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Education · head to head

Pl@ntNet vs Stellarium

Pl@ntNet logo

Pl@ntNet

Education

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

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Stellarium logo

Stellarium

Education

Free open source desktop planetarium software, distinct from the paid Stellarium Mobile Plus app

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.; Stellarium it is desktop-only software, so it has no native touch-optimised phone interface; the similarly named mobile app is a different paid product from a different company.
  • They diverge on capability: Pl@ntNet covers Photo identification, Stellarium covers Photorealistic sky rendering.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Pl@ntNet and Stellarium actually diverge.

Attributes where Pl@ntNet and Stellarium differ
AttributePl@ntNetStellarium
Pricing modelFree, no ads and no in-app purchasesOpen source, no licence fee
PlatformsiOS, Android, WebWindows, macOS, Linux

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 Stellarium

  • Photorealistic sky rendering
  • Large object catalogue
  • Telescope control
  • Scripting engine
  • Free and open source
  • Plugin ecosystem

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 Stellarium
  • A student or researcher wanting a citation-friendly, institutionally-run identification toolnot Stellarium
  • Someone identifying plants outside English-speaking regions who needs one of its 50-plus languagesnot Stellarium
  • A forager wanting a second opinion on a plant before relying solely on one sourcenot Stellarium

Stellarium

  • A student or educator wanting a serious, scriptable planetarium tool without a budget line itemnot Pl@ntNet
  • An amateur astronomer wanting telescope control from desktop software they can inspect and modifynot Pl@ntNet
  • Someone running a planetarium display or public astronomy event on a scripted shownot Pl@ntNet
  • A hobbyist who wants a large object catalogue without paying a subscription, and does not need a phone appnot 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.

Stellarium

  • It is desktop-only software, so it has no native touch-optimised phone interface; the similarly named mobile app is a different paid product from a different company.
  • As a volunteer-maintained open source project, support is community-based rather than a guaranteed commercial help desk.
  • The interface, while capable, is less immediately intuitive for a first-time user than a polished commercial phone app.
  • Telescope control and some advanced plugins require additional setup that a non-technical user may find fiddly.
  • Because it shares a name with the unrelated paid Stellarium Mobile Plus app, buyers researching pricing online can easily conflate the two products.

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

Stellarium

Free
  • Stellarium DesktopFree
    • Full software, GPL licensed
    • No account, ads or subscription
    • Community-developed plugins

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 Stellarium if

  • You need photorealistic sky rendering.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Windows, macOS, Linux.
  • You also want large object catalogue.
Stellarium review

Questions people ask

Is Pl@ntNet or Stellarium better?
Neither clearly leads. Pl@ntNet starts at Free and Stellarium at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Pl@ntNet or Stellarium?
Pl@ntNet starts at Free and Stellarium at Free.
Does Pl@ntNet or Stellarium run on more platforms?
Pl@ntNet runs on iOS, Android, Web. Stellarium runs on Windows, macOS, Linux.
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 Stellarium is typically brought in for.
What can Pl@ntNet do that Stellarium cannot?
Pl@ntNet covers Photo identification, Large species coverage, Multi-language support, Community-sourced database. Stellarium covers Photorealistic sky rendering, Large object catalogue, Telescope control, Scripting engine.

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.

Stellarium: Is Stellarium really free?

The desktop software is free and open source under the GPL licence. The separate mobile app, Stellarium Mobile Plus, is a different paid product.

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.

Stellarium: Is the mobile app made by the same team?

No. Stellarium Mobile Plus is built by Noctua Software, a different company, and is sold on subscription.

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.

Stellarium: What platforms does the free version run on?

Windows, macOS and Linux desktop.

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