Skip to main content

Get the best nature apps for identifying unknown plants and critters right from your smartphone

Curious nature-lovers can identify birds, bugs, plants, mammals, and more with these (mostly) free mobile nature apps.

Closeup of a hand holding a smartphone with a picture of a small seedling on the screen.
Sunny studio/Shutterstock

Over the last few years, the pandemic inspired (some might say forced) many of us to discover new hobbies and passions. Some found an unexpected desire to learn the secrets of how to make sourdough bread. Others took to Zoom happy hours to get their daily social fix. Still others spent weeks riveted to the bizarre exploits of an exotic cat owner from Oklahoma (and all the me-too follow-up shows on Netflix and beyond).

But, many more of us took the time to get back to nature — the healthiest, most social-distancing-friendly pastime of all. If you count yourself among this group, and are curious to learn more about the world around you, these are the best nature apps to help you identify almost any unknown plant or critter. Think of them like Shazam for the outside world.

Recommended Videos

BirdNET

Free for iOS/Android

Screenshot of the free BirdNET nature app for identifying bird calls.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Without the proper schooling (i.e., a doctorate in ornithology), it’s difficult to identify many birds on sight alone. Their sounds, however, are quite unique. Backed by The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the BirdNET nature app promises to be “the easiest way to identify birds by sound.”

Launch the app, and it immediately begins recording your surroundings using your phone’s microphone. You then highlight a snippet of audio — a bird call, a chirp, or a song — to tag it for identification. Using your phone’s GPS, BirdNET zeros in on your location and determines the bird that most likely made that sound. The app has cataloged about 3,000 of the most common bird species found in North America and Europe. So it’s likely to identify just about any species you come across.

Download Now

PlantSnap Plant Identifier App

Free for iOs/Android

Screenshot of the free PlantSnap nature app for identifying plants.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Plants can be even harder to identify than bird calls. PlantSnap makes deciphering leaves, bark, and buds a whole lot easier. The nature app claims to be the most accurate and comprehensive plant identification tool ever, with more than 600,000 species on file. That’s 90% of the plants, trees, mushrooms (poisonous or not), and cacti species on Earth, covering almost every species that most humans are likely to encounter.

Like most of the best nature apps, just snap a photo of the plant in question, and the app identifies it in 37 languages in seconds. A free version is available for iOS and Android, while the Premium version eliminates ads.

Download Now

iNaturalist

Free for iOS / Android

Hand holding a smartphone with the iNaturalist nature app open in front of yellow flowers.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

iNaturalist is a collaboration between the National Geographic Society and the California Academy of Sciences that wants to help citizen scientists (including you!) identify everything. The comprehensive nature app includes hundreds of thousands of animal and plant species in its database. Every user is also doing a bit of good for the scientific community. By submitting their photos and field notes to the project, users provided valuable crowdsourced information to help scientists track species around the world.

iNaturalist is a non-profit organization, so the app is 100% free for both Android and iOS. Plus, it works offline, with or without Wi-Fi or cell reception, making it a great option for hikers exploring the backcountry.

Download Now

iTrack Wildlife

Paid for iOS / Android

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Of course, it’s hardest to identify wildlife you can’t actually see. In some cases, animal tracks may be the only evidence you have to identify them. iTrack Wildlife is a library of more than 800 high-res track photos, 138 track drawings, and 120 skull photos. A powerful search feature makes it easy to sift through them all. It’s pretty handy when you’re solo hiking miles from anywhere and need to know if there are bears (or mountain lines or wolverines) in the area!

By comparing track and gait information and other specific descriptions, the companion nature app helps users identify more than 70 common North American mammals. Sadly, there’s no longer a free version for iOS or Android. The $4.99 iTrack Basic app identifies the 40 most common mammals, while the premium iTrack Pro version provides access to the app’s full library for $14.99.

Download Now

Google Lens

Free for iOS/Android

Screenshot of the Google Lens "real world" identification app.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Google Lens describes itself as “a search engine for the real world.” It uses Google’s ultra-advanced AI recognition algorithm to identify objects in photos previously taken on your phone’s camera or seen through the camera’s live view. It’s easy to use and works astonishingly well on almost anything in the natural world, including animals, plants, and more. Plus, it has the added benefit of being able to translate text in 0ver 100 languages (from, say, a restaurant menu or instruction manual), look up bar codes by scanning them, and more.

The app is baked into Google’s Android operations system, so Android users already have it on their phones. iPhone users can get it for free by simply downloading the Google Photos app.

Download Now

Mike Richard
Mike Richard has traveled the world since 2008. He's kayaked in Antarctica, tracked endangered African wild dogs in South…
Here’s everything you need to pack for a trip to Yellowstone National Park
From backpacks and boots to headlamps and hiking snacks, here are all the essentials you'll need for Yellowstone
View of Yellowstone National Park waterfall

Yellowstone National Park is one of the crown jewels of America’s National Parks system. It quite literally has it all: Majestic geysers, technicolor thermal hot springs, bison-filled forests and fields, craggy canyons, roaring waterfalls, and — you get the gist. Stretching nearly 3,500 square miles across northwest Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana, Yellowstone attracts millions of visitors and tourists looking to revel in the beauty of the country's most spectacular landscapes (just don't get too close to the wildlife).

Indeed, it's an absolute bucket-list-worthy destination for adventure-minded people who want to visit beautiful national parks this year. If the idea of its picturesque landscapes gets you excited, here’s a packing list of the essentials you'll want to bring to stay safe and comfortable, so you can enjoy everything the park has to offer.
What to pack for day trips in Yellowstone National Park
Whether you’re planning to visit Yellowstone in the spring, summer, fall, or winter, there’s a whole host of items you’ll need to pack to ensure your comfort and safety. Here's our expert packing list:
Daypack

Read more
These are the best golf apps to improve your game
Your next birdie is just a download away
golfer giving fist pump

Gone are the days of relying solely on gut instinct and a well-worn yardage book. Thanks to modern-day tech, golfers can carry a personal caddy, swing coach, and statistician right in their pockets.
Whether you’re an occasional player looking to shave a few strokes off your score or a serious competitor gunning for a lower handicap, the right golf app can make all the difference.

We've teed up the top contenders in every category, from free basic trackers to advanced paid apps with comprehensive features. Here are our picks for the best golf apps to improve your game.
Best free golf app: Hole19

Read more
Study reveals haunting truth wabout getting lost in the wild—and how to avoid it
Do you have the wilderness survival skills you need?
A man looking up in the woods, seemingly lost

We usually don't think to brush up on survival skills when we're out enjoying the country's best national parks. But it's important to be prepared, even if you're hiking or camping in a popular tourist destination.
Let's dive into a recent study that reveals how people get lost in the great outdoors and, more importantly, how they survived to tell the tale. And to make sure you stay safe on the trail, I'll include some helpful tips you can use if you ever find yourself lost in the wild.

The alarming truth behind getting lost in the wilderness
There are plenty of ways to get turned around in nature, but hiking is by far the most common way to get lost, with 48% of missing persons losing their way on foot. Men aged 20 to 25 and 50 to 60 are the most likely to get lost, and it most commonly happens during the warmer months of the year.
You're more likely to get lost if you head on your hike in the mid-afternoon, likely because of the shorter timeframe of light and thinning crowds that help keep outdoor enthusiasts on track. People usually wandered 1.1 miles off of their trail.
The National Park Service shells out between 6 to 7 million dollars on thousands of search and rescue operations each year, not including the costs associated with fire services and law enforcement or volunteer efforts and donations.
It's a huge part of the NPS budget, and unfortunately, these numbers are likely to increase as park popularity rises.

Read more