KiposThe short answer
Choose Kipos for phases and dated care history. Greg is the strongest free option. Planta is the closest broad care platform and adds shared care and community. PictureThis is the identification specialist, while Blossom wraps similar care tools in a simpler interface. PlantIn keeps the best price here for people who want diagnosis and a lifetime purchase in the same app.
Why people look for a PlantIn alternative
PlantIn Premium is $29.99 a year in the US App Store, and a lifetime purchase is listed at $49.99. The listing also shows a $19.99 lifetime offer and weekly plans from $6.99 to $17.99.
The weekly prices are the main trap. Even the lowest weekly plan costs far more over a year than the annual subscription. The listing says little about what remains usable without Premium.
PlantIn reaches across identification, diagnosis, care and expert help. Alternatives differ less by headline tools than by free access, record keeping, community and how often they ask for payment.
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 yearly | First plant setup | iPhone (iOS 15.1 or later) |
| Greg | Free care tracking with a community that answers questions | Free; SUPER Greg $29.99/year | Care tracking, unlimited plants, identification, community | iPhone (iOS 16 or later), Android |
| Planta | Diagnosis, a light meter, detailed reminders, shared care and community | $9.99/month, $19.99/3 months or $35.99/year | Basic reminders and logging | iPhone, iPad (iOS 18 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 identification and care tools | $59.99 to $79.99/year, $5.99/month or $4.99 to $7.99/week | Free download; current limits are not stated | iPhone (iOS 15.4 or later), Android |
| PlantIn (for reference) | Identification, diagnosis, light measurement and care plans | $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 |
Prices are from the US App Store on September 14, 2026 and exclude tax. Some listings show several prices for one plan. A missing public claim is not proof that a tool 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 has a card with its current growth phase, a dated care history, photos and notes. Completed care earns points, a streak adds a bonus, and every plant averages into one Garden Score. It is made for balcony pots, raised beds and small houseplant collections.
Kipos on the App StoreWhere it wins
- You set and can change the watering interval for each plant
- A growth phase on every plant, plus a dated history of completed care
- Feeding plans include fertilizer type, NPK ratio and dose
- Runs on iOS 15.1
Where it falls short
- No plant diagnosis, light meter, community or shared care
- iPhone and English only
- Launched September 2026, so there is no long public track record
- 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
-
Greg
Best for free care tracking, unlimited plants and help from other growers.
- Price
- Free; SUPER Greg $29.99/year
- Free
- Care tracking, unlimited plants, identification, community
- Platforms
- iPhone (iOS 16 or later), Android
- Languages
- English
Greg keeps care tracking and unlimited plants free. It builds a watering plan from the species, pot size and conditions in your home. Its photo identification tool, PlantVision, is free too.
The community is the main difference. People post photos of struggling plants and other growers answer. SUPER Greg adds precision watering, a light gauge and seasonal adjustments for $29.99 a year, while the App Store also shows offers from $1.99 to $39.99.
Where it wins
- The free tier covers tracking, reminders and unlimited plants
- Its community answers plant questions
- Available on iPhone and Android
Where it falls short
- Advice quality depends on who answers; there is no structured diagnosis
- English only, with a 16+ App Store age rating because of chat and user content
- The more precise watering tools need SUPER Greg
-
Planta
Best for people who want diagnosis, a light meter, detailed care reminders and a community in one app.
- Price
- $9.99/month, $19.99/3 months or $35.99/year
- Free
- Basic reminders and logging
- Platforms
- iPhone, iPad (iOS 18 or later), Android
- Languages
- 12 on iOS
Planta is the broadest care platform in this group. It identifies plants, creates schedules for watering and other care, measures light, diagnoses problems through Dr. Planta, keeps a journal and supports shared care.
The free version keeps basic reminders and logging. Identification, the light meter, diagnosis and unlimited plants need Premium. US pricing is $9.99 a month, $19.99 for three months or $35.99 a year, with other yearly offers in the listing.
Where it wins
- Diagnosis, light measurement, care schedules, journaling and community in one app
- Shared care for a household or other plant caretaker
- Available on iPhone and Android, with 12 iOS languages
Where it falls short
- Identification, the light meter, diagnosis and unlimited plants need Premium
- Requires iOS 18 on iPhone and iPad
- No lifetime purchase appears in the US listing
-
PictureThis
Best for naming an unknown plant fast, then reading how to care for it.
- Price
- Pro $39.99/year; 7-day trial; family plan $49.99
- Free
- A few identifications; care and diagnosis need 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 with care notes and a diagnosis tool behind it. The developer, Glority, claims a database of more than 400,000 species and 98 percent identification accuracy.
Care reminders exist, but identification remains the center of the app. Pro costs $39.99 a year, the family plan is $49.99, and the 7-day trial converts to a paid subscription unless you cancel.
Where it wins
- Fast identification from a large species database
- Diagnosis and care guides on species pages
- 28 languages
Where it falls short
- Care scheduling is secondary to identification
- The free version allows only a small number of identifications
- No growth phase or garden-wide care score is advertised
-
Blossom
Best for a clean reminder app with identification, diagnosis and a watering calculator.
- Price
- $59.99 to $79.99/year, $5.99/month or $4.99 to $7.99/week
- Free
- Free download; current limits are not stated
- Platforms
- iPhone (iOS 15.4 or later), Android
- Languages
- 5
Blossom identifies more than 30,000 plants and builds reminders for watering, fertilizing and repotting. It also has a light meter, a pot-size watering calculator, disease identification, weather alerts and guides for edible plants.
The interface keeps those tools easy to find, but the price is high. The yearly plan is listed from $59.99 to $79.99, and the weekly offers run from $4.99 to $7.99. The listing does not state what remains free after download.
Where it wins
- A clean interface with reminders that account for light and season
- Identification, light measurement and disease checks
- A watering calculator that accounts for pot size
Where it falls short
- The highest yearly price among the apps compared here
- Only 5 languages
- The listing does not describe a growth phase or detailed care history
How to choose
Start with the part of PlantIn you want to change.
- Plant phases, photos and dated care history: Kipos.
- Free tracking, unlimited plants and community: Greg.
- Shared care and the broadest reminder system: Planta.
- Identification as the main job: PictureThis.
- A simpler care interface: Blossom.
Kipos makes sense if PlantIn's diagnosis and scanning tools are not the reason you open the app. It keeps a user-set watering reminder and care record, with a phase for every plant. It is also iPhone and English only.
Questions people ask
How much does PlantIn cost in 2026?
PlantIn Premium is $29.99 a year in the US App Store. The listing shows a $49.99 lifetime purchase, a $19.99 lifetime offer and weekly plans from $6.99 to $17.99.
What is free in PlantIn?
The download is free, but the listing gives little detail about the free tier. Most identification, diagnosis and care tools require Premium.
Is there a free PlantIn alternative?
Greg is the closest free care app in this group. It includes tracking, unlimited plants, photo identification and a community.
Which alternative is most like PlantIn?
Planta is the closest broad match. It covers identification, diagnosis, a light meter and detailed care schedules, then adds shared care and community.
Which alternative is best for identification?
PictureThis puts identification first and claims a database of more than 400,000 species.
Can I move my plants from PlantIn to another app?
None of these apps advertise a direct PlantIn import. In Kipos, add each plant again by name.
Is Kipos a PlantIn replacement?
It is a replacement for schedules and record keeping, not for disease diagnosis, light measurement, mushroom identification or botanist consultations.