Keeping houseplants happy and healthy is not always an easy task, especially if one has a busy lifestyle or kids and family to care for as well. Plant care apps can be a great solution to keep track of your plant care and tell you all about what each plant needs.
In general, plant care apps include useful features such as plant and disease identification, care reminders, or a light meter to ensure adequate houseplant care. The best free plant care apps are:
- Planta
- Blossom
- PictureThis
- Florish
- Gardenia
- Plant Parent
- PlantNote
Most apps offer a free version with unlocked extra features for the premium version only. I will explain which apps are best and what you get from each of them. Become a better plant parent in no time with the help of one of these apps!
What Types of Plant Care Apps Exist?
Plant care apps are generally designed to help you to better take care of plants in your home or garden. There are several types of plant care apps with different functional emphases:
- Apps with a focus on journalling (fill in your own information)
- Apps with a focus on reminders (telling you when and what to care for your plants)
- Apps with a focus on knowledge (what does this plant need, origin, natural habitat, etc.)
- Apps with a focus on identification (identification of plant species or diseases)
What Features Do Plant Care Apps Have?
In general, plant care apps have the following features integrated:
- Plant Database
- Information on plant species (Specifications)
- Plant identification tool
- Disease identification tool
- Light meter
- Care reminders and schedules
- Plant Journal
7 Best Free Plant Care Apps: Overview and Features
Let’s start with a simple overview of the best free plant care apps, giving you the most important info and what main feature each includes:
| App Name | Availability | Upgrade Option | Main Features | Website |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Planta | Only for iPhone | Premium 35.99$ per year | – Smart care reminders – Light meter – Individual care schedules – Plant specifications – Plant identification – Dr. Planta (AI disease identification) | https://getplanta.com/ |
| Blossom | iOS and Android | Premium 19.99$ per year | – Most versatile – Huge and informative plant database – Plant identification – Light meter – Access to Green Blog – Care Reminders – Water Calculator – Botanist Hotline | https://blossomplant.com/ |
| PictureThis | iOS and Android | Premium 29.99$ per year | – Most accurate plant and disease identifier – Great beginners app – Care Reminders | https://www.picturethisai.com/ |
| Florish | Only iOS | No upgrade (all for free) | – All features available for free – Best light meter – No integrated plant identification | https://www.florish.co/ |
| Gardenia | iOS and Android | No upgrade (all for free) | – For gardening and indoor plant care – Big database – Weather monitor – Variety of reminders | http://getgardenia.co/ |
| Plant Parent | iOS and Android | Premium 29.99$ per year | – Smart care reminders – Light meter – Plant and disease identification – Plant Illness 101 Tips – Experts advice – Plant calendar | https://plantparentai.com/ |
| PlantNote | iOS and Android | No upgrade (all for free) | – Focus on plant journalling – For experienced plant parents | https://plantnote.github.io/ |
Now, let’s get into detail about the features of each of them.
For each app, I also give tips for what type of user I would recommend this app: Do you prefer simple but user-friendly apps, want lots of extra features, or need plenty of reminders for your plant care? Keep reading and you’ll find out in a minute which plant care app suits your needs!
1. Planta – The Popular Allrounder
Planta is probably the most highly rated and used plant care app there is. More than 5 million users are very happy with this app and it has won the Editor’s Choice & App of the Day Prize several times. It is a real allrounder when it comes to plant care.
The app is incredibly user-friendly and easy to navigate. The design is made for you as a user and you won’t struggle to find what you are looking for.
The downsides of this app are that most of the special features such as Dr. Planta or the light meter are only available for premium subscribers. In the free version though, you can still access all the information and recommendation on the types of plants you have as well as set individual care reminders for your plants. In my opinion that still makes it one of the best free plant care apps around.
Planta is made for any experience level: It gives you recommendations on beginner’s plants, as well as more expert and in-depth tips that experienced plant parents, ask for.
Pros:
- Very user-friendly interface and is highly rated by millions of user reviews
- Smart care reminders enable individual care schedules for each plant
- Light meter to find the best spots for each plant
- Big plant database with lots of info and specifications on what each type of plant needs
- Plant identifier tool: Tells you what type of plant you have
- Dr. Planta: This AI disease identification tool helps you find the best treatment for sick plants
Cons:
- Some features such as Dr. Planta are only available for premium members
- The Journal feature is not as elaborate as on other apps that focus on plant journals
- Only available for iOS on iPhones
- A subscription of 39.99$ per year is more expensive than other plant care apps
This app is only available for iPhone: App Store Preview
Link to developer website: Get Planta
This app is for you if:
- You value user-friendliness and easy navigation in the app
- You trust the reviews of other users
- You want many special feature options
- You want to have your plant care covered with one app
- The app is good for both beginners and experienced plant parents
2. Blossom – The most Informative Care App
I would consider Blossom to be just as good as Planta, if not even a little more versatile as its plant database is huge and packed with helpful information and recommendations for your plants. Also, it has more features unlocked in the free version.
Personally, I love learning more about my plants – what’s their origins, what they like, what are their special characteristics and histories. If you appreciate this kind of information on your plants, you will love Blossom.
Of course, it also comes with lots of handy features such as a water calculator, weather alerts, and individual reminders to make sure all your plants are well and happy.
Pros:
- Very user-friendly interface and is highly rated by millions of user reviews
- Most informative plant app with a huge plant database
- Most versatile app: Offers everything from info, recommendations, tips, reminders, and individual schedules to background knowledge through blogs or conversations with botanists
- The virtual care assistant and botanist hotline for plant emergencies
- The water calculator is a nice feature
- Customizable weather alerts are also quite unique to this app
- Good price for a yearly subscription (19.99$)
Cons:
- Unlimited access to plant database and identification only for premium members
- The journalling option is not very elaborate
Links for download:
Link to developer website: Blossom Plant
This app is for you if:
- You value user-friendliness and other happy customers’ reviews
- You are a complete plant beginner
- You love learning more about the plants you have and want in-depth knowledge
- You like simple and fresh designs
- You don’t want to spend much money on a yearly subscription
3. PictureThis – Clever AI for Plant Identification
This app is praised as the best plant identifier app, but it also contains many great plant care options.
What stands out from this app is its incredibly precise AI for plant identification as well as plant disease identification – the developers have made these algorithms work! This makes the app perfect for plant beginners as you can first easily identify each plant species in your home and then get care tips for them.
As for the care features, PictureThis has similar features to the other apps such as individual care reminders, step-by-step instructions, and plant recommendations based on your plant skills level.
What I particularly like about this app is that it’s actually a 2-in-1 app: You don’t need separate apps for plant care and identification. Also, the identifier integrated here is amazing and as I love to freely identify plants when I am out on a walk or in a store, it is good to know you can rely on this app for identifying correctly (nobody is perfect, but it is truly as accurate as it can get).
Pros:
- Perfect care app for beginners
- Most accurate plant identifier
- Best disease identifier including tips for treatment
- Simple and easy design for user-friendliness
- 2-in-1: With this app, there’s no need for a separate plant identifier app
- Good focus on the essentials: Focus is on the basics of plant care, but these basics are done incredibly well
Cons:
- Not many special or deluxe plant care features
- No integrated light meter
Links for download:
Link to developer website: PictureThis AI
This app is for you if:
- You’re a complete plant beginner
- You often feel like identifying plants on walks or strolls
- You want simple but good essentials to focus on for your plant care
- You don’t need any extravagant care features
4. Florish – All For Free Care App
Florish is an all-for-free plant care app: You have all the features unlocked, no subscriptions needed which I think is a great plus compared to other apps.
Its features are similar to those of others with care tips and reminders to individually schedule your plant care. Its database is not the biggest around but will be enough for most people unless you care for very rare plant species.
Generally, I really like the simple design and aesthetic of the app. It is easy to find your way around and it has an unintrusive colour scheme.
What many users confirm to be its best feature is the light meter which seems to work better than that of other care apps.
Pros:
- No premium version: It’s all for free
- Simple and user-friendly design
- Best light meter tool
- Individual scheduling of care reminders
Cons:
- Only available on iOS
- Fewer features than other plant care apps
- No integrated plant identification tool
- Smaller plant database (only a problem for rare plant species)
For iOS only: Apple App Store Download
Link to developer website: Florish
This app is for you if:
- You want access to all features for free
- You value a simple user-friendly aesthetic
- You don’t need any extravagant care features
- You want to support independent and small businesses
5. Gardenia – For Gardening and Indoor Plants
The Gardenia plant care app has a luminous color design and a list-based layout which gives a great overview.
The focus in this app is certainly on scheduling your reminders for what step in plant care needs to be done and when. The app includes graphs and information on annual plant care rhythms and seasons which can be very helpful.
Overall, the app is certainly laid out a bit more for gardening than indoor plant keeping, but it works fine for indoor plant care, too. Its notification system includes a range of reminders from watering to fertilizing and repotting – you can literally add any reminder you wish for.
As the focus is on gardening, there is no light meter integrated. There is no plant identification tool either: You need to already know what plant species you have and search by plant name in their database.
Pros:
- All features for free
- “Request a species” button: If you don’t find a plant, request it to be added to the database
- Great variety of possible reminders
- Good overview of necessary annual plant care steps
Cons:
- The target audience seems to be a little more on the gardening side than on indoor plant keepers
- No plant identifier: Need to search for plant species in the database
- No light meter (might be due to its focus on gardening)
- Some user reviews mention that searching the database can be a bit time consuming
- Less user-friendly interface and database than other apps
Links for download:
Link to developer website: Get Gardenia
This app is for you if:
- You have indoor plants AND a garden or outdoor space
- You like bright and luminous colors
- You tend to forget to look after your plants and are happy to get good reminders
6. Plant Parent – The Upcoming Allrounder
Plant Parent is a relatively new plant care app and has won the Google Play Best App Prize in 2022 – with more than 2.4 million downloads the app will certainly become more popular in the future.
Similar to Planta, this app is a true allrounder with a user-friendly and light interface to ensure you find what you want in no time.
The features encompass all you need: It comes with a light meter, smart plant and disease identification, and lots of advice for treatment with their integrated Plant Illness 101. There is also a plant calendar for scheduling the annual plant care steps and a variety of smart care reminders for each plant.
In the premium version, you can even talk to experts about the health and care of your plants.
Pros:
- User-friendly and light interface
- Good overview and navigation
- Great light meter
- AI-based plant and disease identification
- Very helpful “Plant Illness 101” tips
- Make your own plant calendar with smart care reminders
Cons:
- Certain features such as experts advice only available for premium members
- In the free version, the number of plants to add to plant care is limited
Links for download:
Link to developer website: Plant Parent
This app is for you if:
- You want an allrounder plant care app
- You want a simple and clear interface
- You want the app to tell you all you need to do for your plants
- The app is for both beginners and experienced plant parents
7. PlantNote – Journal On Your Plants Life
I have put this app last because I think it is the best plant journal app, but as such it contains no prior information on plants nor any plant-identifying function. It is a plant care app that you mainly need to fill in with information yourself which doesn’t make it the typical care app most people are looking for.
As you can fill in your own data and schedule for each plant, it becomes a highly individualized app that covers specifically what you want to have in it. This makes it a perfect app for experienced plant parents whose focus is on keeping track of the plants they have and how they evolve over time.
If that is what you are looking for in a plant care app, then PlantNote is for you. Compared to other plant journal apps, this one is the most user-friendly and easiest to navigate.
Pros:
- Great for journalling on plants
- Specifically made for experienced plant parents
- No extra stuff you don’t need in it as the only content is what you fill in yourself
- User-friendly and easy to navigate
- Once plants are added, reminders such as watering schedule can be added
Cons:
- Not much information or recommendations on plants
- Not for beginners
Links for download:
Link to developer website: PlantNote
This app is for you if:
- Your main aim is to keep track of your plants’ life and growth
- You want to collect your plant memories and notes somewhere
- You want to make a plant photo album
- You are an experienced plant parent that doesn’t need care tips from the app
Related Questions
What Plant Identifier Apps are Best?
The best plant identifier apps are:
- PlantSnap
- PictureThis
- LeafSnap
- Pl@ntNet
- iNaturalist
Read more about the pros and cons of each in this post: 5 Best Plant Identifier Apps: Find Out Which Suits You
What Water is Best for Indoor Plants?
In general, rainwater is considered to be the best water for indoor plants due to its high and extensive nutrient and oxygen levels. Recommendable alternatives are fish tank freshwater, filtered tap water or distilled water in combination with a fertilizer.
Find out more about what makes good water quality for plants and how to improve your plant water right here: What Water Is Best for Houseplants and 7 Tips to Improve Water