DFeff
Founder, Carnivorous Plant Resource & collecto.rs
I got tired of using Google sheets (especially on my phone) to track my collection, so some friends and I scratched our own itch and built a better tool. Here's an example of what a collection looks like: Collecto.rs
It's prettier, easier to navigate on phones, and has much of the same utility as a spreadsheet (actually more in some cases with even more coming soon).
It's a free tool, and I encourage you to take it for a spin. We have lots of ideas for improvements, but want to hear from the community about what features are most important to you. LMK your thoughts!
Jan 18, 2026 update:
Fun collecto.rs January update - We launched a redesign that focuses even more heavily on your beautiful plant photos and allows for the display of longer plant names in the overlay. You'll notice a biiiig difference on desktop - a much improved experience.
Alongside this, we rolled out Dark Mode - a feature that has been requested multiple times. It's much easier on the peepers, especially at night.
Our plant database is now up to ~260,000 plants, so it's much easier to quickly find and add plants to your collection. We'll be adding an index to this to speed up responsiveness, soon.
We've got some killer features in the pipeline, and I'm excited to share more soon!
------
Feb 2, 2026 update:
Just finished populating our plant database last night and now have exactly 471,000 plants to search and choose from (on top of being able to manually add anything you'd like). Cultivars and hybrids are still going to be a little sparse just because of how specialized all that data is and the diversity of publishing sources.
I think a fun idea to explore is how to let our users flesh out our database with their own plants. Will think about how best to let users submit quality, accurate info. Open to ideas!
Another fun update - we've officially expanded our supported collection types beyond plants to birding! One of our teammates has a passion for birding and wanted to scratch his own itch (much like me with plants), so we had some fun building that one out. Also have a database of 11,127 birds at time of launch. More "natural wonders" collection categories to follow, shortly. Open to user requests!
------
Feb 11, 2026 update:
BIG new feature - We now support spreadsheet uploads to collecto.rs! For everyone with an existing spreadsheet, we've made it super easy to migrate on over without having to start from scratch.
For the moment, we're testing things with a structured spreadsheet format. Here's how to use it:
1. Signup for a collecto.rs account and set your username.
2. Duplicate this Google sheet and copy+paste your data into the relevant columns.
- Please choose from the drop-down options in those columns with pre-defined choices (don't edit the pre-defined options in these columns).
- Any images you'd like included need to be hosted at a publicly-accessible URL.
3. Leave a message here with a link to this spreadsheet, or email it to me at david@collecto.rs when it's ready to be uploaded to your account.
Alternatively, you can send your existing spreadsheet to david@collecto.rs and I can format it for you and get it uploaded to your account.
We're working towards a user-facing feature that allows the upload of any spreadsheet, interprets the data in that spreadsheet, and then intelligently matches that data to the columns in our database that make the most sense.
------
Feb 23, 2026 update:
Added a simple trading feature to collecto.rs:
• You can mark plants in your collection as available to trade
• You can list what you’re interested in trading for
• Anyone viewing your profile can make an offer (doesn't have to be a user of collecto.rs)
• No emails, phone numbers, or personal contact info exposed to strangers unless you want to pursue a trade off-platform
- Example link of my collection filtered by items that are available to trade: Collecto.rs
- Here's a direct link to an item available to trade (Sarracenia Saurus): Sarracenia
------
Mar 26, 2026 update:
• Beautified plant detail pages - organized data, clean layout, prettier to look at on small and large screens
• QR codes for in-person sharing - share an individual plant, or jump into "in-person share mode" to see your entire collection's set of QR codes for easy sharing when you're with your friends.
• Quick Actions - long press/right click on your plant in grid view, or slide it over in list view for quicker access to the most popular actions
• Plant ID - upload an image, and let our AI take a crack at identifying the plant. It won't drill down to the specific cultivar, but it generally gets genus correct, and helps you pre-fill a bunch of data that you would otherwise have to enter manually.
• Brand new collection types supported - Fossils, insects, and reptiles (in addition to plants and birds)
View attachment 16157 View attachment 16158 View attachment 16159 View attachment 16160 View attachment 16161 View attachment 16162
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April 26, 2026 update:
Garden Notes
• No need to open up a separate notes app to jot down thoughts. Use our rich-text notes with @-mentions, reminders, and sharing
• Set Reminders (for plant care, etc.) with notifications so you don't forget.
Sold/Gifted a Plant? Transfer It
• Send items between other collectors or even non-collectors (folks not yet using the software)
Collect Collectors (Social-ish)
• Follow other collectors for a shortcut to ogle their collection and see who has recent updates
Item Groups
• Group items within a collection however you see fit to stay organized
Collection Insights
• New Insights page with fun single-collection story cards and growth charts
• All-collections view with distribution and highlights
AI Plant ID & Import
• Scan a plant to add it to your collection. Weirdly good, but might miss nuanced cultivars
• Bulk import your existing collection via a Google sheet link or upload with and .xls or CSV
PlantCon Partnership!
We partnered with PlantCon and built an interactive venue map with some really fun stuff (PlantCon 2026 | Collecto.rs):
• Fully interactive and searchable map for the event space
• Scavenger hunt with QR code "stamps"
• Take and track notes on exhibitors (you know - like that one with the really good deal on that Nepenthes)
• Copy exhibitor items to your collection with provenance tracking
• Follow exhibitors during the event
It's prettier, easier to navigate on phones, and has much of the same utility as a spreadsheet (actually more in some cases with even more coming soon).
It's a free tool, and I encourage you to take it for a spin. We have lots of ideas for improvements, but want to hear from the community about what features are most important to you. LMK your thoughts!
Jan 18, 2026 update:
Fun collecto.rs January update - We launched a redesign that focuses even more heavily on your beautiful plant photos and allows for the display of longer plant names in the overlay. You'll notice a biiiig difference on desktop - a much improved experience.
Alongside this, we rolled out Dark Mode - a feature that has been requested multiple times. It's much easier on the peepers, especially at night.
Our plant database is now up to ~260,000 plants, so it's much easier to quickly find and add plants to your collection. We'll be adding an index to this to speed up responsiveness, soon.
We've got some killer features in the pipeline, and I'm excited to share more soon!
------
Feb 2, 2026 update:
Just finished populating our plant database last night and now have exactly 471,000 plants to search and choose from (on top of being able to manually add anything you'd like). Cultivars and hybrids are still going to be a little sparse just because of how specialized all that data is and the diversity of publishing sources.
I think a fun idea to explore is how to let our users flesh out our database with their own plants. Will think about how best to let users submit quality, accurate info. Open to ideas!
Another fun update - we've officially expanded our supported collection types beyond plants to birding! One of our teammates has a passion for birding and wanted to scratch his own itch (much like me with plants), so we had some fun building that one out. Also have a database of 11,127 birds at time of launch. More "natural wonders" collection categories to follow, shortly. Open to user requests!
------
Feb 11, 2026 update:
BIG new feature - We now support spreadsheet uploads to collecto.rs! For everyone with an existing spreadsheet, we've made it super easy to migrate on over without having to start from scratch.
For the moment, we're testing things with a structured spreadsheet format. Here's how to use it:
1. Signup for a collecto.rs account and set your username.
2. Duplicate this Google sheet and copy+paste your data into the relevant columns.
- Please choose from the drop-down options in those columns with pre-defined choices (don't edit the pre-defined options in these columns).
- Any images you'd like included need to be hosted at a publicly-accessible URL.
3. Leave a message here with a link to this spreadsheet, or email it to me at david@collecto.rs when it's ready to be uploaded to your account.
Alternatively, you can send your existing spreadsheet to david@collecto.rs and I can format it for you and get it uploaded to your account.
We're working towards a user-facing feature that allows the upload of any spreadsheet, interprets the data in that spreadsheet, and then intelligently matches that data to the columns in our database that make the most sense.
------
Feb 23, 2026 update:
Added a simple trading feature to collecto.rs:
• You can mark plants in your collection as available to trade
• You can list what you’re interested in trading for
• Anyone viewing your profile can make an offer (doesn't have to be a user of collecto.rs)
• No emails, phone numbers, or personal contact info exposed to strangers unless you want to pursue a trade off-platform
- Example link of my collection filtered by items that are available to trade: Collecto.rs
- Here's a direct link to an item available to trade (Sarracenia Saurus): Sarracenia
------
Mar 26, 2026 update:
• Beautified plant detail pages - organized data, clean layout, prettier to look at on small and large screens
• QR codes for in-person sharing - share an individual plant, or jump into "in-person share mode" to see your entire collection's set of QR codes for easy sharing when you're with your friends.
• Quick Actions - long press/right click on your plant in grid view, or slide it over in list view for quicker access to the most popular actions
• Plant ID - upload an image, and let our AI take a crack at identifying the plant. It won't drill down to the specific cultivar, but it generally gets genus correct, and helps you pre-fill a bunch of data that you would otherwise have to enter manually.
• Brand new collection types supported - Fossils, insects, and reptiles (in addition to plants and birds)
View attachment 16157 View attachment 16158 View attachment 16159 View attachment 16160 View attachment 16161 View attachment 16162
------
April 26, 2026 update:
Garden Notes
• No need to open up a separate notes app to jot down thoughts. Use our rich-text notes with @-mentions, reminders, and sharing
• Set Reminders (for plant care, etc.) with notifications so you don't forget.
Sold/Gifted a Plant? Transfer It
• Send items between other collectors or even non-collectors (folks not yet using the software)
Collect Collectors (Social-ish)
• Follow other collectors for a shortcut to ogle their collection and see who has recent updates
Item Groups
• Group items within a collection however you see fit to stay organized
Collection Insights
• New Insights page with fun single-collection story cards and growth charts
• All-collections view with distribution and highlights
AI Plant ID & Import
• Scan a plant to add it to your collection. Weirdly good, but might miss nuanced cultivars
• Bulk import your existing collection via a Google sheet link or upload with and .xls or CSV
PlantCon Partnership!
We partnered with PlantCon and built an interactive venue map with some really fun stuff (PlantCon 2026 | Collecto.rs):
• Fully interactive and searchable map for the event space
• Scavenger hunt with QR code "stamps"
• Take and track notes on exhibitors (you know - like that one with the really good deal on that Nepenthes)
• Copy exhibitor items to your collection with provenance tracking
• Follow exhibitors during the event
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