Flower Identifier: How to Name Any Flower in Seconds

Carlo Sainz

About the Author

Carlo Sainz is a young app developer. He started developing his first apps when he was 16. His initial motivation was to make an app that could make his school life easier. Now he tries to make everyone's life more convenient and just a little easier.

The last project that Carlo has been working on is identification apps. Among them are flora identifiers. Carlo studies ways to increase the size and variety of the databases for such apps. This could improve not only the flora variety, but also the accuracy of identification.

Carlo Sainz considers himself an expert in flora identifiers. He built the framework for a couple of them, and knows which apps work, and which ones are less than adequate.

Carlo Sainz portrait

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Introduction

When was the last time someone gave you a bouquet? Or maybe you're the one who usually hands them out. Maybe you don't care about gifts, but still find yourself picking flowers. Whatever your stance on flowers is, you've got to know them.

It makes the gift ten times better when you know exactly what flower composition it is. Flowers have meanings, emotions behind them. And if you are a forager, you don't want to accidentally pick and inhale a poisonous flower.

You need a plant and flower identifier! With this app, you can appreciate the flowers you pick or receive. The process couldn't get any easier.

But what is the best plant flower identifier app? Here comes the list of the best candidates for that title.

Best Flower Identifier Apps

AI Plant Finder

AI Plant Finder

Plant Finder is an all-in-one app for those interested in flora. Not only does it have a very large database of flowers and other plant life, but it also has many useful features. A platform for scanning flora and taking care of it. Plant Finder is free, but it offers neat functions for paid users.

AI Plant Finder identification feature

Key Features:

  • Flora Identification: Take a picture, and the AI will do the rest. Within seconds, you'll get all the information needed from top sources. AI Plant Finder can confidently scan almost any flower, as it boasts 300,000+ entries in its database.
  • Full Plant Diagnosis & Care Guides: If your cactus looks suddenly squishy or your houseplants' leaves look dry, AI Plant Finder offers help. After the scan, it gives the plant diagnosis, determines the current condition of a plant, and finds the optimal care routine.
  • AI Plant Helper: The app comes with your personalized plant assistant. The AI gives tips on plant care, like weed and pest control.
  • My Garden: You can have your virtual plant collection in the app. Every entry is categorized, and you can ask the app to remind you to water and care for different plants at your home.

Target Audience: Works for advanced users like botanists and for beginners. A simple interface greatly lowers the learning curve, and accurate identification helps professionals to do reliable work.

Our Assessment: Likely the best free flower identifier. Plant Finder isn't limited. It does what it was made for: to be a flower identifier by picture, but complementary functions make it stand out.

Platforms: iOS, Android, Web.

iNaturalist

iNaturalist (Best for Wildlife & Biodiversity)

It's much more than just a flower identifier free app. iNaturalist compiles scientific data from its users to create an imposing database of many flora and fauna species. It combines AI-powered recognition, expert validation, global mapping, collaboration, and open science.

iNaturalist biodiversity features

Key Features:

  • Crowdsource Identifications: iNaturalist identifies your flower through community input and AI algorithms.
  • Observation with photos/audio: Log wildlife encounters anywhere. The app will mark them, and you can share the location with others.
  • AI & Community ID: Combines AI suggestions plus expert input to make the identification accurate.
  • Research-grade Data and Comprehensive Profiles: iNaturalist contributes to real scientific studies. If you're a biologist, naturalist, ecologist, etc, you can use this platform to write a scientific paper.
  • Regularly updated AI: Higher accuracy via improved models.

Target Audience: The developers claim that whether you're a master or an outdoor lover, iNaturalist will work for you. Yet many of its functions could be realized by proficient users only.

Our Assessment: iNaturalist is a powerful app and platform for biodiversity observation and identification. As a free flower identifier app, it works great, but it has a little learning curve.

Platforms: iOS, Android, Web.

Seek by iNaturalist

Seek by iNaturalist (Best for Beginners & Kids)

Seek resembles the previous iNaturalist entry. Filled with data, educational, but Seek is a more simplified and fun version. Who knew that you could turn flora identification into a game?

Seek by iNaturalist features

Key Features:

  • Instant Visual Identification: Use your camera to identify flora, fauna, fungi, and other organisms in real time. The identification is powered by iNaturalist's computer vision model.
  • Achievement-Based Exploration. Earn badges for observing organisms from various categories (e.g., mushrooms, trees, birds, insects).
  • Privacy-Focused Observations: All identifications and observations are processed locally. No need to sign in to get ID suggestions.
  • Offline Use: Seek is designed for outdoor exploration; the UI is simple and intuitive for quick use in nature. Basic identification works offline with preloaded image models; no constant internet connection is needed.
  • Education Friendly: Provides educational info on each observed species, giving common name, scientific name, and a quick fact.

Target Audience: Families. The app is safe and simple, and very gamified. Most children would love to give it a try.

Our Assessment: Seek is the playful, offline-capable app for quick field identifications and learning. It's not a big, full-featured platform for deeper engagement and data contribution.

Platforms: iOS, Android, Web.

Google Lens

Google Lens (Best for Quick Checks)

Everyone knows this Google flower identifier. Though Google Lens can identify practically everything, not just plants or flora. You likely already have Google Lens and know about most of its functions.

Google Lens identification feature

Key Features:

  • Instant Photo-Based Recognition: Point your camera at a plant or upload a photo. Google Lens quickly analyzes it and suggests possible species. The application uses advanced AI and image recognition technology trained on vast visual data.
  • Accurate and Context-Aware: Google flower identifier by picture scans not only the visual features of a flower, but also provides contextual clues like location or nearby species. The platform does that via a link on other websites.
  • Seamless Google Integration: Tap directly into Google Search for instant access to care guides, plant descriptions, Wikipedia articles, videos, and shopping links.

Target Audience: Everyone. Google Lens is very accessible, just like the browser itself. It works with non-flora objects, so anyone could find a use for it.

Our Assessment: Flower Identifier Google is a simple and quick application. Yet it lacks the accuracy and integrity of other flower bulb identifier apps. It should not be surprising, because Google Lens doesn't have a targeted database. Great for a quick check, but not for an extensive study.

Platforms: iOS, Android, Web. The platform is built into Android cameras, Google Photos, and Google Assistant.

Flora Incognita

Flora Incognita (Best for European Plants)

Flora Incognita is a solid wild flower identifier, though it works with all kinds of flora. The app aims to be educational, and to be more accessible to school students, it can work without the Internet.

Flora Incognita identification feature

Key Features:

  • AI-Powered Plant Identification: Snap or upload photos, and within seconds, the app suggests a species. The identification is backed by deep learning trained on nearly 1 million images
  • Extensive Database: Recognizes over 30,000 wild plant species worldwide. Data is especially well-suited for European flora.
  • Offline Mode & Field Readiness: Fully functional even in offline mode. The app can capture images and metadata (date, GPS) in the field; sync and identify later with network access.
  • Observation Log: Flora Incognita gives you a Personal observation list with a map view to track your discoveries over time.

Target Audience: Flora Incognita aims at those who'd like to research the surrounding flora. That includes seasoned researchers and school students.

Our Assessment: Flora Incognita is a good flower and plant identifier. Yet when it comes to functional variety, it's the weakest on the list.

Platforms: iOS, Android, Web.

FAQ

Are free plant apps really accurate?

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Many free plant identification apps are surprisingly accurate. A lot of time has passed since the arrival of the Snapchat flower identifier. The top-tier apps have an accuracy above 95%.

Which free app has no watermarks?

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Most flower photo identifier apps are watermark-free. There would be no use for watermarks anyway, as you're the one taking the photo, so you always have the clean original.

Can I use these apps offline?

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Most of the apps are online. Some, like Seek and Flora Incognita, support offline use. Yet note that most flower identifier online options are more powerful than their offline counterparts. A typical online flower identifier has a deeper, frequently developed database.

Do free apps sell my plant photos?

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Most reputable apps do not sell your photos directly. The apps from the list are reputable. But they may use your photos to train AI models.

What's the best free app for edible plants?

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Usually, platforms don't differentiate between edible and non-edible flora. Their databases encompass both types. The best flower identifier app free option is the AI Plant Finder, due to its ease of use and wide functionality.

Can these apps identify plant diseases?

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Some plant identification apps can identify flora diseases, but not all of them. Among the list, only the AI Plant Finder can confidently detect such ailments.

Why do some free apps ask for payment?

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It's how their business model works. Most use a freemium business model. You can try the platform for free, but the full features cost money. So don't be alarmed when you're asked to pay. Just continue using the free version if you wish.

Which free app has the largest database?

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Today, flower identifiers are constantly increasing their databases. Flora Incognita made its database almost twice as big. Yet two applications come with the largest number of entries: AI Plant Finder and iNaturalist.

Final Verdict: Best Free Plant ID App

All in all, Plant AI Finder is the king of flora identifiers. The app is:

  • Simple to use, yet offers complex functions for professional use.
  • Huge, and has a database of +300,00 flora entries.
  • Very quick at identification and has frequent updates.
  • Capable of not only identifying, but also guiding you as a gardener.

Download only the best. You deserve it!