Seek by iNaturalist icon
Seek by iNaturalist: Comprehensive Review of the AI-Powered Species Identification App

by iNaturalist

4.8
IOSEducation
Seek by iNaturalist uses advanced image recognition to identify plants, animals, and fungi in real-time. The app serves nature enthusiasts and educators through gamified learning and detailed species information.

Detailed Review

Seek by iNaturalist represents a significant advancement in mobile wildlife identification, leveraging computer vision technology to provide instant species recognition through smartphone cameras. Developed by the established iNaturalist platform, the app eliminates the social networking components of its parent application to focus exclusively on educational identification tools, positioning itself as a dedicated field guide for amateur naturalists and outdoor enthusiasts. The core functionality centers on real-time image recognition through the device's camera, with the app scanning subjects and providing taxonomic classification through phylum, class, order, and species levels. The identification system cross-references observations with iNaturalist's extensive database of verified sightings, providing detailed information about habitat, distribution, and biological characteristics. Additional features include a badge system that rewards users for documenting various species categories, seasonal challenges that encourage repeated engagement, and automatic saving of observations to both the app's internal journal and the device's camera roll. User experience demonstrates thoughtful design with an intuitive interface that prioritizes camera functionality while maintaining easy access to observation history and educational content. The app performs effectively in field conditions, with testing showing particular strength in plant identification where stationary subjects allow for optimal image capture. Real-world usage patterns indicate highest utility during hiking, gardening, and educational activities, though performance varies based on lighting conditions and subject mobility. User feedback consistently praises the app's educational value and accuracy, with reviewer Eve daddy chill noting on July 1, 2025: 'This app is one of the most useful apps... sometimes tells u if certain plants or animals are poisonous/venomous.' Multiple reviewers including alicitamonita (June 29, 2025) report years of continuous use, highlighting the app's ability to maintain engagement through its badge system. Some users, including Wren_The_Therian (June 29, 2025), have requested additional safety information about species dangers and conservation status. The application demonstrates notable strengths in accessibility and educational value, though limitations appear in identifying fast-moving insects or species with high visual similarity. Identification accuracy improves significantly with clear, well-lit images and varies across taxonomic groups. Ideal use cases include nature education, backyard exploration, and supplemental learning during outdoor activities, while professional biologists may require more specialized tools for scientific work.

Key Features

  • Real-time camera identification uses image recognition to provide instant species classification through taxonomic ranks with visual confirmation
  • Badge system rewards users for documenting different species categories, encouraging exploration and repeated engagement with nature
  • Automatic photo saving preserves observations to both the app's journal and device camera roll for later reference and sharing
  • Educational species profiles provide detailed information about habitat, behavior, and biological characteristics after identification
  • Challenge participation features seasonal and special observation goals that create structured learning opportunities for users
  • Offline functionality allows basic identification and journal access in remote areas without cellular data connectivity

Why Users Love It

Accurate real-time identification
Engaging educational gamification

Perfect for: Nature enthusiasts, educators, and outdoor explorers seeking wildlife identification

Screenshots

Seek by iNaturalist screenshot 1Seek by iNaturalist screenshot 2Seek by iNaturalist screenshot 3Seek by iNaturalist screenshot 4Seek by iNaturalist screenshot 5Seek by iNaturalist screenshot 6

User Reviews

Signal Productions
May 29, 2025

This unexpectedly did way better than picture insect because it immediately loads you in, no annoying subscription pop-up (I think) and has all the choices on what to scan than having to download separate apps for different scanners (examples like bird scanner or plant scanner separately. The only thing I dislike bout this is that you have to get a clear enough image to fully identify the species. Seek helps This unexpectedly did way better than picture insect because it immediately loads you in, no annoying subscription pop-up (I think) and has all the choices on what to scan than having to download separate apps for different scanners (examples like bird scanner or plant scanner separately. The only thing I dislike bout this is that you have to get a clear enough image to fully identify the species.

Wren_The_Therian
Jun 29, 2025

This app is so amazing!! It helps me with a lot :) I understand the app is still learning and it will get the species wrong sometimes but I think what would be helpful is if you added wether the species is endangered\invasive, and a poison\venom warning and scale because my friend saw me scan a blister beetle and was like “can I pick it up?” hahahahah NO. °______° Some things to improve\ add This app is so amazing!! It helps me with a lot :) I understand the app is still learning and it will get the species wrong sometimes but I think what would be helpful is if you added wether the species is endangered\invasive, and a poison\venom warning and scale because my friend saw me scan a blister beetle and was like “can I pick it up?” hahahahah NO. °______°

ZetaJane
Jun 1, 2025

I absolutely love this app and I've gotten all my friends and family to use it with me. I love that there are all sorts of quests and achievements and challenges you can do and I hope they keep adding more of them. I do wish there was a setting for you to turn on automatic pictures only if it's a species you haven't seen before, but not if it's a species you already have so it doesn't interrupt you when you're trying to identify a bee on a plant and not the plant itself Great App! More people should use it! I absolutely love this app and I've gotten all my friends and family to use it with me. I love that there are all sorts of quests and achievements and challenges you can do and I hope they keep adding more of them. I do wish there was a setting for you to turn on automatic pictures only if it's a species you haven't seen before, but not if it's a species you already have so it doesn't interrupt you when you're trying to identify a bee on a plant and not the plant itself

idonthaveanicknameforyoutouse
May 17, 2025

Phenomenal, I meant to do this review soon in fact. Updating the review Phenomenal, I meant to do this review soon in fact.

1normalgoat1
May 26, 2025

you don't have to be a great photographer to get a result. I've even become less scared of bugs because I'm too busy trying to identify it to notice it's crawling up my leg! Five stars! Works well! you don't have to be a great photographer to get a result. I've even become less scared of bugs because I'm too busy trying to identify it to notice it's crawling up my leg! Five stars!

App Details

Developer

iNaturalist

Platform

ios

Rating

4.8

Last Updated

9/6/2025