Catch what you see
Point the camera at something alive or pick a photo. The species is named in seconds, and the name is checked against GBIF, the world's biodiversity database.
Living Dex
Animal Identifier
Point at anything alive. Add it to your Dex.
Living Dex names the bird, bug, plant or mushroom in front of your camera, checks the name against GBIF, the world's biodiversity database, and rates how rare it is where you are. Every catch becomes a card in your Dex, from Common to Legendary.
New on the App Store Free Education iPhone
- Birds, plants, bugs and fungi, named and checked against GBIF
- A real rarity for where you are, from Common to Legendary
- A Nearby Dex of the species around you, waiting to be found
- 30 free identifications, no account
./livingdex --screenshots
Living Dex in action
tap a screen to enlarge · swipe to see more → click a screen to enlarge
./livingdex --iphone-duo
Living Dex on iPhone Duo
cat livingdex/FEATURES.md
What Living Dex does
Real rarity
Rarity comes from how often a species is recorded near you, from Common to Legendary, with the conservation status of threatened species.
A Nearby Dex
Every species that lives around you appears as a locked slot painted with its realm's art, so you know what to look for next.
The realms of life
Animals, plants, fungi, protists and more, each with an illustrated realm to sort and filter your Dex by and a Field Guide that is free to read.
Field entries and calls
Each catch opens a field entry that teaches you something about it, with the sound of its call wherever a recording exists.
Streaks and trading cards
Daily streaks, XP and levels reward getting outside. Share any catch as a collectible trading card, and climb the Game Center leaderboard.
./livingdex --pricing
Browsing is free. Identifications start with 30 on us.
Free
$0
- 30 free identifications on every device
- Your Dex, the Nearby list and the Field Guide
- Field entries, calls and trading cards
- No account, no ads
Living Dex Pro
$4.99/mo · $29.99/yr
- Unlimited identifications
- Recognised on all your devices
- Monthly $4.99 per month, auto-renewing
- Annual $29.99 per year, auto-renewing
US prices shown; your local price appears in the App Store. Subscriptions renew automatically until you cancel in your Apple Account settings. Prefer no subscription? Credit packs of 100, 400, 1,200 or 2,600 identifications ($2.99, $9.99, $24.99, $49.99) are one-time purchases.
man livingdex
How Living Dex works
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Pick a starter
Every Dex begins with one real species you choose, so there is something in it before you leave the house.
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Catch
Point at a garden bird, a wildflower, a beetle or a toadstool and tap. Living Dex names it and rates how rare it is where you are.
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Fill the Dex
Each catch becomes a card. The Nearby Dex shows which local species are still locked, waiting to be found.
./livingdex --changelog
What's new in 1.2
On the App Store since
Living Dex now speaks German, Spanish, French, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Brazilian Portuguese, and Simplified and Traditional Chinese. Every screen is translated, and so are the Game Center achievements.
Sample photos now open instantly and never use one of your free identifications, even offline. The Living Dex Pro screen is redesigned to show what Pro adds, and it opens straight away when your free identifications run out.
Fixed: after reinstalling, your identifications left and your credit balance could fail to load.
less livingdex/README
About Living Dex
Turn the real world into your personal collection. Point your camera at a bird, bug, plant or mushroom, or pick a photo, and Living Dex names it, rates how rare it is where you are, and adds it to your Dex.
Nothing alive in sight? Every Dex begins with a starter: choose one real species to open your collection, then go and find the rest.
HOW IT WORKS
• Spot something alive: a garden bird, a wildflower, a beetle, a toadstool
• Tap to catch. Cloud AI names the species, then the name is checked against GBIF, the world's biodiversity database, so invented species never reach your Dex
• Every catch becomes a card with a real rarity, from Common to Legendary
WHAT YOU GET
• Illustrated realms of life: animals, plants, fungi, protists and more, to sort and filter your Dex by
• Real rarity: how often a species is recorded near you, plus conservation status for threatened species
• A Nearby Dex: every species that lives around you, shown as locked slots painted with the realm's art, waiting to be found
• An illustrated Field Guide that explains each realm and how identification works, free to read
• Field entries that teach you something, and the sound of the call where a recording exists
• Daily streaks, XP and levels that reward getting outside
• Share any catch as a collectible trading card
• Game Center leaderboard and achievements
• No account needed
FREE TO START
Every device starts with 30 free identifications. After that, go Pro for unlimited identifications or buy a credit pack. Browsing your Dex, the Nearby list, the Field Guide and field entries is always free.
Living Dex Pro is an auto-renewing subscription, monthly or annual. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. It renews automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel it in your Apple Account settings.
Identifications are AI-generated best guesses and can be wrong. Never eat, touch or handle a wild plant, fungus or animal based on this app.
Terms of Use (EULA): https://midgarcorp.cc/legal/living-dex/terms/
Privacy Policy: https://midgarcorp.cc/legal/living-dex/privacy/
./livingdex --faq
Frequently asked questions
How much does Living Dex cost?
Living Dex is free to download and every device starts with 30 free identifications. After that, Living Dex Pro gives unlimited identifications for $4.99 a month or $29.99 a year as an auto-renewing subscription, or you can buy a one-time credit pack: 100 identifications for $2.99, 400 for $9.99, 1,200 for $24.99 or 2,600 for $49.99. Browsing your Dex, the Nearby list, the Field Guide and field entries is always free.
How accurate are the identifications?
A cloud AI model names the species from your photo, then the name is checked against GBIF, the world's biodiversity database. Identifications are still best guesses and can be wrong. Never eat, touch or handle a wild plant, fungus or animal based on the app.
Do I need an account?
No. Living Dex works without an account or sign-up. Your Dex, sightings and photos are kept on your iPhone.
What happens to my photos and location?
To name a species, a shrunk copy of the photo goes through Midgar's server to Google's Gemini, and no copy is kept once the answer comes back. Location is optional and only used while the app is open: rarity uses the sighting rounded to about 11 km, and the Nearby list uses a grid cell of about 55 km. Without location, rarity comes from worldwide data. Your location is never sent to the AI and never linked to an account.
Does it work offline?
Identifying a catch needs a connection, because every identification happens in the cloud. Your Dex itself is stored on your iPhone.
Which devices does it run on?
Living Dex runs on iPhone with iOS 26 or later.
Photos go through Midgar's server to Google's Gemini only to name the organism, and no copy is kept once the answer returns. Your Dex, sightings and photos stay on your iPhone. Location is optional and leaves the phone only rounded, to about 11 km for rarity and a 55 km cell for Nearby. No ads, no tracking.
Step outside and catch your first species.
Free to download with 30 free identifications. Then Living Dex Pro, an auto-renewing subscription, for unlimited identifications, or one-time credit packs. Browsing your Dex, Nearby and the Field Guide is always free.
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