App on 2 lists

Fern Editor’s pick

MiaAppLog · Free · Lifestyle · 5.0 (5 ratings)

What it does

Fern records species, source, acquisition date, mount type and price. Then a year of photos replays as one timeline, and before/after sets two dates side by side. From 5 apps for when your plants are a collection, not decor.

Fern is a page per plant: dated photos plus what you changed. A year of growth replays in one swipe, which is the only honest way to see a slow plant move. From 5 apps for plants that came with no instructions.

The developer describes it as: “Fern is the growth journal for people whose plants are a collection, not a chore.”

Alternatives to Fern

The closest alternatives to Fern are Palmstreet, Leaf People, BWH Plant Co, Photone, PlantNet, Picture Insect, Buce Plant and Parcel — 8 apps from the 2 lists Fern appears on, each answering the same moment a different way.

• PalmstreetPalmstreet is where rare plants change hands in live shows — a seller holds one up, people bid, it ships. Anthuriums and exotics, not a storefront grid.
• Leaf PeopleLeaf People is an identifier tuned to the rare end — velvet anthuriums, fenestrated monsteras — with species profiles that rewrite their care advice for your region.
• BWH Plant CoBWH Plant Co is one nursery's own app: restock alerts, a wishlist and your order history, so a drop doesn't sell out while you refresh a browser tab.
• PhotonePhotone measures PAR, PPFD and DLI off the camera sensor. A shelf position stops being a guess and becomes a number you can compare.
• PlantNetPlantNet takes a photograph of the plant and returns candidate species from a botanical research network. Identification only — no care schedule attached to the answer.
• Picture InsectPicture Insect names whatever is sitting on the leaf, and marks whether it is harmful to plants, a pollinator, or nothing to do with you.
• Buce PlantBuce Plant is an aquascaping shop in app form: aquarium plants, hardscape and tanks, for the part of a collection that lives underwater instead of on a shelf.
• ParcelParcel tracks the box, not the plant. Paste the number and you know how many more days the cutting is sitting in a truck before it needs unpacking.

Price and ratings

Fern and its alternatives, as the App Store listed them on 2026-10-13.

Fern is free to download from the iOS App Store and holds 5.0 out of 5 from 5 ratings, checked on 2026-10-13. Prices and ratings go stale; the App Store is the live source. It is listed there as “Fern: Plant Journal & Care”.

Appears on

• 5 apps for when your plants are a collection, not decorPlantsPalmstreet · Fern · Leaf People · BWH Plant Co · Photone
• 5 apps for plants that came with no instructionsPlantsPlantNet · Fern · Picture Insect · Buce Plant · Parcel