Education · head to head
Elevate vs PictureThis
Elevate
Education
Cognitive skills training app from Elevate Labs covering reading, writing, maths and speaking games
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
PictureThis
Education
Commercial plant identification app with a short free trial that converts to an annual subscription
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Elevate has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Elevate the free tier limits daily games enough that the personalised programme the app is designed around is effectively a paid-only feature.; PictureThis the free trial converts to a paid annual subscription automatically, and a documented pattern of user complaints describes unexpected charges when the trial was not cancelled in time.
- They diverge on capability: Elevate covers Daily game sets, PictureThis covers Plant identification.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Elevate and PictureThis actually diverge.
| Attribute | Elevate | PictureThis |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free | On request |
| Pricing model | Free with a Pro subscription | Per year, sold via a short free trial that auto-renews |
| Free tier | Yes | No |
Identical on both: platforms (iOS, Android), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Education).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in Elevate
- Daily game sets
- Personalised training plan
- Progress tracking
- Reading and comprehension drills
- Maths and estimation games
- Writing and proofreading games
Only in PictureThis
- Plant identification
- Disease diagnosis
- Care reminders
- Plant care library
- Toxicity warnings
- My Garden tracking
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Elevate
- An adult wanting short daily practice on workplace writing and proofreading skillsnot PictureThis
- Someone preparing for a maths or verbal reasoning assessment who wants low-stakes daily drillsnot PictureThis
- A user comparing Elevate against Lumosity on whether they want practical skills or abstract cognitive gamesnot PictureThis
- A buyer wanting to sample the format on the limited free tier before committing to a subscriptionnot PictureThis
PictureThis
- A gardener who wants ongoing care reminders and disease diagnosis, not just a one-off identificationnot Elevate
- Someone willing to pay for a more polished interface than the free nonprofit alternativesnot Elevate
- A plant owner who wants toxicity warnings for pets and childrennot Elevate
- A buyer who reads the trial terms carefully and sets a reminder to cancel before it convertsnot Elevate
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Elevate
- The free tier limits daily games enough that the personalised programme the app is designed around is effectively a paid-only feature.
- As with the brain training category generally, evidence that improved performance on Elevate specific games transfers to broader real-world cognitive or task performance is weaker than marketing framing implies.
- The annual subscription auto-renews and, as with most mobile subscriptions, must be cancelled through app store settings rather than inside the app itself.
- Game variety within each skill category is finite, and long-term daily users report the exercises becoming repetitive after extended use.
- It does not replace structured instruction for skills like reading comprehension or maths where a genuine foundational gap exists; it is practice and drilling rather than teaching from first principles.
PictureThis
- The free trial converts to a paid annual subscription automatically, and a documented pattern of user complaints describes unexpected charges when the trial was not cancelled in time.
- Cancellation has to be done through App Store or Play Store account settings, not by deleting the app, which catches users off guard.
- It solves the same core identification problem that Seek, PlantNet and Merlin solve for free, so the paid tier is competing against genuinely free options for the same task.
- Care guidance for uncommon or exotic species is criticised as generic rather than specific.
- Being a commercial product from a company that publishes near-identical identification apps for other categories, its plant-specific depth is not obviously deeper than a dedicated botanical tool.
Pricing, plan by plan
Elevate
Free- Elevate Pro$9.99/month
- Free tier gives a limited number of games per day
- Pro unlocks the full game library and personalised training plan
- Annual Pro plans typically run $44.99 to $59.99, cheaper per month than monthly billing
PictureThis
On request- PictureThis Annual$39.99/year
- Unlimited plant identifications
- Disease diagnosis
- Care reminders and guides
Which should you pick?
Choose Elevate if
- You need daily game sets.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on iOS, Android.
- You also want personalised training plan.
Choose PictureThis if
- You need plant identification.
- You work on iOS, Android.
- You also want disease diagnosis.
Questions people ask
- Is Elevate or PictureThis better?
- Neither clearly leads. Elevate starts at Free and PictureThis at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Elevate or PictureThis?
- Elevate has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Elevate and On request for PictureThis.
- Does Elevate or PictureThis run on more platforms?
- Both run on iOS, Android, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
- Can I use Elevate for free?
- Yes. Elevate has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. PictureThis starts at On request.
- What is Elevate best used for?
- Elevate is most often used for an adult wanting short daily practice on workplace writing and proofreading skills, someone preparing for a maths or verbal reasoning assessment who wants low-stakes daily drills, a user comparing elevate against lumosity on whether they want practical skills or abstract cognitive games, a buyer wanting to sample the format on the limited free tier before committing to a subscription. Of those, an adult wanting short daily practice on workplace writing and proofreading skills and someone preparing for a maths or verbal reasoning assessment who wants low-stakes daily drills are not what PictureThis is typically brought in for.
- What can Elevate do that PictureThis cannot?
- Elevate covers Daily game sets, Personalised training plan, Progress tracking, Reading and comprehension drills. PictureThis covers Plant identification, Disease diagnosis, Care reminders, Plant care library.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Elevate: Is Elevate free?
A limited number of games per day are free. The full library, personalised training plan and progress tracking require Elevate Pro.
PictureThis: Is there a free version?
A limited free tier exists with restricted identifications and ads; full use requires the paid subscription.
Elevate: Does Elevate improve real-world cognitive ability?
It reliably improves performance on the specific games practised. Evidence that this transfers broadly to real-world cognitive or task performance is limited, consistent with the brain training category generally.
PictureThis: How long is the free trial and does it auto-renew?
The trial is typically about seven days and auto-renews into the annual subscription unless cancelled beforehand through your App Store or Play Store settings.
Elevate: How is Elevate different from Lumosity?
Elevate focuses on practical skills such as reading, writing and workplace maths, while Lumosity is built around broader abstract memory, attention and reasoning games.
PictureThis: Is PictureThis the same as PlantNet or Seek?
No. PlantNet and Seek are free nonprofit identification tools; PictureThis is a commercial subscription product with more built-in care features.
Related pages
More on PictureThis
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