Comparison

Ember vs HotKup

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

Head to head
About

Ember

This app allows you to precisely control the temperature of your hot beverages using a smart mug. Customize presets, receive notifications when your drink reaches the perfect temperature, and explore recipes. Personalize your mug settings for an enhanced drinking experience.

Highlights
  • Precise temperature control
  • Save temperature presets
  • Beverage recipes and blogs
  • Customizable notifications
  • Manage multiple mugs
  • Personalize mug settings
Features
Read full description

At Ember®, we use temperature control to change the world in ordinary (and extraordinary) ways. With an Ember Temperature Control Smart Mug and the Ember app, you can transform your mornings by making hot beverages set to your chosen temperature an everyday reality. Our redesigned Ember app is simple, easy to use, and customizable. Whether you are a first-time user or a long-time customer, get ready for a whole new temperature control experience. The Ember app seamlessly pairs with your Ember products to precisely adjust your favorite hot drinks to your preferred drinking temperature, saves temperature presets, offers recipes, sends notifications when your desired drinking temperature has been reached, and more. Ember App Features: - Control the temperature of your beverage down to the degree - Use your previous temperature setting for a set-it-and-forget-it beverage experience - Manage unlimited paired mugs on an all-new Ember home screen - Find recipes and blogs you can save and share with friends and family in the new Explore section - Receive notifications when your preferred temperature has been reached, or your battery is low - Customize presets for multiple beverages and engage timers - Personalize your mugs with names and adjust the color of the smart LED - Easily switch between °C/°F and control sounds and haptic feedback in the redesigned Account section - Access Ember x Health with Apple Health

About

HotKup

This app allows you to control the temperature of your mug, boil water, brew beverages, and maintain your ideal drinking temperature. It offers both app and manual control, with versatile power options including battery, AC, and 12v car power.

Highlights
  • Boil water
  • Brew coffee/tea
  • Maintain perfect temperature
  • App and manual control
  • Battery, AC, and 12v power options
Features
Read full description

Temperature control mug can boil water, brew coffee or tea, maintain perfect temperature. App or manual control. Battery, AC or 12v car power.

Screenshots

Ember4 screens
HotKup4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Ember at 3.3 against HotKup's 1.0. Ember also leads on ratings volume (7.4K vs 3) and review sentiment (18% vs 0%). HotKup's advantage is device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (12.4 vs 16.6). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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

Ember holds the better App Store score, 3.3 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Ember has 7.4K ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 18% of Ember's written reviews are positive against 0% of HotKup's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and June 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Ember versus HotKup: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterEmberHotKup
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.3 (7.4K ratings) — better1.0 (3 ratings)
Positive reviews18.0% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings7.4K — better3
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.612.4 — better
Further details — not scored
Size63 MB19 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperEmber Technologies Inc.Sinospec

Customer experience

Ember

All ratings7,424 ratings
Positive54.6%
Neutral4.8%
Negative40.6%
Written reviews1,289 reviews
Positive18.0%
Neutral8.3%
Negative73.7%

HotKup

All ratings3 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral33.3%
Negative66.7%

Bugs and requests

Ember

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • App frequently logs users out
  • Mug disconnects from app randomly
  • Firmware update process often fails
  • App doesn't always detect liquid in mug
  • Presets and settings get lost after updates

Requested features

5 requests
  • Battery level indicator on main screen
  • Improved Apple Watch app functionality
  • Wireless charging option
  • Ability to lock temperature settings
  • Automatic temperature adjustment based on volume

HotKup

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Ember

No in-app purchases

None

HotKup

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Ember free?
Ember is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is HotKup free?
HotKup is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Ember or HotKup?
Ember is rated higher. Ember averages 3.3 out of 5 from 7.4K ratings, while HotKup averages 1.0 from 3 ratings.
Do Ember or HotKup have ads?
Neither Ember nor HotKup shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Ember or HotKup?
Ember ships an update every 2 months, and HotKup every 2 months. Most recently, Ember was updated on September 23, 2026 and HotKup on June 5, 2026.

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