Gardenate vs Leaftide: Sowing calendar or full garden planner?

Gardenate tells you when to plant. Leaftide helps you plan where, when, and tracks the whole lifecycle. They solve different problems — here's how to decide.

At a glance

What Gardenate does well

  • ✓ Dead-simple sowing calendar for 90+ vegetables and herbs
  • ✓ One-time purchase (~$2), no subscription
  • ✓ Works fully offline
  • ✓ Strong southern hemisphere support (AU, NZ, ZA)

What Leaftide adds

  • 🌳 Tracks fruit trees, shrubs, and permanent plants
  • 📐 Visual drag-and-drop bed planner
  • 📍 GDD-based predictions for your exact location
  • 📋 Task lists, succession planting, and garden journal

Feature comparison

Feature Gardenate Leaftide
Planting calendar
Climate zone support 6 countries Any location worldwide
Southern hemisphere zones (AU, NZ, ZA)
Works offline
Visual bed/plot planner
Permanent plants (fruit trees, shrubs)
Pruning and care routines
Harvest predictions (GDD-based) Estimated date GDD-based
Companion planting Basic guide
Succession planting
Task lists / recurring tasks
Email reminders / push notifications Calendar export
Garden journal Basic diary
Seed packet scanner
Custom plant varieties
Container planner Dedicated mode
CSV data export
Multi-language support English only 5 languages
Native mobile apps
Web app Website only Full web app

Pricing: Gardenate is a one-time purchase (~$2). Leaftide has a free tier, with paid plans at £5/month or £45/year. Lifetime purchase also available.

Key differences explained

📐 A reference tool vs a garden planner

Gardenate is a sowing calendar: you look up what to plant this month, record what you planted, and get a rough harvest date. It does this well and keeps things simple. Leaftide goes further with a visual bed planner, task management, succession planting, and a journal that ties everything together across seasons.

🌳 Track fruit trees and perennials, not just veg

Gardenate covers 90+ annual vegetables and herbs. If you're also growing fruit trees, berry bushes, or ornamental shrubs, Leaftide tracks those with pruning schedules, age tracking, and care routines — something Gardenate wasn't designed for.

Leaftide permanent plant tracking showing an apple tree with age and care details

📍 Climate data for your exact location

Gardenate uses broad climate zones (e.g. "Australia — temperate" or "USA — Zone 7") to suggest planting months. Leaftide uses growing degree days calculated from climate data specific to your coordinates, giving you more precise sowing windows and harvest predictions.

Leaftide harvest prediction based on growing degree days

⚖️ Where Gardenate does better

  • Gardenate works fully offline — all data lives on your phone with no internet needed. Leaftide requires a connection for most features.
  • At roughly $2 one-time, Gardenate is hard to beat on price. If all you need is a quick "what can I plant this month?" reference, it's a great deal.
  • Gardenate has a built-in seed packet scanner that lets you snap a photo to log new plants. Leaftide doesn't have this yet.
  • For southern hemisphere gardeners in Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa, Gardenate has been a trusted resource since ~2010 with well-tested zone data for those regions.

Which one is right for you?

Pick Gardenate if you…

  • Just want a quick sowing reference on your phone
  • Prefer a one-time purchase with no account needed
  • Need full offline access
  • Garden in Australia, NZ, or South Africa and want proven local data

Pick Leaftide if you…

  • Want to plan your garden layout visually
  • Grow fruit trees, shrubs, or other permanent plants
  • Want GDD-based predictions tuned to your exact location
  • Need task management, succession planting, and a journal
  • Want a free tier you can use indefinitely

Ready to try Leaftide?

Start free and see if it fits your garden.

Try Leaftide Free

Free forever. No credit card required.