The Best Bug Identifier Apps for Android & iPhone in 2024
Reviewed by Huzaifa HaroonThe world of insects, though often overlooked, is of astonishing diversity and beauty. If you’re curious about insects and bugs and want to know what’s buzzing in your backyard or fluttering in the park, you’re in for a treat.
In this article, we will look at the top 8 best applications for identifying and getting information about all kinds of bugs on your smartphone, whether you’re on Android or using an iPhone.
Key Takeaway
After testing several apps on both iPhone and Android, we’ve determined that Bug ID: Insect Identifier AI is the overall best bug identifier app for iOS users. If you’re on Android, your best option is Insect ID: AI Bug Identifier. For those rocking both platforms, we suggest giving Google Lens a try but if you want more advanced features, we recommend Seek By iNaturalist.
Table of Contents
1. Picture Insect: Bug Identifier
Platforms: Android, iOS | Price: Freemium | Rating: 4.6★
We had to start this list with Picture Insect, the best application for identifying bugs, pests, butterflies, etc. You need to take a photo of the insect and upload it to the application, which will use AI to identify it. Picture Insect accurately identifies bugs and insects from a database of 4000+ species. It also displays information such as scientific names, HD images, and characteristics and informs whether a bite from this insect is toxic.
This application also provides information about dangerous insect bites, how to prevent them, and what to do if you get bitten. You can also maintain a log of different species you encounter and share it easily with others. This application is available on Android and iOS. The only drawback is that the application has a paid premium version that unlocks more features.
Play Store App Store2. Seek By iNaturalist
Platforms: Android, iOS | Price: Freemium | Rating: 4.8★
Seek by iNaturalist uses image recognition to identify not only bugs and insects but also birds and plants. This app does not need any registration, nor does it collect your data. It is perfect for kids as it gives elaborate information on the species scanned and turns learning into a game, encouraging you to earn badges and explore different species. You can also follow your friends and other enthusiasts and see what species they are exploring.
3. Insect ID: AI Bug Identifier
Platforms: Android | Price: Freemium | Rating: None
Insect ID is another fantastic application for identifying bugs and insects. The app has a user-friendly interface, allowing beginners to navigate easily. Bugs can be identified using images, names, descriptions, and other characteristics. The app utilizes AI to identify the insect from its extensive database accurately.
Once the species has been identified, the app will give you information such as physical characteristics, environment, behavior, etc., so you can learn more about it.
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4. Insect Spider & Bug identifier
Platforms: Android, iOS | Price: Freemium | Rating: 4.9★
Insect Spider & Bug identifier is also a good bug identifier application. It is straightforward to use; click the picture of the insect and let the app work its magic. The app can help you identify many species, including butterflies, battles, bees, ants, spiders, etc. If you are a student or just an enthusiast, type in the name of the insect you want to know about, and the app will provide detailed information like habitat, common & scientific names, and high-quality images.
The application also has a Feed page to share the species you encounter with other users. Another good feature is the Explore page, with many educational blogs regarding insects, bugs, and how they function. One annoying thing we noticed was the constant pop-up urging you to upgrade to the Premium version of the application.
Play Store5. Insect ID-Bug Identifier
Platforms: iOS | Price: Freemium | Rating: 4.4★
Insect ID-Bug Identifier is an iOS-exclusive insect identification application. It’s very user-friendly and allows you to identify and explore insect species through picture uploads or in-app camera scans. The app has a large database and provides comprehensive information about each insect, making it a good educational resource.
It offers an unlimited number of free scans and even provides instructions on how to interact (or not) with the insect. The only drawback is that the application only functions subject to the availability of an Internet connection.
App Store6. Bug ID: Insect Identifier AI
Platforms: iOS | Price: Paid with free trial | Rating: 4.4★
Bug ID: Insect Identifier AI is another iOS-exclusive app that works extremely well for recognizing insects and spiders. The app boasts a 95.07% insect recognition accuracy, which is quite impressive. You can use the in-app camera or import clear images from your phone’s gallery to identify the insect species. Once scanned, you are provided with the following information: Scientific name, Colors, Natural Habitat, Food Source, etc. You can also add discovered species to your collection and share it with others.
Although you can download this app for free from the App Store, during use, the app forces you to purchase its $30/year subscription to continue using it. So, if you can afford and regularly use this subscription, it will be very useful and there’s a free trial that you can avail at the start to see if the app is right for you.
App Store7. Insect Identifier
Platforms: iOS | Price: Freemium with free trial | Rating: 4.6★
If you are looking for an easy-to-use, simple app for identifying insects, Insect Identifier, available on iOS, is the answer. The app has a user-friendly interface with minimalistic features, allowing you to snap an image of the species and find basic information. Just like Bug ID, you can store all your captures in your insect collection.
Another plus point of this app is that it can function without an internet connection. So, whether indoors or hiking in the mountains, you can count on this app. The only inconvenience while using this app is occasional ads. They can easily be removed by purchasing the Insect Identifier+ at $2.99/month, which also has a 3-day free trial.
App Store8. Bug Identifier: Bugs, Spiders
Platforms: iOS, Android | Price: Freemium | Rating: 4.3★
Bug Identifier: Bugs, Spiders has an extremely simple user interface with only three main options: Search, Scan, and Settings. You can either upload an image of the insect or scan it in real-time. In the search menu, you can glide through a long list of insects, butterflies, and spiders and click on them to reveal details about them.
You can customize the application by changing its theme (Dark or Light) and even chose an accent color for the app. For some reason, the reviews for this app are really bad on the Play Store but we personally tried it out, as seen in the screenshot above, and it works great.
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Bonus: Google Lens
Platforms: Android, iOS | Price: Free | Rating: 4.4★
Google Lens has perhaps the most advanced AI image recognition technology. Therefore, you can also utilize Google Lens to easily identify bugs and insects. Most Android phones come with Lens preinstalled, and iOS users can get it through Google app. Lens’ biggest advantage is that uses the full power of Google’s extensive search library to bring up results for you.
You can scan an insect or bug in real time or upload a clear image from your gallery. Once scanned, Google Lens displays relevant information, and the whole webpage regarding the insect will be shown upon swiping up, too. It’s not as elegant a solution as the dedicated bug identifier apps, but it’s much cleaner and gets you to the point where you can search on your own.
Play Store App Store (Google)We have a dedicated guide on how to use Google Lens if you want to get a more thorough explanation.
Conclusion
There you have it, the best bug identifier apps available on the market today. There are a lot of other options that we didn’t include here, but we recommend trying out each app one by one before researching on your own. If you have any questions or suggestions, make sure to leave them down below!
FAQs
Apart from iNaturalist, Google Lens, and Picture Insect, the other apps are platform-exlusive to either Android or iPhone.
Not at all! These apps are designed for people of all skill levels. Whether you are a beginner curious about bugs or a pro, you will find these apps easy to use.
All of the apps mentioned are very accurate when it comes to the identification of insects. However, these applications rely on AI to do so; hence, the results should be taken with a grain of salt.
Many of these apps offer a basic version for free, but some may also have premium features that require payment. Google Lens is entirely free, however.
Some apps, like Insect ID offer offline access to their databases, allowing you to identify insects even in areas with limited or no internet connectivity. However, apps that rely on cloud-based image recognition will require an internet connection.
Reviewed by Huzaifa Haroon
