32 apps · checked 16 September 2026
We tried all real-life Pokédex apps.
Every app that turns your phone into a Pokédex for real animals, scored and compared side by side in a useful list. Find out which one is best.
We make dobudex. It is one row here, judged like the rest. No app pays to be listed.
List of every animal Pokédex app
All 32 apps compared, best score first. Tap a filter to narrow the list. Tap an app to open its info in place, with the four stats, the free allowance, the price and the sources; tap again to close it.
Showing 32 of 32 apps
dobudex1ST, highest score of the 32DESIGN, best art and design of the 32MulletIQScore7.5SCN7ART10FUN7VAL6You scanAnimalsFree to tryFree to tryStoresiPhoneAndroid
- SCN
- 7
- ART
- 10
- FUN
- 7
- VAL
- 6
1STDESIGN, best art and design of the 32Our highest score of the 32, and the only app we gave a 10 for art.
Scan an animal and it becomes a unique card of that species, with game stats, a rarity level and other fun facts. Your dex fills with the wildlife you actually find, and every animal counts. A walk with your kids becomes a fun game, and they will soon know more animals than you do. It gets the top score in art, because the design is just inspiring: a retro world of beautiful cards, where it feels like you actually own a Pokédex-like device. There are weekly challenges, milestones, experience points and leaderboards. The scanner needs internet, and there are no battles yet, and together those are what hold the other scores down. This is a genuinely nice dex to fill with friends, rather than a card game to win. Ten scans to try it, and the subscription only raises how many scans you get. Everything else stays free.
- You keep
- Dex + cards: A dex of every animal you catch, and a unique card of each one with game stats and a rarity tier
- Free tier
- 10 scans (5, plus 5 after sign-in)
- Price
- Explorer $2.99/month for 100 scans a month
- Works offline
- No
- Account
- Optional
- Ads
- No
- Age rating
- 13+ (App Store)
- Runs on
- iPhone (iOS 15.0 or later) and Android
- Released
- July 2026
- Last update
- September 2026
App Store · Google Play · Website · How dobudex works · 18 cards from real scans
Pixel Wild2ND, second highest score of the 32Team Common GroundScore7.2SCN5ART8FUN9VAL7You scanAnimals, PlantsFree + purchasesFree + purchasesStoresiPhone
- SCN
- 5
- ART
- 8
- FUN
- 9
- VAL
- 7
2NDOur second highest score of the 32.
Snap a photo or a short video and Pixel Wild names the species, draws it as original pixel art, and drops it into a sanctuary you build, level up and share with friends. The art and that little world are why the 73 most recent reviews are all five stars, with people describing longer walks and noticing things they had ignored for years. Scanning is the weak half: it needs a connection, only the world you build works offline, and there is no rarity to chase. It is iPhone only.
- You keep
- Creatures: Original pixel-art creatures placed in your own world
- Free tier
- Free; cosmetic packs optional
- Price
- Matter packs and bundles $0.99 to $24.99
- Works offline
- Partly
- Account
- Not stated
- Ads
- No
- Age rating
- 4+ (App Store)
- Runs on
- iPhone (iOS 18.0 or later)
- Released
- May 2026
- Last update
- September 2026
Wildgram3RD, third highest score of the 32Pathak TechnologyScore6.8SCN5ART7FUN7VAL8You scanAnimalsFreeFreeStoresiPhoneAndroid
- SCN
- 5
- ART
- 7
- FUN
- 7
- VAL
- 8
3RDOur third highest score of the 32.
Wildgram is a numbered Wildex: every animal you have not caught sits there as a silhouette until you scan it, which is the cleanest version of that idea on this list. Rarity, a feed and world leaderboards give it a reason to open daily, and there is nothing to buy at all. Scanning is plain photo identification with nothing extra, and with two ratings so far the accuracy is still the developer's word rather than anyone's experience.
- You keep
- Dex entries: Wildex entries with rarity, a feed and leaderboards
- Free tier
- Free, with nothing to buy
- Price
- Free
- Works offline
- Not stated
- Account
- Required
- Ads
- No
- Age rating
- 13+ (App Store)
- Runs on
- iPhone (iOS 15.1 or later) and Android
- Released
- April 2026
- Last update
- August 2026
Merlin Bird IDBIRDS, best for birds of the 32Cornell Lab of OrnithologyScore6.5SCN7ART4FUN5VAL10You scanBirds onlyFreeFreeStoresiPhoneAndroid
- SCN
- 7
- ART
- 4
- FUN
- 5
- VAL
- 10
BIRDS, best for birds of the 32The best app for birds of the 32.
Merlin is the best scanner here by some distance. It identifies a bird from a recording of its song, from a photo, or from three questions, it works offline once you download a regional pack, and 338,000 ratings across both stores back the accuracy up. It still only reaches 7, because it does birds and nothing else, and a Pokédex for real animals is supposed to hold every animal. What you keep is a life list with a “new bird” moment and a bird of the day, so there is little game in it.
- You keep
- Life list: A life list of confirmed birds
- Free tier
- Free, no limits
- Price
- Free
- Works offline
- Yes
- Account
- Optional
- Ads
- No
- Age rating
- 4+ (App Store)
- Runs on
- iPhone (iOS 18.0 or later) and Android
- Released
- December 2013
- Last update
- August 2026
BirdexLapwing LabsScore6.5SCN6ART8FUN8VAL4You scanBirds onlyFree to tryFree to tryStoresiPhoneAndroid
- SCN
- 6
- ART
- 8
- FUN
- 8
- VAL
- 4
Birdex turns birdwatching in the UK and Europe into a card collection: every species you log becomes an illustrated card with a rarity, and leagues, a friends feed and blitz challenges keep it moving. Sound and photo identification both work without a signal, which few apps here manage. Reviewers are warm about it, 576 ratings at 4.8, though the price plus ads plus a required account is a lot of friction, and like Merlin it is capped by scanning birds only.
- You keep
- Cards: A life list with illustrated cards, XP and badges
- Free tier
- Free with limits; Pro trial
- Price
- Pro £5.99/month or £49.99/year
- Works offline
- Yes
- Account
- Required
- Ads
- Yes
- Age rating
- 13+ (App Store)
- Runs on
- iPhone (iOS 16.0 or later) and Android
- Released
- January 2026
- Last update
- September 2026
Terravariabiwac websolutionsScore6.5SCN6ART7FUN8VAL5You scanAnimalsFree to tryFree to tryStoresiPhoneAndroid
- SCN
- 6
- ART
- 7
- FUN
- 8
- VAL
- 5
You are an explorer in Professor Terra's guild: photograph an animal and he identifies it and hands you a trading card with real battle stats, a species profile and facts. Daily packs and 3v3 battles make it a proper card game, and the framing is charming rather than generic. It arrived in September 2026 with four ratings, so nothing is known yet about how well it identifies anything, and an account is required before you can start.
- You keep
- Cards: Trading cards with battle stats, daily packs and 3v3 battles
- Free tier
- A free pack with a new card every day
- Price
- Explorer's Diary $2.99/month or $22.99/year; packs and coins $0.99 to $9.99
- Works offline
- Not stated
- Account
- Required
- Ads
- No
- Age rating
- 13+ (App Store)
- Runs on
- iPhone (iOS 15.0 or later) and Android
- Released
- September 2026
- Last update
- September 2026
Seek by iNaturalistGUIDE, best free field guide of the 32iNaturalistScore6.2SCN6ART4FUN5VAL10You scanAnimals, Plants, FungiFreeFreeStoresiPhoneAndroid
- SCN
- 6
- ART
- 4
- FUN
- 5
- VAL
- 10
GUIDE, best free field guide of the 32The best free field guide of the 32.
Seek is the one to install if you only want to know what something is. It identifies anything alive on the phone itself, with no account and no upload, from the non-profit behind iNaturalist, which is as good as value gets. The catch is accuracy: recent reviews average under three stars and the running complaint is an answer that stops at “dicots” instead of a species, on a model iNaturalist staff have said is years old. Badges and monthly challenges are the whole game, and reviewers note they have not changed in years.
- You keep
- Life list: Observations, badges and monthly challenges
- Free tier
- Free, no limits
- Price
- Free
- Works offline
- Yes
- Account
- Not needed
- Ads
- No
- Age rating
- 4+ (App Store)
- Runs on
- iPhone (iOS 15.1 or later) and Android
- Released
- March 2018
- Last update
- July 2026
App Store · Google Play · Website · How Seek differs from iNaturalist
Gotcha: Animal IdentifierJurre de RuiterScore6.2SCN5ART6FUN8VAL6You scanAnimalsFree to tryFree to tryStoresiPhoneAndroid
- SCN
- 5
- ART
- 6
- FUN
- 8
- VAL
- 6
Gotcha cuts the creature out of your photo and drops it into an index of more than 2,200 species, where everything you have not caught waits as a coloured silhouette across six rarity tiers. Filling it is the best treasure hunt here, and the free catches go a long way. The identification is the weak spot: reviewers across four countries report a pigeon coming back as an eagle when the animal is far away or very close, and the price of Plus draws complaints even from people giving it five stars.
- You keep
- Stickers: Cutout sticker in a silhouette dex of 2,200+ species
- Free tier
- Free catches; Gotcha+ adds unlimited catches and a map
- Price
- Gotcha+ from $3.99
- Works offline
- Not stated
- Account
- Not needed
- Ads
- No
- Age rating
- 4+ (App Store)
- Runs on
- iPhone (iOS 18.0 or later) and Android
- Released
- June 2026
- Last update
- September 2026
BioSnapBATTLES, best for battles of the 32SASM TechnologiesScore6.2SCN5ART6FUN9VAL5You scanAnimalsFree to tryFree to tryStoresiPhoneAndroid
- SCN
- 5
- ART
- 6
- FUN
- 9
- VAL
- 5
BATTLES, best for battles of the 32The best app for battles of the 32.
BioSnap is the fullest game on this list. Scans earn XP and card packs, the cards go into decks for ranked matches, trading, guilds and seasonal events, and it genuinely gets people outside — many reviewers are children saying so. Two things keep it mid-table. The scanner is the weakest part of the app by its own users' account, who report it stopping at “bird”, and the money is asked for the way a mobile game asks: gems, loot boxes and a Pass, on top of stamina and a required account. Collections were also wiped more than once during the open beta.
- You keep
- Cards: Card packs with rarity, decks for battles and trading
- Free tier
- Free to play; stamina recharges over time
- Price
- BioSnap Pass $9.99; gem packs $1.99 to $24.99
- Works offline
- Not stated
- Account
- Not stated
- Ads
- No
- Age rating
- 13+ (App Store)
- Runs on
- iPhone (iOS 16.4 or later) and Android
- Released
- May 2026
- Last update
- September 2026
WildertagBite ForestScore6.2SCN7ART3FUN7VAL8You scanAnimals, Plants, FungiFreeFreeStoresiPhoneAndroid
- SCN
- 7
- ART
- 3
- FUN
- 7
- VAL
- 8
Wildertag identifies a bird by its call as well as by photo, across everything that grows or flies, and then asks you to catch it with a slingshot, with trophies, mastery levels and chiptune when you land one. It asks for no money anywhere. The app looks unfinished, though: a blurred camera view, a capture screen that is mostly text, and store screenshots still taken from a TestFlight build. One rating so far, so the identification is untested by anyone else.
- You keep
- Dex entries: A field journal with tags, mastery levels and variants
- Free tier
- Free, no paywall
- Price
- Free
- Works offline
- Not stated
- Account
- Required
- Ads
- No
- Age rating
- 9+ (App Store)
- Runs on
- iPhone (iOS 15.0 or later) and Android
- Released
- May 2026
- Last update
- July 2026
ObsIdentifyObservation InternationalScore6.0SCN7ART4FUN3VAL10You scanAnimals, Plants, FungiFreeFreeStoresiPhoneAndroid
- SCN
- 7
- ART
- 4
- FUN
- 3
- VAL
- 10
ObsIdentify is the European specialist: photograph a plant, an animal or a mushroom and it is identified against Observation.org's database, and your sighting becomes real research data. Within Europe and the Dutch Caribbean it is one of the most accurate apps here, and it costs nothing at all. Outside that area it is not for you. The app itself is a plain list with a few badges, which is why it sits low on art and fun — it was built to record nature, not to play with it.
- You keep
- Life list: Observations, badges and challenges
- Free tier
- Free, no limits
- Price
- Free
- Works offline
- Not stated
- Account
- Optional
- Ads
- No
- Age rating
- 4+ (App Store)
- Runs on
- iPhone (iOS 15.1 or later) and Android
- Released
- January 2023
- Last update
- September 2026
Animalis: Catch Real AnimalsRobert WhiteleyScore6.0SCN5ART7FUN8VAL4You scanAnimalsPaidPaidStoresiPhoneAndroid
- SCN
- 5
- ART
- 7
- FUN
- 8
- VAL
- 4
Animalis is a real-world nature game with trading, gyms and a team of creatures to battle, and it has no ads and no coin packs — the developer charges once and is done. Its fans are devoted, one calling it a dream game. But you cannot try it: catching needs the subscription from the first minute, which one reviewer took a star off for, and another reports the green spaces where you would play having no signal.
- You keep
- Creatures: Creatures for a battle team, with trading and gyms
- Free tier
- Free download; catching needs Animalis Unlimited
- Price
- $3.99/month, $24.99/year or $69.99 once
- Works offline
- Not stated
- Account
- Not stated
- Ads
- No
- Age rating
- 4+ (App Store)
- Runs on
- iPhone (iOS 15.1 or later) and Android
- Released
- April 2026
- Last update
- September 2026
HuckStephen PeckScore6.0SCN6ART9FUN6VAL3You scanAnimals, PlantsFree to tryFree to tryStoresiPhone
- SCN
- 6
- ART
- 9
- FUN
- 6
- VAL
- 3
Huck identifies an animal, a plant or an insect and adds it to a field guide illustrated in a vintage style, with rarity and ranks to work through. That guide is the best-looking thing about it, and the reason for the high art score. Its three written reviews are all one star, and they agree on two things: the illustrations are AI-made rather than drawn by an artist, and the price is steep for identifications that other apps give away.
- You keep
- Dex entries: A vintage-style illustrated field guide with rarity and ranks
- Free tier
- 3 identifications a day
- Price
- Premium $4.99/week or $39.99/year
- Works offline
- Not stated
- Account
- Optional
- Ads
- No
- Age rating
- 4+ (App Store)
- Runs on
- iPhone (iOS 17.0 or later)
- Released
- June 2026
- Last update
- September 2026
CatchimalsEduardo D ReaScore6.0SCN6ART8FUN7VAL3You scanAnimalsFree to tryFree to tryStoresiPhoneAndroid
- SCN
- 6
- ART
- 8
- FUN
- 7
- VAL
- 3
Catchimals scores your photo as well as identifying it: a better shot is a better catch, which turns a walk into a photography game with field tasks and a world leaderboard, and it looks the part. The money is the problem. There are ads, film packs to buy, an account before you start, and removing the ads costs $79.99. No one has reviewed it yet either.
- You keep
- Dex entries: Collectible moments scored on photo quality
- Free tier
- Free with ads; film packs optional
- Price
- Film packs $4.99 to $9.99; Ad-Free Pass $79.99
- Works offline
- No
- Account
- Required
- Ads
- Yes
- Age rating
- 13+ (App Store)
- Runs on
- iPhone (iOS 15.5 or later) and Android
- Released
- June 2026
- Last update
- August 2026
SnapPetzAdrian ChrysanthouScore6.0SCN4ART5FUN6VAL9You scanAnimalsFreeFreeStoresiPhone
- SCN
- 4
- ART
- 5
- FUN
- 6
- VAL
- 9
SnapPetz renders your animal as a 3D figurine you can spin, spots traits like a yawn or a wagging tail, and rolls a rarity, all on the device — your photos never leave the phone. It is free with nothing to buy, which is why value is its best stat. It is built around pets and common animals rather than wildlife, it has no ratings at all yet, and the figurines are a neat effect rather than a drawn collection.
- You keep
- Figurines: 3D figurines with traits and rarity
- Free tier
- Free, with nothing to buy
- Price
- Free
- Works offline
- Yes
- Account
- Optional
- Ads
- No
- Age rating
- 4+ (App Store)
- Runs on
- iPhone (iOS 16.4 or later)
- Released
- July 2026
- Last update
- July 2026
iNaturalistSCIENCE, best for science of the 32iNaturalistScore5.8SCN8ART4FUN3VAL8You scanAnimals, Plants, FungiFreeFreeStoresiPhoneAndroid
- SCN
- 8
- ART
- 4
- FUN
- 3
- VAL
- 8
SCIENCE, best for science of the 32The best app for science of the 32.
iNaturalist is the reference. It identifies anything alive, suggestions work partly offline, and then real naturalists confirm or correct your sighting, which no other app here offers — that human check is why it scores highest on scanning. It is not a Pokédex in any sense: your finds are a photo grid and a map, there is no rarity, no art and nothing to complete, and three reviewers ask for exactly that. An account is required and you must be 13 or older. Recent reviews also report crashes and a confusing new interface.
- You keep
- Life list: Public observations checked by a community
- Free tier
- Free, no limits
- Price
- Free
- Works offline
- Partly
- Account
- Required
- Ads
- No
- Age rating
- 4+ (App Store)
- Runs on
- iPhone (iOS 15.1 or later) and Android
- Released
- February 2011
- Last update
- September 2026
App Store · Google Play · Website · How iNaturalist differs from Seek
WildDeckWildDeck LtdScore5.8SCN6ART5FUN8VAL4You scanAnimalsFree to tryFree to tryStoresiPhoneAndroid
- SCN
- 6
- ART
- 5
- FUN
- 8
- VAL
- 4
WildDeck identifies an animal and turns it into an illustrated card with stats and battle moves, then lets you take your deck into story mode or against friends. The thirteen reviewers who have found it are enthusiastic, one of them world number one and enjoying it. The cards are competent rather than beautiful, and the shop is the reason for the low value score: coin packs run to $59.99 alongside the subscription.
- You keep
- Cards: Illustrated cards with rarity, decks and battles
- Free tier
- Free to play; coins and a subscription optional
- Price
- $2.99/month or $24.99/year; coin packs $0.99 to $59.99
- Works offline
- Not stated
- Account
- Not stated
- Ads
- No
- Age rating
- 13+ (App Store)
- Runs on
- iPhone (iOS 15.1 or later) and Android
- Released
- May 2026
- Last update
- September 2026
Snappit: Nature IdentifierEscalera LabsScore5.8SCN6ART5FUN7VAL5You scanAnimals, Plants, FungiFree to tryFree to tryStoresiPhoneAndroid
- SCN
- 6
- ART
- 5
- FUN
- 7
- VAL
- 5
Snappit is the family option: it identifies plants, animals and insects, reads the facts aloud, and turns each find into a nature card with rarity, themed collections and a leaderboard. The daily free snaps are enough for a walk, and the subscription is modest. It is a cheerful interface around your own photos rather than a world of its own, and with one written review there is nothing to go on about how well it identifies anything.
- You keep
- Cards: Nature cards with rarity, themed collections and badges
- Free tier
- Free snaps every day
- Price
- $2.99/month or $12.99/year for unlimited snaps
- Works offline
- Not stated
- Account
- Not stated
- Ads
- No
- Age rating
- 4+ (App Store)
- Runs on
- iPhone (iOS 18.5 or later) and Android
- Released
- December 2025
- Last update
- August 2026
App Store · Google Play · Website · Snappit's real-life Pokédex page
WildFolioPermission LabsScore5.5SCN6ART6FUN7VAL3You scanAnimals, PlantsPaidPaidStoresiPhoneAndroid
- SCN
- 6
- ART
- 6
- FUN
- 7
- VAL
- 3
WildFolio is the most polished dex here that you cannot really use: missions, rarity, streaks and a daily reveal, all behind a subscription after a week. Reviewers are blunt about it, that you cannot even look at what you have already scanned without paying, and its Play rating sits at 3.0 as a result. Underneath the paywall it is a clean, pleasant app, and that is what the mid scores describe.
- You keep
- Dex entries: A personal nature dex with missions, rarity and a shared dex
- Free tier
- 7-day trial, then a subscription
- Price
- $2.99/week, $9.99/month or $39.99/year
- Works offline
- Not stated
- Account
- Required
- Ads
- No
- Age rating
- 4+ (App Store)
- Runs on
- iPhone (iOS 15.1 or later) and Android
- Released
- June 2026
- Last update
- August 2026
WildDexNihal MandavaScore5.5SCN6ART6FUN6VAL4You scanAnimalsFree to tryFree to tryStoresiPhone
- SCN
- 6
- ART
- 6
- FUN
- 6
- VAL
- 4
WildDex is the social one: identify an animal, log where you saw it, earn XP, and share the sighting with a feed and a live map. Launch week reviewers liked spotting with friends and comparing what they had seen. Three sightings a week is a thin free tier for a collecting game, there are ads, an account is required, and the app looks like the social network it is rather than a dex.
- You keep
- Dex entries: A collection with facts, catch cards and a live map
- Free tier
- 3 sightings a week, 6 a month
- Price
- Pro $2.99/month or $19.99/year
- Works offline
- Not stated
- Account
- Required
- Ads
- Yes
- Age rating
- 13+ (App Store)
- Runs on
- iPhone (iOS 15.1 or later)
- Released
- June 2026
- Last update
- September 2026
WildexDreampressScore5.5SCN7ART2FUN6VAL7You scanAnimals, Plants, FungiFreeFreeStoresiPhone
- SCN
- 7
- ART
- 2
- FUN
- 6
- VAL
- 7
Wildex identifies anything alive and hands you a holographic card, with XP, quests and leaderboards around the collection, and it asks for nothing. Its twelve reviewers are fond of it: “obsessed”, “my constant companion”. The app looks like a template, which is why art is the lowest score on the page, and the release note promising “no ads during collection” implies ads elsewhere.
- You keep
- Cards: Holographic cards with XP, quests and leaderboards
- Free tier
- Free to start, with nothing to buy
- Price
- Free
- Works offline
- Not stated
- Account
- Not stated
- Ads
- Not stated
- Age rating
- 4+ (App Store)
- Runs on
- iPhone (iOS 15.1 or later)
- Released
- August 2025
- Last update
- March 2026
gotemAnthony VerruijtScore5.5SCN5ART6FUN7VAL4You scanAnimalsPaidPaidStoresiPhone
- SCN
- 5
- ART
- 6
- FUN
- 7
- VAL
- 4
gotem turns any animal, down to the dog breed, into a monster card with stats, moves and a rarity, and it rejects photos of screens, prints and toys, so a collection means something. Almost all of it is behind Pro: catching and battling both need it, at a weekly price. Five ratings, no written reviews, so its identification is unproven.
- You keep
- Cards: Monster cards with stats, moves and rarity
- Free tier
- 3 scans a day; catching and battling need Pro
- Price
- Pro $2.99/week or $19.99/year
- Works offline
- No
- Account
- Not stated
- Ads
- No
- Age rating
- 4+ (App Store)
- Runs on
- iPhone (iOS 26.0 or later)
- Released
- July 2026
- Last update
- July 2026
HabitatLabOtech LabsScore5.5SCN6ART6FUN7VAL3You scanAnimals, PlantsPaidPaidStoresiPhoneAndroid
- SCN
- 6
- ART
- 6
- FUN
- 7
- VAL
- 3
HabitatLab rates your photo up to five stars before turning it into a sticker card with rarity and sparkle, and it is built for families, with separate seats for children and state leaderboards. It is also the hardest app here to judge: a seven-day trial, then a subscription whose price is not stated anywhere, and a single rating since it arrived in August 2026.
- You keep
- Stickers: Sticker cards with rarity and stars in a living dex
- Free tier
- 7-day trial; Pro and Family plans after
- Price
- Pro and Family plans; prices shown in-app
- Works offline
- Not stated
- Account
- Not stated
- Ads
- No
- Age rating
- 4+ (App Store)
- Runs on
- iPhone (iOS 15.0 or later) and Android
- Released
- August 2026
- Last update
- September 2026
Wildcard DexPlay Outside GamesScore5.2SCN6ART4FUN7VAL4You scanAnimals, Plants, FungiFree to tryFree to tryStoresiPhoneAndroid
- SCN
- 6
- ART
- 4
- FUN
- 7
- VAL
- 4
Wildcard Dex covers everything alive and gives you a species card for each find, with quests, ranks, an atlas, trading and battles — one of the broadest feature sets on the list, and its two reviewers mention paying more attention outside because of it. The app itself looks unremarkable, only the collection works without a signal, and the free tier is capped daily and carries ads.
- You keep
- Cards: Species cards with rarity, an atlas, quests and trading
- Free tier
- Free with ads and daily ID limits
- Price
- Dex++ $2.99/month or $29.99/year
- Works offline
- Partly
- Account
- Optional
- Ads
- Yes
- Age rating
- 13+ (App Store)
- Runs on
- iPhone (iOS 15.6 or later) and Android
- Released
- March 2026
- Last update
- July 2026
RealDexAlp YalayScore5.0SCN6ART5FUN6VAL3You scanAnimalsFree to tryFree to tryStoresiPhoneAndroid
- SCN
- 6
- ART
- 5
- FUN
- 6
- VAL
- 3
RealDex runs its own identification model on the phone, so scanning works on a trail with no signal — rare here, and worth a lot. Every sighting becomes a foil trading card in a field guide you build, and you can claim city territories with the species you find. Nobody has rated it yet, on either store, so its accuracy is untested by anyone but the developer, and the cards are your own photo on a template rather than artwork.
- You keep
- Cards: Holographic trading cards in a field guide, with a map
- Free tier
- Free with ads
- Price
- Pro $3.99/month, $29.99/year or $89.99 once
- Works offline
- Yes
- Account
- Optional
- Ads
- Yes
- Age rating
- 4+ (App Store)
- Runs on
- iPhone (iOS 15.1 or later) and Android
- Released
- April 2026
- Last update
- September 2026
FaunaDexManuel Pardo GallegoScore4.8SCN5ART5FUN7VAL2You scanAnimalsFree to tryFree to tryStoresiPhoneAndroid
- SCN
- 5
- ART
- 5
- FUN
- 7
- VAL
- 2
FaunaDex identifies an animal and files it with rarity up to legendary, weekly challenges and badges, and it will export your collection. The loop is fine. Everything around it is not: a generic interface, a price of $3.99 a week, which is the steepest on this page for what you get, and two ratings to judge the identification by.
- You keep
- Dex entries: Catalogue entries with badges, shareable cards and export
- Free tier
- Core scanning free
- Price
- $3.99/week or $12.99/month
- Works offline
- Not stated
- Account
- Not stated
- Ads
- No
- Age rating
- 4+ (App Store)
- Runs on
- iPhone (iOS 13.0 or later) and Android
- Released
- February 2026
- Last update
- March 2026
WildFinderAnthony VerruijtScore4.8SCN6ART5FUN6VAL2You scanAnimalsPaidPaidStoresiPhone
- SCN
- 6
- ART
- 5
- FUN
- 6
- VAL
- 2
WildFinder has the shape of a good dex — rarity, XP, quests and streaks — but scanning itself needs Pro, so there is no free way to find out whether the identification works. One rating, no reviews, nothing on the web. Judge it on the trial or leave it.
- You keep
- Dex entries: An animal dex with rarity, XP and quests
- Free tier
- Download only; scanning needs Pro
- Price
- Pro $3.99/week or $9.99/month
- Works offline
- Not stated
- Account
- Not stated
- Ads
- No
- Age rating
- 4+ (App Store)
- Runs on
- iPhone (iOS 17.6 or later)
- Released
- January 2026
- Last update
- May 2026
Cat CollectorNftstoryScore4.5SCN3ART5FUN6VAL4You scanCats onlyFree to tryFree to tryStoresiPhone
- SCN
- 3
- ART
- 5
- FUN
- 6
- VAL
- 4
Cat Collector is for the cats in your life you cannot take home: photograph one, keep it as a card, and it is pinned to a map where you met. That map, and the feed of other people's cats, are genuinely lovely. There is barely anything to identify, though, which is what the low scanning score means, and its 161 ratings come with no written reviews at all.
- You keep
- Cards: Cat cards with your photo, a name and a place on a map
- Free tier
- One free gem a day
- Price
- Plus $2.99/month or $99.99/year; gems $0.99 to $19.99
- Works offline
- No
- Account
- Optional
- Ads
- No
- Age rating
- 4+ (App Store)
- Runs on
- iPhone (iOS 17.0 or later)
- Released
- July 2026
- Last update
- September 2026
InsectDexSimon DepaixScore4.5SCN4ART4FUN5VAL5You scanInsects onlyFree to tryFree to tryStoresiPhoneAndroid
- SCN
- 4
- ART
- 4
- FUN
- 5
- VAL
- 5
InsectDex is a proper insect encyclopedia: scan a bug and get its family, behaviour, size, habitat and danger level, then fill a numbered dex with daily challenges, badges and streaks. Teachers and curious kids are the audience, and the one-off unlock is cheap. Insects are only one part of the animal world, the interface is standard, and one review is all the evidence there is.
- You keep
- Dex entries: An insect encyclopedia with daily challenges
- Free tier
- Free with ads
- Price
- Premium $2.99 once
- Works offline
- Not stated
- Account
- Optional
- Ads
- Yes
- Age rating
- 4+ (App Store)
- Runs on
- iPhone (iOS 15.1 or later) and Android
- Released
- November 2025
- Last update
- September 2026
BirdDexStella YangScore4.2SCN4ART3FUN6VAL4You scanBirds onlyFree to tryFree to tryStoresiPhoneAndroid
- SCN
- 4
- ART
- 3
- FUN
- 6
- VAL
- 4
BirdDex is a straightforward bird collection: photograph a bird, earn XP by species, level up your mastery of each one, and fill regional dexes. Its nine reviewers are unanimously happy, and five free identifications a day is fair. It is a plain interface over your own photos, and birds only with photo only and no offline mode, which is what keeps the scanning score at 4.
- You keep
- Life list: Regional bird dexes with XP and mastery levels
- Free tier
- 5 AI identifications a day
- Price
- Pro $4.99/month or $39.99/year
- Works offline
- Not stated
- Account
- Not stated
- Ads
- No
- Age rating
- 4+ (App Store)
- Runs on
- iPhone (iOS 15.1 or later) and Android
- Released
- February 2026
- Last update
- May 2026
AnimalDexLenny BeadleScore4.2SCN5ART4FUN5VAL3You scanAnimalsFree to tryFree to tryStoresiPhoneAndroid
- SCN
- 5
- ART
- 4
- FUN
- 5
- VAL
- 3
AnimalDex scans an animal and files it with what that species does well, which is a nicer idea than most. The app has drifted, though: creator rewards, sponsored challenges and gifting now lead its own release notes, the collection is a feed of your photos with no art of its own, and scans are paid for with credits, so a walk can end with nothing left to catch. One review, one word.
- You keep
- Dex entries: A dex of encounters with rarity, missions and packs
- Free tier
- Starting credits; missions earn more
- Price
- Pro $9.99; 25 credits $2.99, 100 credits $7.99
- Works offline
- Not stated
- Account
- Not stated
- Ads
- No
- Age rating
- 13+ (App Store)
- Runs on
- iPhone (iOS 18.1 or later) and Android
- Released
- May 2026
- Last update
- September 2026
CatchCatSebastian SeidelScore3.8SCN2ART6FUN5VAL2You scanCats onlyFree to tryFree to tryStoresiPhoneAndroid
- SCN
- 2
- ART
- 6
- FUN
- 5
- VAL
- 2
CatchCat makes keepsake cards of the individual cats you meet, with rarity and a playful competitive mode, and that is a good small idea. It is the worst-rated app here, 2.6 on iOS, and the reviews say why: the camera often refuses to draw an outline around the cat, so you cannot catch it, and the first screen reads as AI-generated. Snack cans that recharge, ads and Pro sit on top of that.
- You keep
- Cards: Keepsake cards of individual cats with rarity
- Free tier
- Snack cans recharge over time; rewarded ads add more
- Price
- Pro $4.99/month; can and treat packs $0.99 to $19.99
- Works offline
- No
- Account
- Not stated
- Ads
- Yes
- Age rating
- 4+ (App Store)
- Runs on
- iPhone (iOS 16.4 or later) and Android
- Released
- July 2026
- Last update
- September 2026
No app matches every filter you picked. Clear one to widen the list.
How we did this
An app is here when it was publicly on the App Store or Google Play on 16 September 2026, when you photograph or record a real living thing and it identifies the species, and when the developer positions a collection. We downloaded and tried every one of them, read the recent reviews on six App Store storefronts, and took each fact from the developer’s own listing and website, linked in every app’s info. Prices and ratings were read on the same date. We make dobudex, and it is scored on the same anchors as the rest. Something wrong? support@dobudex.com.
- Score
- Four stats out of 10, judged the same way for every app, and OVR is their average. Three AI models scored all 32 from the same evidence as a first pass; the scores shown are ours, set after using the apps. Each app’s own text says what earned and what cost them.
- SCN
- How well and how widely it identifies. High: every animal group, works offline, accuracy people praise. Low: one narrow group, or answers that stop at “bird”.
- ART
- The look and feel. High: an original drawn world with unique cards. Low: a stock template around your own photos.
- FUN
- How much of a game it is. High: rarity, missions, friends, battles. Low: a plain list with nothing to fill.
- VAL
- What it costs to play and what you get for it in return. High: free, with no limits, ads or account. Low: paid scanning, or a paywall after a handful of scans.
- You keep
- A life list is a record of what you saw. Dex entries, cards, stickers, creatures and figurines are collectibles made from your photo. Four apps here (Seek, Merlin, iNaturalist, ObsIdentify) identify first and keep a list; the rest are collecting games.
- Cost
- “Free” is the whole loop free, and “Free + purchases” is a free app that also sells extras. “Free to try” is a real free allowance and then a paywall. “Paid” is scanning or catching itself needing a purchase. Each app’s info carries the exact allowance and price, as US App Store list prices.
- Offline
- Whether the scanner works with no signal. “Partly” means the collection opens but identification does not.
- Ratings
- Google Play keeps one worldwide figure. Apple keeps one per country, so the iOS number adds up every Apple storefront, weighted by how many ratings each holds. Under five we show “too few yet”, as Google Play does.
- Not stated
- The developer’s listing and website do not say, and we do not guess. Age ratings are the App Store’s, not ours.
Not on the list, and why
- Pokémon GO is a game about fictional creatures at real places. No real animal is ever identified.
- Google Lens identifies a plant or animal well and keeps nothing. There is no collection.
- PictureThis, Pl@ntNet and BirdNET are strong identifiers with saved lists, but none positions a dex or a game. Pl@ntNet is the free choice for plants.
- Generic “animal identifier” apps exist by the hundred. We list only apps whose developer positions a collection.
- WilderDEX and Snapfari are test builds with no public store listing yet.
- Animols has not been updated since December 2024.
FAQ
Is there a real-life Pokédex app?
Yes, two kinds. Field guides such as Seek and Merlin identify what you see and keep a list. Collecting games such as dobudex, Gotcha and Snappit turn the animal in your photo into a card or a sticker with a rarity tier.
Which ones are completely free?
Seek, Merlin Bird ID, iNaturalist and ObsIdentify are free with no limits. Among the games, Wildertag, Wildgram, Wildex and SnapPetz list no in-app purchases at all, and Pixel Wild sells only cosmetic packs. Most other games give you a daily or one-off allowance and then sell a subscription; a few need a purchase before you can catch anything.
Which work without signal?
Seek identifies on the phone. Merlin does too once you download a regional pack. Among the games, RealDex, SnapPetz, Pixel Wild and Birdex say identification works offline. dobudex and most other games need internet to scan.
Which run on Android?
Most of them, including all four field guides, dobudex, Gotcha, Snappit and BioSnap. iPhone only: Wildex, Pixel Wild, Cat Collector, WildDex, Huck, SnapPetz, gotem and WildFinder. Use the Android filter above.
Which should I try with young children?
Seek needs no account and keeps everything on the device. Snappit is rated 4+ with no ads or chat. Gotcha is rated 4+ and needs no account. Check the age rating in each app’s info; dobudex is rated 13+ on the App Store.
Is there a cat Pokédex app?
CatchCat and Cat Collector are cats only. SnapPetz and gotem accept pets, and dobudex treats your cat as a species and gives it a card like any other animal.
Do any of these turn my photo into a card?
dobudex draws a unique card of the animal in your photo, with six stats, a trait and a rarity tier. Snappit, Wildcard Dex, RealDex, BioSnap, WildDeck, Terravaria and Birdex also keep species as cards, each in its own style.
Looking for a Pokédex for the Pokémon games?
This page is about real animals. For the games’ own Pokédex, the official Pokémon website has one, and the app stores list many companion apps under “Pokédex”.
Is dobudex affiliated with Pokémon?
No. Pokémon and Pokédex are trademarks of Nintendo, Creatures and GAME FREAK. dobudex is an independent app.
Try your first animal card
Start with an animal you can photograph nearby.
Free to try on iPhone and Android
Reading this on a laptop? Point your phone camera here.