At-a-glance comparison
| Feature | SteadGrow | Planta |
|---|---|---|
| Primary focus | Outdoor Australian gardens | Indoor houseplants worldwide |
| Local weather integration | Yes — Bureau of Meteorology | Partial — ambient temperature only |
| Australian climate zones | All 5 modelled | Not modelled |
| Light meter (camera-based) | No | Yes — category-leading feature |
| AI plant identification | Yes (Premium in Planta) | Yes (Premium only) |
| Disease diagnosis from photos | Yes | Yes (Premium only) |
| Property zone mapping | Yes — sun, shade, microclimates | No |
| Companion planting guidance | Yes — AU-specific pairings | Minimal |
| UX polish | Clean, functional | Category-leading |
| Free tier | Genuine — no credit card | Limited — core features paywalled |
| Typical cost | Free at launch; future paid one-tap cancellable | ~US$50/year for Premium |
| Privacy | Zero third-party trackers | Standard commercial analytics |
| Platforms | iOS, Android (launching) | iOS, Android |
| Launch year | 2026 | 2018 |
The core difference: indoor vs outdoor
This is the single most important distinction. Planta was designed around indoor houseplants — pothos, monstera, snake plants, fiddle-leaf figs — and its feature set reflects that: light meter, humidity tracking, pot-based schedules, indoor-specific disease diagnosis. For indoor plants, it is category-leading.
SteadGrow was designed around outdoor Australian gardens — tomatoes in the backyard, citrus trees, raised veg beds, native shrubs, and the chaotic weather that makes Australian gardening uniquely challenging. Its feature set reflects that: Bureau of Meteorology integration, climate-zone modelling (tropical through cool-temperate and arid), property zone mapping for sun and shade, AU-specific companion planting, and disease guidance tuned for Australian conditions and pests.
If your plants live in pots on a windowsill, Planta is built for you. If your plants live in the ground or on a balcony exposed to Australian sun and rain, SteadGrow is built for you. Neither is "better" in the abstract — they are aimed at different users.
Weather integration — why it matters for outdoor plants
Planta accounts for indoor ambient temperature (which matters for houseplants near windows or air conditioning) and some outdoor temperature context. What it does not do is pull forecast data — rainfall, frost risk, heatwaves, humidity — and adjust care advice accordingly.
For indoor plants this is fine: your living room does not get rained on. For outdoor Australian gardens, it is the single most important missing feature. A week of rain means you should not water. A 40°C heatwave means tomato pollen is sterilising and you need shade cloth up before the heat arrives. A forecast frost means move pots or cover beds tonight. Planta has no concept of any of that because its users are mostly not outdoor gardeners.
SteadGrow is built around that exact use case: pulling live BOM forecasts for your postcode and recomputing care advice against the coming week's conditions. For outdoor Australian gardeners, this is the reason to use SteadGrow instead of Planta.
Where Planta wins: UX polish
Planta has one of the most beautifully designed plant-app interfaces in the world. Every screen is polished, every animation is considered, the typography and iconography are world-class. The light meter — which uses your phone camera to measure lux — is a genuinely delightful piece of UX that no other plant app matches.
SteadGrow's UX is functional and clean, not decorative. We prioritised weather integration, climate modelling, and accurate AU-specific plant data over interface polish. Over time we will improve the visual design; on launch day, Planta is simply more polished.
For users who care about interface quality above all else, this is a genuine Planta advantage.
Pricing — what "free" means
Planta has a limited free tier with basic reminders. The features that actually differentiate Planta — the light meter, disease diagnosis, identification, advanced care schedules — are all Premium-only at around US$50/year. Users who try Planta and use it meaningfully generally end up paying.
SteadGrow launches with a genuinely free tier covering weather-aware care, plant identification, growth tracking, and disease diagnosis. No credit card required to start. If we add a paid tier in the future (we probably will), cancellation will be one tap, and we have committed in writing on Our Promise page not to use the dark patterns that plague the category.
When Planta is the better choice
Pick Planta if
- You mainly grow indoor houseplants
- Interface polish matters to you
- You want a camera-based light meter
- You are happy to pay ~US$50/year
- You are outside Australia
Pick SteadGrow if
- You garden outdoors in Australia
- You want weather-aware advice
- You want property-level sun/shade mapping
- You want a free tier that is genuinely free
- You grow edibles, natives, or ornamentals in the ground
Many users — including gardeners with both indoor and outdoor collections — run both apps. They are not mutually exclusive. Planta for the pothos, SteadGrow for the vegie patch.
What SteadGrow does not do (yet)
Honesty upfront:
- No light meter. Planta's lux-measuring camera feature is excellent for indoor plants. We do not have one because our focus is outdoor.
- Less UX polish. Planta is prettier. We will close the gap over time but it is a real gap.
- Indoor-specific features. Planta has more indoor-focused reminders (humidity, air circulation, repotting cycles). We treat indoor plants as a subset, not the main event.
- Track record. Planta has been in the market since 2018. SteadGrow is pre-launch.
Common questions
Is SteadGrow better than Planta?
For Australian outdoor gardens, SteadGrow is better — it integrates Bureau of Meteorology forecasts and models all five Australian climate zones. For indoor houseplants with polished UX and light-meter features, Planta is better. The honest answer is they serve different use cases, and many users run both.
Does Planta work for Australian gardens?
Planta works anywhere, but it is primarily designed for indoor plants and does not integrate Australian weather data or climate-zone modelling. It factors ambient temperature but not Bureau of Meteorology forecasts, rainfall, or frost risk. For outdoor Australian gardens, SteadGrow is purpose-built; for indoor plants anywhere in the world, Planta is category-leading.
Is Planta free?
Planta has a limited free tier with basic reminders. Most core features — advanced care schedules, disease diagnosis, plant identification, light meter — require Planta Premium at around US$50 per year. SteadGrow launches with a genuinely free tier covering weather-aware care, plant identification, and growth tracking, with no credit card required.
What is Planta's light meter?
Planta's light meter is a camera-based tool that measures ambient lux levels in your home to help you place plants in appropriate light conditions. It is genuinely useful for indoor plants. SteadGrow does not have a light meter — our focus is outdoor gardens where weather data matters more than indoor lux.
Can I use both SteadGrow and Planta?
Yes — many users do. Planta for indoor houseplants (light meter, polished UX, indoor-focused reminders) and SteadGrow for outdoor Australian gardens (BOM weather integration, climate zones, companion planting, disease diagnosis). They solve different problems and coexist well.