# Hearthside: Cozy Cooking Pet — Cute meal journal & cookbook > Cozy meal journal and cookbook with collectible kitchen spirits. (iPhone/iPad app by James Napolitano.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hearthside-cozy-cooking-pet/id6795365372 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [James Napolitano](https://appshunter.io/developer/1874362281) - Category: Games, Food & Drink, Simulation - Price: Free with in-app purchases - Rating: 4.80/5 from 4 App Store ratings - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 17 · 311 MB - Languages: American English - Released: 2026-08-05 - Data updated: 2026-08-26 - Monetization: freemium - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hearthside-cozy-cooking-pet/id6795365372/reviews.md ## What is Hearthside? Hearthside is a tiny kitchen that comes alive when you cook real food. Log tonight's dinner, or snap a photo and let Bao name the dish, and your hearth glows, your cookbook grows, and little kitchen spirits move in to keep you company. No calories. No streaks to lose. No guilt. Just a warm little world that notices when you cook. MEET BAO Your kitchen companion is a soft-spoken dumpling in an apron. Cook and Bao celebrates, in his own voice. Step away for a while and the fire settles into embers while everyone sleeps, with a candle kept lit until you come back. Bao never gets angry and nothing is ever lost. The hearth simply waits. LOG MEALS IN SECONDS Type "penne alla vodka" or snap a photo of your plate. Hearthside recognizes the dish, matches it to an illustrated recipe card, and adds it to your cookbook. Typos, plurals, and "wait, what is this called" photos all land on the right card. Jams, sauces, pickles, and the things you make that are not quite dinner get their own cards too. GROW A COOKBOOK WORTH KEEPING Over 170 dishes, each with its own illustrated recipe card. Cook a dish again to level it from Wooden Spoon to Silver to Golden, revealing a food history fact and a hearth secret, a real cooking tip, along the way. WRITE ON THE BACK Every card turns over. The back is yours: what you changed, who you fed, how long it actually took, whether it is worth making again. Your notes stay with the card and grow every time you cook that dish. Free for everyone. FILL THE KITCHEN WITH FRIENDS Kitchen spirits arrive as you cook: a loaf of bread, a pat of butter, a sleepy pup, and more. Each one speaks in a voice of its own. They wander the kitchen by day, doze by the hearth at night, and take turns keeping the candle vigil. Tap anyone who is awake for a little burst of affection. SOUND WORTH TURNING ON A warm loop plays while the kitchen is busy and a slower one takes over after dark. Cards turn with a papery flip, the hearth crackles, and the spirits talk. All of it is optional, none of it interrupts your own music, and the silent switch is always respected. A JOURNAL, NOT A DIET Hearthside is a cozy record of what you actually cooked: the Tuesday pasta, the Sunday pot roast, the first loaf of bread. It is mindful without being medical. There are no calorie counts, no macros, and no judgment anywhere in this kitchen. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Your meal log lives on your device. No account, no ads, no tracking. Photos you choose to identify are processed briefly and never stored on our servers. HEARTHSIDE PLUS Cook your first meal free, then try Hearthside Plus free for 14 days. Plus unlocks unlimited cooking, the full cookbook, every kitchen spirit including all the ones we add later, and the Silver and Golden Spoon writing hidden in each card. Yearly, monthly, or a one-time lifetime unlock. Made by one person who thinks cooking dinner deserves a little celebration. Terms of Use (EULA): https://hearthsideapp.com/terms Privacy Policy: https://hearthsideapp.com/privacy ## Key features - Log meals by typing or photo - Grow an illustrated cookbook - Collect kitchen spirits - Personalized hearth companion - No calorie counting or guilt - Private by design ## Pricing and in-app purchases Base price: Free. **Subscriptions** | Subscription | Price | Period | | --- | --- | --- | | Hearthside Plus (Monthly) | $2.99 | per month | | Hearthside Plus (Yearly) | $19.99 | per year | **One-time purchases** | Purchase | Price | Type | | --- | --- | --- | | Hearthside Plus (Lifetime) | $49.99 | one-time | ## Frequently asked questions about Hearthside ### What is Hearthside? Hearthside is a cozy meal journal and cookbook app where you can log your real-life meals by typing or taking photos. It features a virtual kitchen with spirits and a companion named Bao that celebrates your cooking. ### Does Hearthside have ads? No, Hearthside is ad-free. The developers emphasize a private experience with no tracking or advertisements. ### How does Hearthside handle meal logging? You can log meals by typing the dish name or by snapping a photo. The app recognizes dishes, matches them to illustrated recipe cards, and adds them to your growing cookbook. ### What are the benefits of Hearthside Plus? Hearthside Plus unlocks unlimited daily cooking, the full cookbook with Silver and Golden Spoon content, and all kitchen spirits. It is available through monthly, annual, or a one-time lifetime purchase. ### Is Hearthside suitable for children? Hearthside has an age rating of 4+, making it suitable for young children. The app focuses on positive reinforcement and a gentle experience without any guilt or judgment. ### How often is Hearthside updated? The app was last updated on August 15, 2026, with version 1.0.6. Updates typically include new features, bug fixes, and content additions to enhance the user experience. ### Can I play Hearthside offline? The description states that your meal log lives on your device and photos are processed briefly without being stored on servers, suggesting offline functionality for core features. However, specific offline play details are not explicitly mentioned. ### What is the user sentiment for Hearthside? Hearthside has a high rating of 4.8 stars from 4 ratings, indicating positive user sentiment. Users appreciate its cozy atmosphere and guilt-free approach to meal logging. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 1.0.8 — 2026-08-25 Hearthside has a voice now. Bao and every kitchen spirit speak in their own way. Crumb is low and sleepy, Pearl is bright and quick, and each of them types out what they think of what you cooked. There is music too: a warm loop while the kitchen is busy, and a slower one after dark or once the hearth burns down to embers. Every recipe card also has a back now. Turn one over to write your own notes: what you changed, how long it really took, whether it was worth making again. Notes are free for everyone and stay with the card every time you cook that dish. You can also share a card now, so the dish you have made nine times can leave the kitchen. New this update: • Voices for Bao and all kitchen spirits • Kitchen music, with a separate night theme • Recipe notes on the back of every card • Share any card as an image • Better matching for jams, sauces, pickles, and everything else that is not a plated dinner • Try Hearthside Plus free for 14 days Music and sound effects each have their own switch in Settings, and Hearthside never interrupts what you are already listening to. ### 1.0.7 — 2026-08-20 The hearth has a soundtrack now. Bao and the kitchen spirits each speak in their own way. Crumb is low and sleepy, Pearl is bright and quick, and every one of them types out what they think of what you cooked. There is music too: a warm loop while the kitchen is busy, and a slower one after dark or once the hearth burns down to embers. All of it can be turned off in Settings, and Hearthside never interrupts whatever you are already listening to. ### 1.0.6 — 2026-08-15 The free hearth just got warmer! • Log up to three meals a day • Keep six recipe cards in your cookbook • Crumb, the sleepy bread spirit, now joins every kitchen for free: bake a couple of things and see who rises Also in this update: small fixes to keep Bao cozy. Happy cooking! ### 1.0.5 — 2026-08-11 Fresh polish around the kitchen: new recipe card art, smarter dish matching, and cozy little touches throughout. Thanks for cooking with us! ### 1.0.4 — 2026-08-10 Small polish and warmth improvements around the kitchen. Thanks for cooking with us. ## More apps by James Napolitano - [ED Rush](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ed-rush/id6759456999) - [AskFirst: Appointment Prep](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/askfirst-appointment-prep/id6761343169) - [Run the Board: EM Sim](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/run-the-board-em-sim/id6772322725) All apps by James Napolitano: https://appshunter.io/developer/1874362281 --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-26.*