KiposThe short answer
If you want a plant record that tracks phase, care history and photos for a small collection, consider Kipos. If your only complaint about Planta is the subscription, Greg keeps care tracking and unlimited plants free. PlantIn is the closest feature match to Planta at a lower yearly price. PictureThis is the identification specialist. Blossom is the simplest reminder app of the five. Planta itself is still the right choice if you want diagnosis, a light meter, a community and twelve languages in one app.
Why people look for a Planta alternative
Planta Premium is $35.99 a year in the US App Store, with a monthly plan at $9.99 and a three-month plan at $19.99. The listing also shows yearly offers from $17.99 to $47.99, which is how Planta tests prices on different users. The free version keeps basic reminders and logging. Identification, the light meter, Dr. Planta diagnosis and unlimited plants need Premium.
The current version also requires iOS 18.0 or later. An iPhone that cannot run iOS 18, such as the iPhone X or 8, can no longer install it.
The third reason is scope. Planta covers identification, diagnosis, light measurement, journaling, shared care and a community. Some people want most of that. Others want one reliable schedule and a record of what happened, and find the rest in the way. The apps below split along that line.
At a glance
| App | Best for | Price (US) | Free tier | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kipos | A living record of a small garden: phase, care history, photos | $9.99/month or $39.99/year; 7-day trial on the yearly plan | Plants, watering, reminders and sharing are free. Custom care logs and full care history need a subscription | iPhone (iOS 15.1 or later) |
| Greg | Free care tracking with a community that answers questions | Free; SUPER Greg $29.99/year (offers from $1.99 to $39.99 appear in the listing) | Care tracking, unlimited plants, photo identification, community | iPhone (iOS 16 or later), Android |
| PlantIn | The closest feature match to Planta at a lower yearly price | $29.99/year or $49.99 lifetime; weekly plans from $6.99 | Limited; most tools need Premium | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch (iOS 16.4 or later), Android |
| PictureThis | Identifying an unknown plant fast | Pro $39.99/year; 7-day trial; family plan $49.99 | A few identifications; care and diagnosis need Pro | iPhone, iPad (iOS 15 or later), Android |
| Blossom | Simple reminders with a clean interface | Premium $59.99 to $79.99/year, $5.99/month or $7.99/week | Free download; the listing does not say what stays free | iPhone (iOS 15.4 or later), Android |
| Planta (for reference) | Full plant care platform: diagnosis, light meter, community | $9.99/month, $19.99/3 months or $35.99/year | Basic reminders and logging; identification, light meter and diagnosis need Premium | iPhone, iPad (iOS 18 or later), Android |
Prices are from the US App Store on September 14, 2026 and exclude tax. Several apps show more than one price for the same plan, which usually means the developer is testing offers. A missing public claim is not proof that a feature does not exist.
The five apps
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Kipos
Best for a small garden or plant collection you want a record of, not only reminders for.
- Price
- $9.99/month or $39.99/year; 7-day trial on yearly
- Free
- First plant setup
- Platforms
- iPhone, iOS 15.1 or later
- Languages
- English
Kipos is a garden tracker for iPhone. You add a plant by name, record where it lives and choose how often you water it. That interval drives the watering reminder. Photos, notes, growth phases and logged care stay with the plant.
Each plant then has a card: its current growth phase, which you move forward by hand, a dated care history, photos and notes. Completed care earns points, a streak adds a bonus, and every plant averages into one Garden Score. When a day of care is done, Kipos can turn it into a card you can share outside the app. It is made for small gardens: balcony pots, raised beds, a few favorite houseplants.
Kipos on the App StoreWhere it wins
- You choose and can change the watering interval for each plant
- A growth phase on every plant, plus a dated history of what you did
- Log feeding, pruning and other care on the plant record
- Runs on iOS 15.1, so it installs on phones Planta has dropped
- No ads and no free-tier nagging; one subscription covers everything
Where it falls short
- No plant diagnosis, light meter, community or shared care
- iPhone and English only; no Android, iPad or other languages
- Launched September 2026, so there is no track record yet
- Free for plants, watering, reminders and sharing; custom care logs and full history need a subscription, with a 7-day trial on the yearly plan only
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Greg
Best for keeping Planta-style care tracking without paying, and asking other growers when something goes wrong.
- Price
- Free; SUPER Greg $29.99/year
- Free
- Care tracking, unlimited plants, identification, community
- Platforms
- iPhone (iOS 16 or later), Android
- Languages
- English
Greg is the most direct swap if the subscription is your only complaint. Care tracking and unlimited plants are free, and the app builds a watering plan from the plant's species, pot size and the conditions in your home. Its photo identification, called PlantVision, is also free.
The difference from Planta is the community. Greg has an in-app feed where people post a photo of a struggling plant and other growers answer, usually within a day. Planta answers with Dr. Planta; Greg answers with people. The paid tier, SUPER Greg, adds precision watering, smarter reminders, a light gauge and seasonal adjustments for $29.99 a year, and the listing shows offers from $1.99 to $39.99.
Where it wins
- The free tier covers tracking, reminders and unlimited plants, and does not expire
- An active community that answers plant problems
- Available on iPhone and Android
Where it falls short
- Advice quality depends on who answers; there is no structured diagnosis
- English only, and the App Store age rating is 16+ because of the chat and user content
- The best watering features sit in SUPER Greg
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PlantIn
Best for people who want Planta's toolset (diagnosis, light meter, care plans) and would rather pay $29.99 a year or buy it once.
- Price
- $29.99/year or $49.99 lifetime
- Free
- Limited; most tools need Premium
- Platforms
- iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch (iOS 16.4 or later), Android
- Languages
- 19
PlantIn covers the most Planta ground of any app here. It identifies plants from a photo, diagnoses diseases, measures light with the camera, calculates watering and writes care plans that include fertilizing and pruning. It also has a mushroom identifier and a paid Ask the Botanist service for questions the app cannot answer.
The price is the draw. Premium is $29.99 a year, and a lifetime purchase is listed at $49.99, with a $19.99 lifetime offer appearing at times. Planta has no lifetime option. The free tier is thin: the listing does not describe much that works without Premium. The weekly plans, from $6.99 to $17.99, cost far more per month than the yearly plan, so read the paywall before you tap.
Where it wins
- Diagnosis, light meter, watering calculator and care plans in one app
- The lowest yearly price in this list, plus a lifetime option
- 19 languages, and an Apple Watch app
Where it falls short
- Little works for free, and the weekly plans are easy to subscribe to by mistake
- Botanist answers are a paid service, not part of the basic app
- Requires iOS 16.4, so it also drops older phones
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PictureThis
Best for naming an unknown plant fast, then reading how to care for it.
- Price
- Pro $39.99/year; family plan $49.99
- Free
- A few identifications, then Pro
- Platforms
- iPhone, iPad (iOS 15 or later), Android
- Languages
- 28
PictureThis is an identifier first. Point the camera at a leaf and it returns a species name in a second or two, with care notes and a diagnosis tool behind it. The developer, Glority, claims more than 400,000 species and 98 percent accuracy.
As a Planta replacement it is a partial fit. The care reminders exist but are thinner than Planta's, and Pro costs $39.99 a year, which is more than Planta Premium. The 7-day trial converts to a paid subscription unless you cancel. Pick it if identification is the feature you use most and you are willing to keep a simpler tracker alongside it.
Where it wins
- Fast identification from a very large species database
- Diagnosis and care guides on every species page
- 28 languages
Where it falls short
- More expensive than Planta Premium
- Care scheduling is secondary; the app is built around the scan
- The free version allows only a handful of identifications before the paywall
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Blossom
Best for a simple, good-looking reminder app for a few houseplants.
- Price
- $59.99 to $79.99/year, $5.99/month, $7.99/week
- Free
- The listing does not say what stays free
- Platforms
- iPhone (iOS 15.4 or later), Android
- Languages
- 5
Blossom identifies more than 30,000 plants from a photo and then builds reminders for watering, fertilizing and repotting based on the plant, its light and the time of year. It has a light meter, a watering calculator that accounts for pot size and a disease identifier. The interface is the cleanest of the five, and it leans on gentle nudges to keep you watering on schedule.
It is also the most expensive. The yearly plan is listed between $59.99 and $79.99 depending on the offer you see, and the weekly bundle at $7.99 works out to more than $400 a year if left running. If you are leaving Planta over price, Blossom moves you in the wrong direction. If you are leaving because Planta feels like too much app, Blossom is the smaller, calmer option.
Where it wins
- Clean, low-effort interface
- Reminders that account for light and season, plus a pot-size watering calculator
- Identification, light meter and disease check included
Where it falls short
- The highest yearly price here, and a weekly plan that adds up fast
- Only 5 languages
- The listing does not describe a growth record or history beyond reminders
How to choose
Start with the one thing Planta did not give you.
- A free tier that never expires: Greg.
- Planta's toolset for less money: PlantIn. The $49.99 lifetime purchase costs less than two years of Planta Premium.
- Faster identification of unknown plants: PictureThis, with a simpler tracker alongside it for reminders.
- A calmer app with fewer screens: Blossom.
If what you wanted was a record, consider Kipos. A reminder tells you what is due today. A record also shows the phase each plant is in, the photos and notes you kept, and the care that led to this point. Kipos is the only app on this list built around that, and it is also the one with the shortest track record and the narrowest platform support. The 7-day trial on the yearly plan is there so you can decide with your own plants.
Questions people ask
How much does Planta cost in 2026?
In the US App Store, Planta Premium is $9.99 a month, $19.99 for three months or $35.99 a year. The listing also shows yearly prices of $17.99, $39.99 and $47.99, which are offers shown to different users. The download is free.
What is free in Planta?
Basic care reminders and logging. Plant identification, the light meter, Dr. Planta diagnosis and unlimited plants need Premium.
Is there a free Planta alternative?
Greg is the closest. Care tracking, unlimited plants, photo identification and the community are free, and the free tier does not expire. Its paid tier adds precision watering and a light gauge. PlantNet is fully free but is an identification tool for wild plants, not a care app, which is why it is not on this list.
Which alternative is most like Planta?
PlantIn. It has identification, diagnosis, a light meter, a watering calculator and care plans, at $29.99 a year or $49.99 for life. Its free tier is thinner than Planta's.
Which app works on an older iPhone?
Planta now requires iOS 18. Kipos runs on iOS 15.1 or later, PictureThis on iOS 15, Blossom on iOS 15.4, Greg on iOS 16 and PlantIn on iOS 16.4.
Can I move my plants from Planta to another app?
None of these apps advertise an import from Planta. In Kipos, add each plant by name and choose its watering interval.
Is Kipos a Planta replacement?
For some people. Kipos covers user-set watering reminders, photos, notes and a growth phase per plant. It does not do diagnosis, light measurement, community or shared care. If you used those in Planta, Kipos will feel like less. If you used Planta as a watering log and wished it kept a better record, Kipos is the closer fit.