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Education · head to head

Pl@ntNet vs Star Walk 2

Pl@ntNet logo

Pl@ntNet

Education

Free plant identification app run by a consortium of French public research institutes

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Star Walk 2 logo

Star Walk 2

Education

Freemium stargazing app with a low-cost ad-free upgrade, aimed at casual sky watchers

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Pl@ntNet it offers no plant care guidance, watering reminders or disease diagnosis, unlike commercial apps built around ongoing plant care.; Star Walk 2 its object catalogue is far smaller than SkySafari Pro, so it has little to offer once someone wants to go beyond naked-eye stargazing.
  • They diverge on capability: Pl@ntNet covers Photo identification, Star Walk 2 covers Augmented reality sky view.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Pl@ntNet and Star Walk 2 actually diverge.

Attributes where Pl@ntNet and Star Walk 2 differ
AttributePl@ntNetStar Walk 2
Pricing modelFree, no ads and no in-app purchasesFreemium, low-cost ad-free subscription upgrade
PlatformsiOS, Android, WebiOS, Android, macOS, Windows

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 Pl@ntNet

  • Photo identification
  • Large species coverage
  • Multi-language support
  • Community-sourced database
  • Regional flora filtering
  • Contribution to research

Only in Star Walk 2

  • Augmented reality sky view
  • Time travel mode
  • Satellite tracking
  • Night mode
  • Meteor shower and event alerts
  • Ad-free Plus tier

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Pl@ntNet

  • A gardener or hiker who wants free plant identification without a subscriptionnot Star Walk 2
  • A student or researcher wanting a citation-friendly, institutionally-run identification toolnot Star Walk 2
  • Someone identifying plants outside English-speaking regions who needs one of its 50-plus languagesnot Star Walk 2
  • A forager wanting a second opinion on a plant before relying solely on one sourcenot Star Walk 2

Star Walk 2

  • A parent wanting a cheap, simple app to show a child the night skynot Pl@ntNet
  • A traveller who wants to identify stars and planets without a big subscription commitmentnot Pl@ntNet
  • A casual stargazer who does not need telescope control or a deep-sky cataloguenot Pl@ntNet
  • Someone wanting satellite pass tracking including the ISS on a budgetnot Pl@ntNet

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Pl@ntNet

  • It offers no plant care guidance, watering reminders or disease diagnosis, unlike commercial apps built around ongoing plant care.
  • Identification accuracy varies by region depending on how well local flora is represented in the community-submitted training data.
  • The interface is more utilitarian than a commercial app, reflecting its research origins rather than consumer product design.
  • It should never be relied on alone to determine whether a wild plant or fungus is safe to eat, and the project itself does not claim otherwise.
  • Because it is run by a nonprofit research consortium rather than a company, feature development and interface updates move more slowly than a funded commercial competitor.

Star Walk 2

  • Its object catalogue is far smaller than SkySafari Pro, so it has little to offer once someone wants to go beyond naked-eye stargazing.
  • It has no telescope control, unlike SkySafari Plus and Pro, so it cannot drive a motorised mount.
  • The free tier carries ads, which some users find intrusive during a stargazing session.
  • It shares a visual style with many similar AR sky map apps, so its differentiation beyond price is limited.
  • Content depth for deep-sky objects and satellite catalogues lags noticeably behind Sky Guide Pro and SkySafari Pro.

Pricing, plan by plan

Pl@ntNet

Free
  • Pl@ntNetFree
    • Full identification for over 80,000 species
    • Available in over 50 languages
    • No account required for basic identification

Star Walk 2

Free
  • Star Walk 2Free
    • Core sky map and AR view
    • Ad-supported
  • Star Walk 2 Plus$5.99/year
    • Ads removed
    • Additional sky content

Which should you pick?

Choose Pl@ntNet if

  • You need photo identification.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on iOS, Android, Web.
  • You also want large species coverage.
Pl@ntNet review

Choose Star Walk 2 if

  • You need augmented reality sky view.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on iOS, Android, macOS, Windows.
  • You also want time travel mode.
Star Walk 2 review

Questions people ask

Is Pl@ntNet or Star Walk 2 better?
Neither clearly leads. Pl@ntNet starts at Free and Star Walk 2 at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Pl@ntNet or Star Walk 2?
Pl@ntNet starts at Free and Star Walk 2 at Free.
Does Pl@ntNet or Star Walk 2 run on more platforms?
Pl@ntNet runs on iOS, Android, Web. Star Walk 2 runs on iOS, Android, macOS, Windows.
Can I use Pl@ntNet for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Pl@ntNet best used for?
Pl@ntNet is most often used for a gardener or hiker who wants free plant identification without a subscription, a student or researcher wanting a citation-friendly, institutionally-run identification tool, someone identifying plants outside english-speaking regions who needs one of its 50-plus languages, a forager wanting a second opinion on a plant before relying solely on one source. Of those, a gardener or hiker who wants free plant identification without a subscription and a student or researcher wanting a citation-friendly, institutionally-run identification tool are not what Star Walk 2 is typically brought in for.
What can Pl@ntNet do that Star Walk 2 cannot?
Pl@ntNet covers Photo identification, Large species coverage, Multi-language support, Community-sourced database. Star Walk 2 covers Augmented reality sky view, Time travel mode, Satellite tracking, Night mode.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Pl@ntNet: Is Pl@ntNet free?

Yes, entirely free with no ads or in-app purchases, run by a consortium of French public research institutes.

Star Walk 2: Is Star Walk 2 free?

A free ad-supported version exists; Star Walk 2 Plus removes ads and adds content for a low annual or monthly fee.

Pl@ntNet: How accurate is it?

Accuracy varies by region and species depending on how much community-submitted photo data exists for that flora, but it is generally strong for well-represented regions.

Star Walk 2: Does it support telescope control?

No. For telescope control, SkySafari Plus or Pro is the better choice.

Pl@ntNet: Can I use it to check if a plant is safe to eat?

No. It is an identification aid, not a safety tool, and should not be relied on alone for foraging decisions.

Star Walk 2: How does it compare to SkySafari on price?

It is substantially cheaper, but with a much smaller star and deep-sky object catalogue.

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