# bartender.live vs BarGenius

The clearest difference is monetization model: bartender.live at free against BarGenius's subscription. bartender.live also leads on ratings volume (388 vs 79). BarGenius's advantage is chart position (#101 vs unranked) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.0). On price, rating, review sentiment and update cadence there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. bartender.live sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and BarGenius sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for bartender.live against 4.7 for BarGenius. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 388 and 79 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 77% of bartender.live's written reviews are positive against 82% of BarGenius's.

bartender.live ships an update every 8 days, BarGenius every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and September 28, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | bartender.live | BarGenius |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (388 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bartenderlive/id1309377225/reviews)** | [4.7 (79 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bargenius-bartender-app/id6740407542/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **388** | 79 |
| Positive reviews | 76.7% of reviews | **82.1% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 8 days | **Every 5 days** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Subscription |
| Best chart rank | — | **#101** |
| Size | 76 MB | 35 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.6** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Jacket Industries, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1126517950) | [David Parker](https://appshunter.io/developer/821839348) |

## What reviewers say

### bartender.live

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bartenderlive/id1309377225)

Discover cocktail recipes based on ingredients you have. Browse over a thousand drinks, star favorites, and share creations. Learn drink histories and find new concoctions.

**Highlights:** Ingredient-based drink discovery, Browse 1000+ cocktail recipes, Favorite drinks for quick access, Share recipes with friends, Learn drink history, Discover new cocktails

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Top Shelf | $4.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Intuitive and easy-to-use interface
- 💡 Innovative 'In My Bar' feature to find drinks based on available ingredients
- 📚 Extensive database of cocktail recipes
- 🎯 Generic ingredient categories instead of brand-specific items
- ⏰ Daily drink reminder at 5pm

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔍 Search function inconsistent and sometimes returns no results
- ❌ Limited ability to add personal recipes and notes
- 🐦 Twitter-only submission method for new recipes (inaccessible to many)
- 📋 Incomplete recipe database missing common drinks
- ⚠️ Quality control issues with some recipes (missing ingredients)

**Reported bugs**

- Search returns no results for valid queries (e.g., 'Gin Campari')
- 'New' tab in drinks list remains grayed out
- New drink notifications not accessible if alert is missed
- Missing ingredients in some recipe descriptions despite correct images
- Inconsistent notification delivery for daily drink feature

**Requested features**

- Search/filter by specific spirit or ingredient (e.g., mint, bourbon)
- Ability to add personal notes and modify recipes
- Quantity tracking for inventory items
- Filter drinks by number of missing ingredients (1-3 missing)
- Ingredient suggestions to unlock more drinks


### BarGenius

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bargenius-bartender-app/id6740407542)

**Currently charting:** #101 Top Grossing · Food & Drink (US App Store)

Explore over 10,000 cocktail recipes with this ad-free app. Discover classics and modern creations, learn mixology techniques, and even create and share your own recipes. Perfect for home enthusiasts and professional bartenders alike.

**Highlights:** Over 10,000 cocktail recipes, Search and discover cocktails, Learn mixology techniques, Create and share custom recipes, Follow top bartenders, Browse drink history and origins

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Pro | $3.99 | per month |
| Yearly Pro | $19.99 | per year |
| Lifetime Pro | $39.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is bartender.live free?

bartender.live is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is BarGenius free?

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

### Which has better reviews, bartender.live or BarGenius?

bartender.live is rated higher. bartender.live averages 4.8 out of 5 from 388 ratings, while BarGenius averages 4.7 from 79 ratings.

### Do bartender.live or BarGenius have ads?

Neither bartender.live nor BarGenius shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, bartender.live or BarGenius?

bartender.live ships an update every 8 days, and BarGenius every 5 days. Most recently, bartender.live was updated on October 1, 2026 and BarGenius on September 28, 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.*