Greg is a genuinely good plant app — a zero-guesswork plant identifier and care assistant with a large, active community, rated 4.6 across 20,000+ reviews. If you like crowd-sourced advice and want one hub for a whole houseplant collection, it's a strong choice. But not everyone wants a community, a general-purpose care engine, or a subscription for the full feature set. If you're hunting for a Greg alternative, here are five worth a look — starting with the one that wins when your plants are succulents.
1. Succulent — the private, spreadsheet-free journal for succulent lovers
If succulents and cacti are most of what you grow, a general plant app is the wrong shape. Succulent is built for exactly this: it's a photo journal, not a watering-schedule spreadsheet. You capture how each plant actually looks over time, watch its growth on a visual timeline, get gentle (not nagging) care reminders, and turn your collection into beautiful collages. There's no community feed to scroll, no account required, and your data stays on your device. It's the pick for people who want to quietly enjoy and remember their plants — not manage a social care system.
2. Planta — the most complete general care system
If you have a big, mixed collection and you do want the full engine — tailored watering schedules, a light meter, fertilizing and repotting plans — Planta (4.8, 110,000+ reviews, an Editors' Choice app) is the most polished option. It's the closest like-for-like swap for Greg's care features. The trade-off is that the good stuff lives behind a subscription, and like Greg it's designed to cover every plant rather than specialize.
3. PictureThis — the best pure identifier
If what you actually use Greg for is "what plant is this?", then PictureThis is the sharpest tool for the job — it identifies plants with very high accuracy from a huge database (4.8, over a million reviews). It's an identifier first and a care guide second, so pair it with a journal like Succulent if you want to keep tracking a plant after you've named it.
4. Blossom — the friendly beginner's care guide
New to plants and want hand-holding without a community? Blossom (4.6, 68,000+ reviews) walks you through plant parenthood with reminders and care guidance in a beginner-friendly package. It's a fair Greg alternative when you want structured guidance but not the social layer.
5. Apple Reminders + a photos album — the free DIY setup
Don't overlook the free route: a recurring reminder for watering plus a dedicated Photos album can cover the basics if you'll maintain them. The honest catch is the "if" — there's no growth timeline, no plant-specific guidance, and no nudge when you forget. It's genuinely enough for one or two easy plants, and frustrating past that.
How they compare
| App | Best when you want to… | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Succulent (photo journal) | Track succulents & cacti visually, privately | Free + optional upgrade |
| Greg (identify + community) | Get crowd-sourced advice for many plants | Free tier + subscription |
| Planta (care system) | Run a full schedule for a big collection | Free tier + subscription |
| PictureThis (identifier) | Identify an unknown plant fast | Free tier + subscription |
| Blossom (beginner guide) | Be guided as a new plant parent | Free tier + subscription |
"Every plant app I tried wanted to be a spreadsheet or a social network. I just wanted to watch my succulents grow. Succulent is the only one that felt like that."
The bottom line
If you want community advice across a whole houseplant collection, Greg is a fine place to stay. But if your shelf is mostly succulents and cacti — and you'd rather quietly document them than manage them — go the specialized route. Watch them grow, one photo at a time.
Frequently asked questions
Why look for a Greg alternative?
Greg is a well-built plant identifier and care app with a big community, and for people who want social plant advice it works well. People look for alternatives when they don't want the community layer, when they want something simpler and more private for tracking their own plants, or when they only grow one kind of plant — like succulents and cacti — and want a tool tuned for that instead of a general care app.
What is the best Greg alternative for succulents?
If succulents and cacti are most of what you grow, Succulent is the closest fit. Instead of a generic watering schedule, it's a photo journal built around how these plants actually look over time — visual growth timelines, gentle care reminders, and collages. It's free to start, needs no account, and keeps your data on your device rather than in a community feed.
Are there free Greg alternatives?
Yes. Most plant apps, including Greg, have a free tier with paid upgrades for their advanced features. Succulent is free to start with an optional upgrade, PictureThis lets you identify plants on a free basis with a premium tier, and your phone's built-in reminders can cover basic watering for free if you're willing to set them up yourself.
A journal for your succulents — not a spreadsheet.
Visual growth timelines, gentle reminders, and beautiful collages for the plants you love. No account. Your data stays on your device.
Download Succulent on the App Store →Related: Succulent vs Greg, The Best Succulent Apps (2026), and How Often to Water Succulents. Questions? Email us.