PubPass vs Bourbonator
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
PubPass
Discover and explore local and national craft beer bars and breweries. Access exclusive deals on beer, such as discounted prices and buy-one-get-one offers, at participating locations. Simply show the app to redeem your savings and digitally stamp your progress.
- Discover bars and breweries
- Exclusive beer deals
- Digital passport stamping
- Nationwide participating locations
- Save on craft beer
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PubPass is America's favorite craft beer passport. It’s the best way to explore great bars & breweries around town and across the country. As a member you’ll have access to beer deals such as $1 beers and 'buy one get one' (BOGO) beers not just in your home city, but at all participating PubPass locations. Simply show the app to your bartender or server to redeem. The best part? The deal will be available again in 30 days. Here's how it works: VISIT A BAR OR BREWERY: Great bars and breweries will appear on your map. SHOW THE APP: Show the app to your bartender or server and they’ll digitally stamp the page. SCORE DEALS ON BEER: Each spot will have a great selection of craft beers available with a special deal for PubPassers. *Deals may vary by city due to state regulations. Click app support for details.
Bourbonator
Log your whiskey experiences, rate your favorite pours, and discover new bottles with personalized recommendations. Connect with a community of fellow enthusiasts, track your collection, and build a wishlist of future tastings. Explore detailed profiles and tasting notes for a wide range of spirits.
- Log tastings with ratings, notes, and photos
- Personal cellar and wishlist management
- Personalized whiskey recommendations
- Explore distillery profiles and expression details
- Connect with other whiskey enthusiasts
- AI-powered bottle identification (Pro feature)
- Flavor profile visualization (Pro feature)
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Bourbonator is the app for everyone who loves whiskey — from the curious newcomer to the seasoned collector. Track what you drink, rate what you love, discover what's next, and share it all with a community that gets it. WHETHER YOU'RE LOGGING OR EXPLORING Check in every pour with a rating, tasting notes, and a photo. Build a personal record of everything you've tried, so you never forget that one incredible dram — or that bottle to avoid next time. TRACK YOUR JOURNEY Check in whiskeys with ratings, flavor notes, and photos Keep a personal cellar of bottles you own Build a wishlist of what you want to try next Browse your full tasting history, sorted and searchable DISCOVER YOUR NEXT BOTTLE Get personalized recommendations based on your taste Explore a deep catalog of bourbons, ryes, scotches, and more Find what's popular in the community Dig into distillery profiles and expression details CONNECT WITH FELLOW ENTHUSIASTS Follow friends and see what they're pouring Toast, like, and comment on check-ins Tag friends in your tastings — and nudge them to pour one with you Discover people who share your palate GO DEEPER WITH PRO Unlock the full experience with Bourbonator Pro: Whisky Lens — scan a bottle, menu, or shelf with your camera and let AI identify what you're looking at Taste DNA — visualize your flavor preferences across six dimensions Annual Recap — your year in whiskey, beautifully summarized Advanced stats and deeper insights Private lists Unlimited tasting flights Bourbonator is built by whiskey lovers, for whiskey lovers. Please drink responsibly. You must be of legal drinking age to use this app. Terms of Use: https://bourbonator.app/terms
Screenshots
Verdict
PubPass and Bourbonator both sit at 4.9 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of Bourbonator's written reviews are positive against 52% of PubPass's. Bourbonator also leads on update cadence (daily vs every 3 weeks). PubPass's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and ratings volume (1.7K vs 1). On price, rating, ads 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. Bourbonator sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. PubPass asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for PubPass against 5.0 for Bourbonator. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PubPass has 1.7K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 52% of PubPass's written reviews are positive against 100% of Bourbonator's.
PubPass ships an update every 3 weeks, Bourbonator daily. Both last shipped on October 12, 2026.
| Parameter | PubPass | Bourbonator |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.9 (1.7K ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 51.7% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 1.7K — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Daily — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 15.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 113 MB | 35 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | PubPass | Ryan Vervack |
Customer experience
PubPass
Bourbonator
Bugs and requests
PubPass
Reported bugs
3 issues- App freezes on map screen
- App crashes on launch or login screen
- Unresponsive buttons and navigation
Requested features
2 requests- Expand to more locations, especially in Illinois and the Pacific Northwest
- Fix compatibility issues with newer iOS versions
Bourbonator
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
PubPass
No in-app purchases
Bourbonator
- Monthly Pro Subscription$4.991 Month
- Bourbonator Pro - Annual$49.991 Year
