Comparison

Ripples vs Backbar

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Ripples

Manage drink designs, order supplies, and access expert guidance for a drink printer. Create custom mobile sites for customer creations and learn tips to enhance print quality. Designed for on-the-go teams in bars and cafes.

Highlights
  • Manage drink designs
  • Order supplies
  • Create custom mobile sites
  • Access expert guidance
  • Upload and schedule content
  • Restock cartridges and accessories
Features
Read full description

Already have a Ripple Maker drink printer? This app is a must. It puts content management, supply ordering, and expert guidance right at your fingertips. No desktop required, designed to support your busy team on the road or behind the bar. New to Ripples? The Ripple Maker is a countertop-sized drink printer that uses natural, plant-based extracts to print images, logos, and messages directly onto foam-topped drinks. Transform your lattes, beer and cocktails into shareable moments that boost your bottom line. What you can do with the Ripples App: • Manage your designs Upload, select, and schedule drink-top content in just a few taps. From seasonal LTOs and brand promotions to birthday prints and trending memes, it’s never been easier to keep your drinks relevant and on-brand. • Order from the store Running low on cartridges? Need to print on macarons? Restock supplies directly through the app. Fast, secure, and mobile-first. • Update your own mobile site for customer creations Set up your custom customer-facing mobile site especially to match your venue or for a special holiday or event. Your customers will then be able to scan a QR code and upload their own pictures or select a favorite image to be printed on their drinks, no download required. Perfect for events, activations, and creating a customizable experience for every customer. (Requires the Advanced Design Plan). • Learn tips and tricks Get expert advice from the Ripples team on how to perfect your pour, improve print quality, and use your machine to its full potential with full access to the Ripples Training Academy video library. Still need help? Easily connect with your Customer Success Rep. • Track machine stats (coming soon) Get weekly updates with print counts, top-performing designs, and usage trends to understand what’s working and plan your next menu move. Download the Ripples App today and start running your drink marketing from your phone.

About

Backbar

This application streamlines bar and restaurant management by simplifying inventory counting, vendor purchasing, and menu costing. It helps reduce costs and improve efficiency for beverage programs. Features include real-time syncing across devices, barcode scanning, and integration with over 1,300 beverage suppliers.

Highlights
  • Real-time inventory syncing
  • Barcode scanning for products
  • Streamlined vendor purchasing
  • Menu costing and pricing optimization
  • Digital invoice management
  • Staff education on beverages
Features
Read full description

Backbar helps restaurants and bars increase profitability, decrease COGS, and run a more efficient beverage program. Backbar, the only free bar inventory app, saves hours on counting inventory and simplifies bar management. Backbar not only solves inventory management, but also streamlines vendor purchasing and tracking, menu costing, and financial tracking. Here are some of the many features of Backbar: - Quickly count inventory across many locations, devices and users, syncing in real-time - Count inventory in multiple locations and on multiple devices simultaneously - Scan barcodes to instantly find and count products - Streamline purchasing by sending orders to all your distributors with a single tap - Track past orders and invoices for all your distributors - Connect to your point-of-sale (POS) system for real-time inventory depletions - Save digital invoices easily by taking a photo - Connect to over 1,300 beverage suppliers for automated product updates and cost changes - Educate staff with tasting notes and drink information - Cost out cocktail recipes and optimize menu pricing - Quickly add a new item from our global database of over 300,000 wines, beers, spirits and other beverages Download the app today and make beverage management easier with Backbar

Screenshots

Ripples4 screens
Backbar4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Backbar at 3.6 against Ripples's 3.0. Backbar also leads on review sentiment (60% vs 27%) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). Ripples's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). On price, ratings volume, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Backbar holds the better App Store score, 3.6 against 3.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 20 and 33 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 27% of Ripples's written reviews are positive against 60% of Backbar's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Ripples ships an update every 2 months, Backbar every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 9, 2026 and July 26, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Ripples versus Backbar: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRipplesBackbar
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.0 (20 ratings)3.6 (33 ratings) — better
Positive reviews26.7% of reviews60.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings2033 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.515.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size65 MB32 MB
Age rating12+17+
DeveloperSteam CCBackbar

Customer experience

Ripples

All ratings20 ratings
Positive45.0%
Neutral10.0%
Negative45.0%
Written reviews15 reviews
Positive26.7%
Neutral6.7%
Negative66.7%

Backbar

All ratings33 ratings
Positive60.6%
Neutral6.1%
Negative33.3%
Written reviews20 reviews
Positive60.0%
Neutral5.0%
Negative35.0%

In-app purchases

None

Ripples

No in-app purchases

None

Backbar

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Ripples free?
Ripples is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Backbar free?
Backbar is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Ripples or Backbar?
Backbar is rated higher. Ripples averages 3.0 out of 5 from 20 ratings, while Backbar averages 3.6 from 33 ratings.
Do Ripples or Backbar have ads?
Backbar shows ads; Ripples does not.
Which is updated more often, Ripples or Backbar?
Ripples ships an update every 2 months, and Backbar every 3 weeks. Most recently, Ripples was updated on September 9, 2026 and Backbar on July 26, 2026.

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