Customer Reviews (100)

Ryn Riley • 2025-10-08T13:52:33-07:00

This app has been invaluable and identifying the various flora around my home and in the woods where I like to go the amount of information is incredible and I highly recommend it

aboycalledjosh • 2025-10-07T16:05:11-07:00

Fun to learn how many plants are nearby that might be edible

theper • 2025-10-07T08:30:10-07:00

I would’ve thought that an app like this would automatically know what is a weed or not in my location. Basket grass, for example, may be non-invasive towards the north but in this state it is classified an aggressively invasive grass. The app is accurate in identifying plants but need work on its information base. The diagnosis is too general.

Summary of Key Insights

PictureThis - Plant Identifier is a popular app with a high overall rating, but user reviews reveal both its strengths and weaknesses. Users praise its plant identification accuracy and helpful care tips, especially for gardening novices. However, inaccuracies in plant diagnosis, aggressive upselling of premium features, and subscription issues are significant pain points. The app's utility is undeniable for many, but improvements are needed to address concerns about cost, accuracy, and transparency. The overall sentiment is positive, but a substantial minority of users report negative experiences, primarily relating to billing and feature accuracy.

  • Overall Rating: High (significant number of 5-star reviews)
  • Key Strengths: Accurate plant identification, helpful care tips, user-friendly interface.
  • Key Weaknesses: Inaccurate disease diagnosis, aggressive premium upselling, subscription and billing issues, occasional misidentification of plants.
  • Score Distribution: 5-star (63%), 4-star (5%), 3-star (7%), 2-star (7%), 1-star (18%)

Data & Methodology Overview

  • Data Sample Size: 100 reviews
  • Time Frame: Not specified, but likely recent based on the nature of the comments.
  • Analysis Methods: Sentiment analysis (identifying positive, negative, and neutral tones), keyword extraction (identifying frequently mentioned words and phrases), and thematic analysis (grouping reviews based on common themes). The score distribution was also directly analyzed.

Key User Pain Points

  • Subscription Issues: Complaints about unexpected charges after canceling trials, difficulty unsubscribing, and lack of clear communication about subscription costs. Impact: Erodes trust, leads to negative reviews and user frustration.
  • Inaccurate Disease Diagnosis: Users report the app frequently misdiagnoses plant diseases, often providing generic or incorrect advice. Impact: Can lead to ineffective treatment and potential harm to plants.
  • Aggressive Upselling: Users feel pressured to purchase premium features for basic functionality or accurate diagnoses. Impact: Creates a perception of the app being "not free" despite initial claims, leading to dissatisfaction.
  • Plant Misidentification: While generally accurate, the app occasionally misidentifies plants, especially less common varieties or when the plant is unhealthy. Impact: Reduces user confidence in the app's core functionality.
  • Lack of Specificity: The app sometimes lacks specificity in identifying plant varieties or providing localized information (e.g., weed classification). Impact: Limits the app's usefulness for experienced gardeners or users with specific needs.

Frequently Requested Features

  • Rock/Mineral Identification: Several users requested the ability to identify rocks and minerals.
  • Insect, Snake, Fish, and Wildlife Identification: One user requested broader identification capabilities beyond plants.
  • Medicinal Uses Information: Users want information on the herbal and medicinal uses of plants, with the option to add custom notes.
  • Improved Weed Identification: Users want the app to specifically identify plants as weeds and classify them (e.g., noxious, invasive).
  • Pollinator Support Information: Users desire information on whether plants support local pollinators and birds.
  • Habitat Information: One user in a dendrology class requested the addition of plant habitat information.
  • Option to Indicate Wrong Identification: Users want a way to flag incorrect identifications, even if they don't know the correct answer.

Strengths and Positive Aspects

  • Accurate Plant Identification: The most frequently praised feature is the app's ability to accurately identify plants.
  • Helpful Care Tips: Users appreciate the detailed care instructions, including watering schedules, fertilization times, and light conditions.
  • User-Friendly Interface: The app is generally considered easy to use and navigate.
  • Plant Collection Management: Users like the ability to track identified plants and build a plant wishlist.
  • Educational Value: The app helps users learn about plants and gardening, increasing their knowledge and confidence.
  • Portability: Users enjoy using the app while hiking, traveling, or visiting gardens.
  • Toxic Plant Warnings: Users appreciate the feature that warns them about toxic plants and provides safety guidelines.

Prioritized Action Recommendations

High Priority:

  • Improve Subscription Transparency: Clearly communicate trial periods and subscription costs upfront. Provide clear instructions for canceling subscriptions and send reminders before charges are applied. Address billing disputes promptly and fairly.
  • Enhance Disease Diagnosis Accuracy: Invest in improving the accuracy of disease diagnosis, possibly by incorporating more detailed symptom analysis or expert review. Avoid generic recommendations and provide tailored advice based on the specific plant and symptoms.
  • Reduce Aggressive Upselling: Re-evaluate the premium feature gating strategy. Offer more value in the free version to encourage voluntary upgrades, rather than forcing users to pay for essential functionality.

Medium Priority:

  • Improve Plant Identification Accuracy: Continuously train the AI model with a wider range of plant species and variations. Allow users to provide feedback on incorrect identifications and suggest corrections.
  • Enhance Weed Identification: Develop a more robust weed identification system that considers location and classifies weeds appropriately.
  • Implement Feature Requests: Consider adding requested features such as rock identification and medicinal uses information.

Low Priority:

  • Improve Localization: Tailor information based on the user's location, including weed classifications and invasive species warnings.

Opportunities for Startup Ideas

  • AI-Powered Plant Disease Diagnosis Tool: A startup could focus specifically on developing a highly accurate and reliable AI-powered plant disease diagnosis tool, potentially incorporating computer vision and machine learning techniques.
  • Community-Driven Plant Identification Platform: A platform where users can contribute to plant identification by uploading images and providing expert knowledge, creating a collaborative and accurate database.
  • Subscription Management Service: A service that helps users manage and cancel subscriptions across various apps, addressing the common pain point of unwanted charges.
  • Educational Gardening App: An app that focuses on teaching users about gardening, providing personalized advice, and tracking plant growth, potentially integrating with smart gardening devices.

Trends and Observations

  • Positive Sentiment Dominated: The majority of users express positive sentiment towards the app, highlighting its usefulness for plant identification and care.
  • Negative Sentiment Focused on Billing: A significant portion of negative reviews relate to subscription issues and unexpected charges.
  • Feature Requests Indicate Desire for Expanded Functionality: User requests for features like rock identification and medicinal uses suggest a desire for a more comprehensive identification and information platform.

Conclusion

PictureThis - Plant Identifier is a valuable tool for plant enthusiasts, but addressing the identified pain points is crucial for maintaining user satisfaction and preventing negative reviews. Prioritizing subscription transparency, disease diagnosis accuracy, and aggressive upselling will significantly improve the user experience. Implementing requested features and expanding the app's functionality can further enhance its appeal and solidify its position as a leading plant identification app. Overall, the app has significant potential, but improvements are needed to address user concerns and capitalize on opportunities for growth.

Original App Link

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/picturethis-plant-identifier/id1252497129?l=en