providing guidance on potential repositioning decisions. The app also offers plant-specific care plans to maintain and enhance plant health.
If you decide to go premium, you'll get even more perks. Unlimited plant disease IDs, access to a wealth of plant care content, and free consultations with gardening experts.
Pros
- Helps in identifying plants and provides information about their optimal care with a large plant database
- Allows users to add all their houseplants and choose the rooms, providing a holistic plant care approach
- Customizable watering reminders tailored to each plant's needs
- Tracks your plant's progress and growth over time
- Categorizes care and keeps personal indoor and outdoor gardens organized
- Access to a community of plant enthusiasts for advice and support
Cons
- There is no option to select which plants users wish to set water reminders for
- Lacks in features that other apps offer
- May not have all of your plants in their database
Pricing Options
- 7-day Free Trial
- Yearly Subscription $29.99
Seed to Spoon
Seed to Spoon is an app made for anyone who's into growing their own fruits, vegetables, or herbs. It's all about promoting a healthier lifestyle, better eating habits, and helps you save some money on groceries. Whether you've got a big backyard or a small balcony, this app makes gardening fun and easy.
One of the best parts of the app is the personalized planting dates. Just pop in your location, and the app will tell you when to sow your seeds or when to move your seedlings outside.
It also comes with features like a companion planting guide for a thriving garden and a health benefits filter, acting as a nutritionist aiding in your plant selection. It also includes a variety of recipes, blogs, and videos for inspiration straight from the creators' garden.
Worried about pests? Don't be. The app comes with info on organic pest treatments and beneficial bugs that keep your garden pest-free in a green way. Plus, you'll find handy garden management tools to keep track of your plants' progress, see when they're likely to sprout or be ready to harvest, and set reminders so you never miss an important garden job.
Engage with a vibrant community through the #GrowWithUs movement, sharing experiences with other gardeners. Plus, the AI chatbot 'Growbot' is on standby to answer any gardening queries.
Overall, the Seed to Spoon App is a fantastic beginners app for anyone looking to embark on a rewarding journey of growing their own food. It's a testament to the creators' passion and dedication, born out of their own transformative experience.
Pros
- Offers comprehensive gardening knowledge and vegetable guides to help you grow your own produce
- Allows users to enter their location to see when they should plant things in their area
- Organizes gardening tasks, journaling, and note-taking with image support and versatile notes
- Offers planting guides, calendar, and frost date calculation for optimal planting and harvesting
- Provides information about what bugs to expect for what plants and how to get rid of them organically
- Categorizes plants by health benefits, aiding those growing food for specific health needs
- Access to videos, podcasts, stories, giveaways, challenges and discounts to plants and supplies
Cons
- Focuses primarily on edible plants, may not be suitable for ornamental gardens
- Minor glitches from time to time
Pricing Options
- Monthly Premium $4.99
- Yearly Subscription $46.99
Planta
Planta offers a user-friendly interface and an array of practical features that includes individual care schedules, reminders, and step-by-step guides customized to the specific needs of each plant.
It helps individuals take the guesswork out of plant care by sending timely notifications for watering, fertilizing, misting, cleaning, and repotting, ensuring that users never overlook essential tasks for their indoor or outdoor plants.
Additionally, Planta offers a convenient plant identification feature, allowing users to simply snap a photo of their plants and receive instant information about their species and proper care instructions.
For plants not feeling well, Dr. Planta, a unique feature of the app, helps diagnose the problem and establish a treatment plan. The light meter tool enables you to choose plants suitable for different light conditions in your home, making it an excellent gardening app for indoor plant enthusiasts.
While Planta offers a free watering schedule feature, the full use of its main features, including unlimited plant identification, plant management schedules, Dr. Planta, recommended plants, weather alerts, and the light meter, is only available under a premium subscription priced at $7.99 per month, $17.99 for three months, or $35.99 per year.
Planta has been lauded by users for its easy-to-use interface, but some users suggest further improvements, including more flexibility in setting watering schedules and the ability to submit plant health issues for review.
Nevertheless, with a 4.8 out of 5 rating from over 78.3K users, it's evident that Planta is a trusted tool in the world of social gardening, assisting both novice and experienced green thumbs in nurturing their greenery.
Pros
- Easy access to the watering cycle of the plants and the ability to categorize plants into different rooms
- Extensive library of plant care tips and troubleshooting guides
- The plant doctor feature alerts you to harmful practices that may unknowingly harm your plants
- Includes a scheduled misting option for users in dry areas who tend to forget to mist their plants
Cons
- Sometimes provides inaccurate weather information affecting the app's watering advice
- The app doesn't allow setting a loud alarm at a specific time
- Plant types in the inventory cannot be updated; users must delete and re-enter them, resulting in the loss of saved data
- Unable to modify your current fertilizer preferences to existing plants
Pricing Options
- Monthly subscription $3.99
- Yearly subscription $29.99
Flora
Flora, our choice for the best app to identify and take care of plants, transforms gardening into a fun and rewarding experience. With its easy-to-use interface, Flora offers a range of handy features. Its plant identification tool uses AI to identify your plants from photos, while its care guide provides tailored advice on sunlight, temperature, and watering needs. It even sends reminders to ensure your plants get timely care.
Flora's unique carbon capture calculator showcases the environmental impact of your greenery, promoting sustainable living. You'll also love the rewarding system, earning 'seed points' and badges as you nurture your plants. These can be used for discounts, unlocking rewards such as a free month of Flora Plus, and more.
The app's plant diary allows you to track your plants' growth and share their journeys with a vast community of plant enthusiasts. Its plant care schedule feature fits seamlessly into your routine, while the disease diagnosis tool helps keep your plants healthy.
Flora's AI-powered Pod Sensors, inserted into your plant pot, offer real-time updates on your plant's health, with tips on moisture, light, humidity, and temperature. Consistently improving, Flora makes gardening enjoyable, environmentally friendly, and rewarding for its vast user community.
Pros
- User-friendly and helpful for both new and experienced plant owners
- Capture plant photos and receive care tips for watering, humidity, and light levels
- Community Garden feature and ability to share plant progress with others
- Features a "Buy this plant for your garden" tab that takes you to a garden center selling the specific plant
- Active and responsive developer team that's open to feedback and continuously adds new features
Cons
- App might still have a number of bugs to be addressed
- May have issues with the "rooms" feature glitching after updates
- Only available on iOS devices
Pricing Options
- Monthly Premium $9.99
- Yearly Subscription $24.99
- Flora Plus Yearly Subscription $39.99
PictureThis
PictureThis is an innovative app that serves as an online plant encyclopedia and plant identifier, bringing the expertise of a botanist right to your pocket. With the ability to identify over 10,000 plant species, users can simply take or upload a photo of any plant and receive instant and accurate plant identification results thanks to the app's revolutionary artificial intelligence technology.
These include key facts, characteristics such as height, spread, and leaf color, a full description, the habitat of the plant, and its scientific classification.
The app is designed to give you plants specific to your area and trending plants that are being discussed. It provides detailed care instructions and the conditions that each plant thrives in.
It also offers specific how-tos for each plant, including when to water and fertilize the plant, a light meter tool to tell you if the plant will receive enough light, a toxic plant warning to keep your family and pets safe, and it shows common pests and diseases that are associated with each plant.
PictureThis offers image sharing, 1-on-1 expert consultation, gardening courses, various identification tools (including allergen, weed, tree, tree-ring, insect, and bird identification), all aimed at providing accurate and comprehensive plant-related information.
The app also offers automatic problem diagnosis, providing causes and treatment suggestions for ailing plants. This feature ensures that your plants remain healthy and vibrant, contributing to a thriving garden.
One of the main features is the ability to manage your plant collection. With this functionality, you can easily keep track of all the plants, trees, and flowers you identify and even create a personal wishlist.
Additionally, the platform offers plant recommendations, providing advice on your next plant purchase based on factors such as required gardening skills, available space, and more.
Pros
- Highly accurate plant identification using advanced image recognition
- Able to save identified plants to "My Garden" for easy future reference
- Identifies insects and birds, benefiting users interested in gardening and the natural world around them
- Useful features like a light meter, a watering frequency calculator, and seasonal tips
- The ability to provide instant feedback if a plant is identified incorrectly
Cons
- No specific identification of plant variations, like flower color in the same species.
- Lacks some customization options, such as categorizing plants into trees, bushes, flowers, or vegetable garden plants
Pricing Options
- Yearly Subscription $29.99
- PictureThis Family Plan $49.99
Vera
Vera, our choice for the best free plant care app, helps you develop a personal connection with your plants. The app makes it easy for you to keep track of the progress of your plant collection by creating profiles for each plant.
These profiles include important details such as the plant's name, the date you adopted it, and photos. Having this information readily available, will help you monitor the growth of your plants and ensure that they remain healthy and vibrant.
For beginners in plant care, Vera offers a comprehensive library filled with expert tips and tricks. Whether you need guidance on repotting or advice on trimming, you'll find step-by-step instructions that will enhance your plant care skills.
Vera also allows you to create personalized care schedules for each of your plants. By setting watering reminders and scheduling fertilizing sessions, you'll never forget to provide the necessary attention to your plants at the right time. Additionally, the app lets you log activities like repotting and misting, so you can keep a record of your plant care efforts.
Plant enthusiasts highly praise Vera for its simplicity and organizational capabilities. It has transformed their plant care routine, making them better plant parents. From intuitive features to customizable notifications and care schedules, Vera has become an indispensable tool for plant lovers.
Pros
- Great for maintaining a regular water and feeding schedule for plants
- Ability to Customize care schedules and set preferred reminder times
- All tools and resources are free
Cons
- Currently lacks automatic plant trackers, requiring some knowledge of individual plant requirements
- Limited plant database but you can still add plants manually
Pricing Options
Free
Plantin
PlantIn is a plant care app that offers that provides users with easy access to a vast database of plants, along with valuable information on how to care for each one. With its AI algorithm, the app generates personalized care plans tailored to the specific needs of individual plants.
With over 10.5 million identified plants, users can quickly identify unknown plants by simply snapping a photo. The app also offers prompt assistance from botanists, with over 12,000 consultations available to help users tackle any plant-related issues they may encounter.
One of the standout features of PlantIn is its thriving plant community, where users can connect with fellow plant enthusiasts from around the world. This allows for sharing experiences, tips, and advice, fostering a sense of camaraderie among plant lovers.
The app also provides a wealth of valuable resources, including a collection of unique articles written by over 50 qualified experts, offering gardening insights and tips to further enhance users' plant care knowledge.
Furthermore, PlantIn excels in diagnosing plant diseases, with over 7 million saved plants and custom-made guides to help users effectively combat and cure diseases, ensuring the health and vitality of their green companions.
The app's user-friendly interface and intuitive navigation make it easy for both novice and experienced gardeners to navigate and utilize the app's features effectively.
Pros
- A continually updated database
- Personalized care plans for various plants, including watering, fertilization, lighting, and pruning guidance
- It offers features like a "how much to water" calculator
- Home weather feature for quick weather updates and adjustments to plant care
Cons
- Users have reported difficulties in canceling their subscription
- Occasional inaccuracies in plant identification for rare or uncommon species
Pricing Options
- Weekly subscription $6.99
- Lifetime subscription $49.99
Blossom
The Blossom app is designed to help users grow and maintain healthy plants with confidence. With a user-friendly interface and a wide range of features, Blossom provides valuable information, care tips, and reminders to ensure that plants thrive and flourish.
One key feature of Blossom is its extensive plant database, which allows users to identify over 12,000 plants, flowers, succulents, and trees. Simply take a photo or upload an image, and the app will provide accurate identification. Users can access detailed plant care information, including watering, fertilizing, propagating, and more, to meet the specific needs of their plants.
To keep plants on track with their care routine, Blossom offers care reminders. Users can set up customized reminders for watering, fertilizing, and repotting, ensuring that plants receive the attention they need at the right time. The app also includes a plant disease identification feature, allowing users to diagnose plant issues and access prevention and treatment tips.
For additional assistance, Blossom provides a botanist hotline, connecting users with plant care experts who can offer personalized advice and guidance. The app also offers a gardening schedule feature, ideal for those interested in growing organic edible plants. Users can create personalized planting schedules and receive care reminders specific to their edible garden.
Blossom offers a personal plant collection feature, allowing users to keep track of their plants in "My Garden" and create a wishlist for future plant additions. The app also includes a light meter tool, helping users find the ideal spot for their plants based on light requirements.
With a green blog section, Blossom offers plant care basics, gardening insights, and easy-to-follow tips. The app also features advanced search functionality, enabling users to find new plants based on specific criteria such as light requirements, care difficulty level, and plant type.
Pros
- Organize and track plants, tasks, and notes in one app
- Access to a wealth of gardening tips, tutorials, and inspiration to help take care of your plants
- Easy to navigate and find plant information
Cons
- Plants and garden information may not save on your account if you switch devices
- There is no option to manually add plants not listed in the database
- Sometimes confuses distinct plants and misidentifies them
Pricing Options
- Monthly subscription $3.99
- Yearly subscription $29.99
Our Picks
The Best Free Plant Care App
Vera
Vera was chosen as the best free plant care app due to its comprehensive features at no cost. It offers watering reminders, light level recommendations, and a vast plant library, making it a great choice for both beginners and experienced plant owners.
The Best Plant Identifier App
Flora
Flora stands out as the best plant identification app due to its comprehensive and user-friendly features. Its AI-powered plant identification tool can accurately identify your plants from photos, providing you with immediate results.
The Best App for Plant Health and Diagnosis
Plant Parent
Plant Parent is equipped with a feature called Plant Illness 101. It helps you figure out what's bugging your plant and gives you a step-by-step treatment plan, making it a must-have for any plant parent that may struggle to keep plants alive.
The Most Informational Plant Care App
PlantIn
PlantIn is a plant care app that offers easy access to a vast database of plants, along with valuable information on how to care for each one. With over 10.5 million identified plants, users can quickly identify unknown plants by simply snapping a photo. The app also offers prompt assistance from botanists, with over 12,000 consultations available to help users tackle any plant-related issues they may encounter.
The Best Plant Care App for Growing Food
Seed to Spoon
Seed to Spoon is selected as the best plant care app for growing food because it is specifically designed for edible plants. It offers planting guides, harvest tips, and organic pest control advice, making it an excellent tool for anyone interested in growing their own food.
Conclusion
The key to successful plant parenting is understanding your plants' needs and providing the right care at the right time. By exploring these options and choosing the app that best suits your needs, you'll be well on your way to creating a thriving garden and enjoying the many benefits of plant care. So go ahead and download one (or more) of these fantastic plant care apps today, and watch your plants flourish!