Ramen Beast vs Lumbar
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Ramen Beast
Discover Tokyo's finest ramen shops with this connoisseur's guide. Get English and Japanese recommendations for over 700 unique establishments, including ordering tips and shop details. Navigate by style, from traditional to innovative.
- Discover 700+ Tokyo ramen shops
- English and Japanese ordering recommendations
- Navigate by ramen style categories
- In-depth shop reviews
- Essential shop information (hours, address)
- Curated, non-chain recommendations
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Ramen Beast is a connoisseur's guide to the very best ramen shops of Japan. Over 10,000 bowls (and counting) were eaten to create this app. Only the finest shops are included (no chains, no tourist traps). Ramen Beast does one simple thing: It directs you to the best ramen in Japan. We are obsessive about our recommendations and information. We've spent years eating across Japan. This app was created to share that knowledge. APP FEATURES: — Discover more than 2,000 of Japan's very best ramen shops, spanning the traditional, exquisite, innovative, beastly and downright bizarre. — Get recommendations in English and Japanese on which bowl to order at every shop. — In depth review of every shop, including details of shop specialty, chef's history, specialty ingredients, basic ordering tips, ramen lore and more. — Essential info: shop address, ramen style, star rating and more. Follow The Ramen Beast on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ramen_beast/ Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ramenbeast
Lumbar
Discover and rate restaurant seating comfort to enhance your dining experience. Find nearby places or search specific restaurants to see their comfort ratings before you go.
- Search nearby restaurants
- Search by restaurant name
- Get directions
- Rate seating comfort
- View past ratings
- Guest or account login
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Happy Stomach. Happier Back. Dining out isn’t just about food — comfort matters too. Lumbar is the first app dedicated to restaurant comfort, helping you discover and rate seating so your dining experience is enhanced. Why Lumbar? Most apps focus only on what’s on the plate. Lumbar is different — it puts seating comfort at the center, enhancing the dining experience in a way other apps overlook. Features • Search Nearby Restaurants – See places near you, with driving distance shown for the closest results. • Search by Name – Look up specific restaurants to check their comfort ratings. • Get Directions – Connect directly to Google Maps for quick and easy navigation. • Rate Comfort – Use our simple emoji system to share your seating experience. • View My Ratings – Track and revisit all your past comfort scores and comments. • Guest or Account Login – Explore as a guest, or sign up to save ratings across devices. Download Lumbar today — the first app that makes restaurant comfort part of the dining experience.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Lumbar at 5.0 against Ramen Beast's 4.4. Lumbar also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 2) and review sentiment (100% vs 67%). Ramen Beast's advantage is ratings volume (24 vs 4). On price, ads, monetization model 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
Both are free to download. Ramen Beast sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Lumbar asks for nothing beyond the download.
Lumbar holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Ramen Beast has 24 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 67% of Ramen Beast's written reviews are positive against 100% of Lumbar's.
Ramen Beast ships an update every 9 months, Lumbar every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Ramen Beast | Lumbar |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.4 (24 ratings) | 5.0 (4 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 66.7% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 24 — better | 4 |
| Update frequency | Every 9 months | Every 10 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 — better | 17.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 16 MB | 14 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Patrick Brzeski | Eric Winchell |
Customer experience
Ramen Beast
Lumbar
In-app purchases
Ramen Beast
- Lists – Monthly$4.991 Month
- Lists – Yearly$39.991 Year
Lumbar
No in-app purchases
