Planting Season vs Seed to Spoon
Seed to Spoon is one of the most popular garden apps on American phones. Both apps plan the garden around your local timing. They differ in how you pay and how far past the vegetable bed they go.
Prices checked on the official sites on 14 September 2026, in US dollars. Plans change, so check before you buy.
| Planting Season | Seed to Spoon | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free tier, $4.99 a month, $44.95 a year, or $129 once for lifetime access | Free app, or Premium at $4.99 a month, $24.99 for six months, or $46.99 a year |
| Free version | One garden bed with the planner, planting calendar, guides and tools | Plant information, planting guides and pest identification |
| Lifetime option | Yes, $129 once | Not offered |
| Installs from | Your browser, on any phone or computer | The App Store and Google Play |
| Planting dates | 18 US regions, plus frost dates by zip code | Based on your location |
| AI helper | No | Growbot, on Premium |
| Beyond the garden | Fruit trees, chickens, ducks, quail, bees, compost, worms, preserving | Garden focused |
What the free versions give you
Both apps have a real free version. Seed to Spoon's free app gives you plant information, planting guides and pest identification. Premium adds garden tracking, estimated sprouting and harvest dates, the fuller planner and its Growbot AI assistant.
Planting Season's free tier gives you one garden bed in the drag and drop planner, your regional planting calendar, the growing guides, the frost lookup and the harvest calculator, and it never expires. More beds, the full library and the homestead tools come with a paid plan.
Paying once or paying every year
Seed to Spoon Premium is $4.99 a month, $24.99 for six months, or $46.99 a year, and there is no lifetime plan. Three years of Premium on the yearly plan is $140.97.
Planting Season is $4.99 a month or $44.95 a year, and it also offers a $129 lifetime licence. If you expect to use a garden app for more than three seasons, paying once costs less than either subscription.
Beyond the vegetable bed
Planting Season carries the rest of the property in the same app: pruning windows and chill hours for fruit trees, egg and health records for chickens, ducks and quail, hive logs and a bee identifier, compost and worm farm tools, and a preserving picker for a glut.
Where Seed to Spoon is stronger
- Native apps with a big following. Seed to Spoon rates 4.8 stars from more than 9,300 ratings on the App Store.
- An AI assistant. Growbot answers garden questions on Premium. Planting Season has no AI chat.
- Growth estimates. Premium estimates sprouting and harvest dates for what you plant.
If you want a phone app from the App Store with an AI helper, Seed to Spoon is a strong choice. If you want to pay once, or keep the orchard and the animals in the same place, Planting Season fits better.
Frequently asked questions
Is Seed to Spoon free?
The app is free to download and the free version includes plant information, planting guides and pest identification. Garden tracking, harvest estimates and the Growbot assistant need Premium.
How much is Seed to Spoon Premium?
Seed to Spoon Premium is $4.99 a month, $24.99 for six months, or $46.99 a year (App Store prices checked 14 September 2026).
Does Seed to Spoon have a lifetime plan?
No lifetime purchase is listed. Planting Season offers lifetime access for $129 once, alongside monthly and yearly plans.
What is the main difference between Planting Season and Seed to Spoon?
Seed to Spoon is a native garden app with an AI assistant, sold as a subscription. Planting Season installs from the browser, works offline, covers fruit trees, poultry, bees and compost as well as the garden, and can be bought once.
Try Planting Season free
Start with one garden bed, free for good. Pro is free for 14 days with no card needed.
Open the app →