Honest comparison
The best Planta alternatives
Most people looking for a Planta alternative are looking for the same thing: the care reminders, without the annual bill.
In review with Apple · iPhone, iOS 26 · Five profiles free when it lands
Planta is very good, and the reason people search for alternatives is rarely the quality. It is the reported $35.99 a year, and the fact that identification, the light meter and custom schedules sit behind it. Before switching, it is worth being precise about which Planta feature you actually use, because the alternatives are strong in different places and none of them is a drop-in replacement. If it is the light meter, nothing else matches it and you should probably stay.
The short answer
If you want care reminders without a subscription, Kounts Care's $34.99 lifetime option or five free profiles is the closest fit, and it covers pets too. If you want a free plant app with a community, Greg is the better answer. If identification is the real need, PictureThis is stronger but costs more. If you have three plants, Apple Reminders is free and sufficient.
The options at a glance
Competitor details checked August 2026. Pricing and features move constantly, so please confirm on the App Store before deciding.
| Option | What it is good at | What you give up |
|---|---|---|
| Kounts Care | Plants and pets in one household, toxicity warnings for your own animals, household sharing and sitter links. Five profiles free, $19.99 a year or $34.99 once. | No light meter, no plant diagnosis, a smaller plant database, and iPhone only. |
| Greg | A generous free tier and an active community, with watering guidance tuned to your conditions. | Plants only, single user, and reminders sit in the paid membership. |
| PictureThis | The strongest identification available, indoors and out, plus disease diagnosis from a photo. | Reported around $39.99 a year, and a trial that converts automatically. Care features are secondary. |
| Apple Reminders | Free, already installed, syncs everywhere, and shares with family. | No seasonal adjustment, no species knowledge, and no idea you own a cat. |
| Staying with Planta | The light meter, the deepest database, plant diagnosis, and Android and iPad support. | Reported around $35.99 a year, with no lifetime option and no pet coverage. |
Where each option is stronger
Where Kounts Care is stronger
The one-time option
The most common reason for leaving is the recurring charge. Kounts Care sells a $34.99 lifetime unlock alongside its subscriptions, and the free tier covers five profiles permanently with reminders, on-device identification and all toxicity warnings included. Premium is also shared with your Family.
It covers the rest of the household
If your home has animals in it, no plant-only app can do the one thing that matters most: check whether what you just bought is dangerous to them. Kounts Care holds both and names the affected pet in the warning.
Everyone in the house sees the same list
Household sharing over iCloud means the tasks belong to the household rather than to one phone, with a record of who did what. A sitter link covers the weeks you are away.
Where Planta is the better choice
Nothing replaces the light meter
If you use Planta's light meter regularly, no alternative here has one. That feature alone is a legitimate reason to keep paying, and pretending otherwise would be dishonest.
Planta's database is much larger
Thousands of species with detailed guidance, against 148 hand-authored houseplants in Kounts Care with generated plans for the rest. For an unusual collection that gap is the whole decision.
Diagnosis, iPad and Android
Planta diagnoses struggling plants and runs on iPad and Android. Kounts Care does neither and is iPhone only, requiring iOS 26.
What Kounts Care looks like
Questions people actually ask
What is the best free alternative to Planta?
Greg has the strongest reputation for a free plant app and adds a community. Kounts Care's free tier covers five profiles including reminders and toxicity checks, which suits a smaller collection in a home with animals. Apple Reminders is free and genuinely sufficient for a few plants.
Is there a plant care app with a one-time purchase?
Kounts Care offers a $34.99 lifetime unlock alongside monthly and yearly plans, and it is shared with your Family. One-time pricing is rare in this category, which is exactly why the search exists.
Can I export my plants from Planta?
There is no direct import path into Kounts Care. Adding a plant takes well under a minute though, because you photograph it, accept the identification and the care plan is built for you. For a large collection, expect an evening.
Which alternative is best if I have cats?
Kounts Care, and not out of loyalty. It is the only one here that holds your plants and your pets together, so it can warn you about a specific plant for your specific animals, and re-check the whole house when a new pet arrives.
Try the calm one.
Five profiles free, no account, and the one warning no plant-only app can give you.
See also: Kounts Care vs Planta · Kounts Care vs Greg · Plants and cats together