# Caffeine App vs Cup Buddy

The clearest difference is update cadence: Cup Buddy at every 4 days against Caffeine App's monthly. Cup Buddy also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 74%) and iOS requirement (16.0 vs 18.0). Caffeine App's advantage is device support (3 vs 1). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Caffeine App sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Cup Buddy sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Caffeine App ships an update monthly, Cup Buddy every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and September 20, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Caffeine App | Cup Buddy |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (340 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/caffeine-app-daily-tracker/id1045959983/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **340** | — |
| Positive reviews | 73.7% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Every 4 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 17 MB | 9 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **16.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, Apple Watch, Vision Pro** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Oleg Mueller](https://appshunter.io/developer/367875607) | [Ilia Stukalov](https://appshunter.io/developer/1004427873) |

## What reviewers say

### Caffeine App

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/caffeine-app-daily-tracker/id1045959983)

Track your caffeine intake from various beverages and monitor your hydration levels. Visualize your caffeine curve over 24 hours and receive notifications for your optimal sleep time. Integrates with Apple Health and Apple Watch for seamless logging and data syncing.

**Highlights:** Log caffeine from coffee, tea, and energy drinks, Visualize 24-hour caffeine curve, Calculate optimal sleep time, Track daily water intake, Apple Watch logging and complications, Apple Health integration, iCloud sync

**Features:** Apple Watch app

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlock Pro | $4.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use and intuitive interface
- 🎯 Accurate caffeine tracking and decay calculations
- ⏰ Helpful sleep readiness predictions
- 🏥 Apple Health integration for long-term tracking
- ⌚ Apple Watch support with quick logging

**What reviewers complain about**

- ⚠️ Recent performance degradation from new features
- 📊 Graphs become too small with multiple charts enabled
- ⏳ Long graphics update delays affecting responsiveness
- 🐛 Sleep ready time shows current time instead of prediction
- 🌍 Limited beverage library for non-German markets

**Reported bugs**

- Sleep ready time displays current time instead of predicted sleep time
- Cannot rename custom amounts until after adding them
- Newly added custom amounts appear at bottom of list
- Health app data from third-party apps not syncing
- All presets missing in some versions

**Requested features**

- Toggle option to disable bar chart visualization
- Taller graph display area with scrolling capability
- Personalization based on body weight and metabolism
- Ounce-based measurement options for drinks
- Multi-day and historical trend analysis


### Cup Buddy

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cup-buddy-caffeine-tracker/id1556472703)

Track your daily caffeine intake to understand its effects on your body, mind, and sleep. Set personal limits, monitor progress, and receive metabolism forecasts to manage your energy levels and improve your overall well-being.

**Highlights:** Track caffeine intake from over 180 sources, Set and adjust daily caffeine limits, View caffeine metabolism forecasts, Integrates with Apple Health, Monthly subscription for full features

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlimited access | $5.99 | per month |
| Unlimited access for a Year | $59.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Caffeine App free?

Caffeine App is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Cup Buddy free?

Cup Buddy is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Do Caffeine App or Cup Buddy have ads?

Neither Caffeine App nor Cup Buddy shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Caffeine App or Cup Buddy?

Caffeine App ships an update monthly, and Cup Buddy every 4 days. Most recently, Caffeine App was updated on October 15, 2026 and Cup Buddy on September 20, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*