Facts below come from Planta's App Store listing and vendor site, plus PotPal's own listing, checked 2026-10-16. Prices and features change, so check the listings before you buy. "Not verified" means we did not see a clear statement on an official page, which does not mean the feature is absent.
What Planta is
Planta, from Planta AB, calls itself a plant and garden care app. Its listing says it identifies a plant from a photo and builds a care plan, creates schedules for watering, fertilizing, repotting, pruning and misting that adapt to your home, local weather and plant type, includes Dr. Planta for symptoms such as yellow leaves or pests, a built-in light meter, a plant journal, shared care so family or friends can tend plants while you are away, and a community. It supports twelve languages and requires iOS 18.0. It is free to download and sells an auto-renewing subscription, per the renewal terms in its listing; we did not verify the price.
Planta vs PotPal: what actually differs
| Planta | PotPal | |
|---|---|---|
| Core idea | A full care suite: identify, schedule, diagnose, measure light, share care | A watering window explained step by step, always overruled by your soil check |
| Identification | Photo identification with a care plan | Photo AI, or a one-tap list of eight common plants; you confirm before a plant is added |
| Plant doctor | Yes, Dr. Planta, per its listing | No. It describes what it sees and never diagnoses |
| Light meter | Yes | No |
| Shared care and community | Yes | No |
| Reminders | Adapt to home, weather and plant type | A calculated window; same-day plants merge into one reminder; Not dry yet pushes it back |
| Account | Not verified | None |
| Price model | Free to download, auto-renewing subscription | Free to start, optional PotPal Pro |
| Minimum iOS | 18.0 | 17.0 |
Where Planta is stronger
- Breadth. Identification, a plant doctor, a light meter, a journal and shared care in one app. If you want one place for everything, PotPal will feel small.
- Shared care. Inviting a friend to water while you travel is a practical feature PotPal does not have.
- Scale. More than a hundred thousand ratings with an average near 4.75 on the US store, and an Editors' Choice mention in the listing.
When to choose Planta
- You want to identify unknown plants, diagnose problems and measure light in one place.
- Someone else sometimes waters your plants and you want them to see what is done.
- You like a community to ask questions in, and you are on iOS 18.
When to choose PotPal
- You are overwhelmed by features and want a single answer: does this plant need water now?
- You want the app to explain its interval and let your finger in the soil override it.
- You want no account and a free start, and you are on iOS 17.
- You do not want a plant doctor to guess at a diagnosis from a photo.
Moving from Planta to PotPal
Neither app exports to the other. Recreate your plants in PotPal by taking a photo or choosing the species from the list, then note when you last watered by feel.
Because PotPal asks for your last observation, you do not need Planta's history to begin. If you rely on shared care or the light meter, keep Planta installed and use PotPal only for the watering decision.
Sources and check date
- Planta: App Store listing (id1410126781), version 3.123.0 listing, checked 2026-10-16; vendor site getplanta.com
- PotPal: App Store listing (id6785901964), version 1.4.1, checked 2026-10-16; potpal.daylumen.com