7 Trendy Faux Houseplants That Look Totally Real

Save on a plant sitter… forever.

These seven incredible faux plants look so real, you’ll fool just about everyone! Even better, no green thumb is required. Read on to see the real plants and their faux counterparts that we love. You’ll be both surprised, delighted, and more importantly, you’re likely to save some money in the long haul!

Here are our 7 favorite faux houseplants that look totally real:

1. Aloe Vera Plant

• REAL – Anthropologie Aloe Plant in Terrazzo Pot (left) – $54
• FAKE – World Market Faux Aloe in Terracotta Pot (right) – $39.99

If you didn’t already know, real aloe plants can be used for many beneficial things including skincare, making homemade hand sanitizer, and a plethora of other things!

However, we’ve found these natural beauties aren’t so easy to ship and to get a gorgeous styled aloe plant like the one above, it’s going to cost you. All that said, we’re totally swooning over this impressively realistic-looking one from World Market!

2. Fiddle Leaf Fig tree plant

• REAL – Plantz Ficus Lyrata Plant 4.5-5.5′ (left) – $195
• FAKE – Cost Plus World Market Faux Fiddle Leaf Fig Tree (right) – $199.99

Many people want a fiddle leaf fig tree, but so many have problems keeping the leaves looking healthy (or getting it to grow as big as this faux stunner from World Market).

Whether you want to splurge on a 6.5-foot tree or a slightly smaller 5-foot tree, you can find some very realistic faux fiddle leaf figs!

Wanna spend even less?

If you’re not a “go big or go home” type of plant lover and definitely don’t want to spend a ton on a huge faux fiddle leaf fig tree then World Market also offers an adorable faux mini version in a trendy cement pot! These look just as realistic as the larger fiddle leaf trees and will look stunning in your home!

3. Yucca Cane tree plant

• REAL – United Nursery Yucca Cane (left) – $24.98
• FAKE – World Market Faux Double Yucca Tree (right) – $74.99

I can’t get over the side by side comparison of these two beautiful plants! Yucca Cane tree plants are a great way to add tropical vibes to your home, and Cost Plus World Market’s gorgeous faux one gets the job done and then some!

The attention to detail stems all the way from the roots to the tips of the long leaves. Your guests aren’t even going to realize this one isn’t soaking up sunlight and the best part, this one already comes full-grown, whereas the real one will take a labor of love.

4. Birds of Paradise or banana leaf plant

• REAL – Plantz White Bird of Paradise (left) – $59-$149
• FAKE – Amazon 5 ft. Artificial Silk Bird of Paradise Potted Palm Tree (right) – $82.90

Speaking of tropical plants, Banana Leaf plants get ALL of the heart eyes from me! 😍 And I can’t get over how real this faux Banana Leaf plant looks! The leaves are perfectly detailed and split to look just like the real ones.

While the faux plant isn’t quite as tall or big as the real one Collin has, it’s pretty nice that it can go in more places and not completely overpower your space. Plus, there’s the fact that you don’t have to worry about keeping it alive, so there’s that. 😏

5. String of Pearls plant

• REAL – Amazon Fat Plants San Diego Real String of Pearls (left) – $16.95
• FAKE – Target Project 62 Artificial String of Pearls Succulent in Pot (right) – $20 

Bookshelves everywhere are calling for a cute string of pearls for the perfect touch of greenery! While a real string of pearls isn’t super difficult to care for since they’re part of the succulent family, the faux one looks identical to the real thing!

That said, we’re team “set it and forget it”. As one reviewer shared, it looks incredibly cute among her shelves and blends in perfectly. Plus, from far away or even up close, no one will even know it’s faux!

6. Pilea “Chinese Money” Tree Plant

• REAL – Amazon Optiflora Pilea Peperomioides Plant (left) – $12.95
• FAKE – Target Hearth & Hand by Magnolia Faux Pilea Potted Plant (right) – $4.99

Want the cutest little plant on the planet?! Well, Target’s got it! New to their line of faux houseplants, this little cutie happens to be under $5! While this plant is on the smaller side, it has a price that’s unbeatable and it will make for such a cute accent to anyone’s decor.

Even though some of the reviews online don’t favor this plant once it hit the shelves, we’ve seen it for ourselves in person and it’s even cuter than the photos! We’re in love with its small size, the cute round leaves, and the organic, imperfect pot it comes in. We can’t get enough of this cutie!

7. Airplants

• REAL – The Sill Xerographica Air Plant (left) – $20
• FAKE – World Market Large Faux Air Plant – set of 2 (right) – $29.98 

Airplants are unique in that they literally only need just that – air! How cool! However, real ones still need bright, indirect sunlight and an occasional spritz of water so while they’re fairly simple to maintain, some people might prefer the no maintenance faux version. At World Market, you can score a pack of 2 large ones for just under $15 each!

That may not seem like a total steal, but you can assure these air plants will be large in size when you receive them (not typical of most air plants you’ll find), gorgeous in color, and although real ones take minimal maintenance these are completely hassle-free!

Place them in decorative glass terrariums or place them on a shelf for display – you won’t ever have to worry about these faux ones dying on ya. 😉

Did you know we have a whole tips & savings page dedicated to plants?! 😍