Sources: App Store listings for Planta (id1410126781), PictureThis (id1252497129) and Greg (id1512912236), and PotPal's own source code for version 1.3.5, all checked 2026-10-13. Prices and features change. Not verified means we did not see a clear statement on the official page, which does not mean the feature is absent.
At a glance
| PotPal | Planta | PictureThis | Greg | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emphasis | Watering window you can overrule with a soil check | Care guide, reminders, plant doctor, light meter, journal | Large-scale identification, disease diagnosis, care tips | Custom watering plan and community |
| Identification | Photo AI, or one-tap list of 8 common plants | Photo identification | Photo identification, listing mentions over 400,000 species | Photo identification, free scan per its listing |
| Disease diagnosis | No. Describes what it sees, no diagnosis | Yes, per its listing (Dr. Planta) | Yes, per its listing | Not verified |
| Reminders | Calculated window, merged same-day, Not dry yet | Reminders adapt to home environment, weather and plant type, per listing | Watering and fertilizing reminders, per listing | Reminders from a custom watering plan, per listing |
| Account | None | Not verified | Not verified | Not verified |
| Price model | Free to start, optional PotPal Pro | Free to download, auto-renewing subscription per listing | Free to download, subscription not verified | Free scan, annual plan listed at $29.99 |
| Minimum iOS | iOS 17.0 | iOS 18.0 | iOS 15.0 | iOS 16.0 |
Where PotPal is different
PotPal is deliberately narrow. It computes a watering window from species, season, light, pot, location and soil, shows the reasoning, and is built so your soil check overrides it. It does not diagnose disease, run a community or measure light.
Where the others are stronger
- Planta lists a light meter, a plant doctor for symptoms and shared care with other people.
- PictureThis lists identification of over 400,000 species, disease diagnosis and weed identification.
- Greg lists a community feed and a watering plan that includes how much water to give.
How to choose
- You want to identify anything you see outdoors or diagnose a sick plant: PictureThis or Planta.
- You want community and shared care: Planta or Greg.
- You want a simple, free-to-start reminder that explains its interval and respects your soil check: PotPal.
Check each app's page for current pricing before you subscribe.