America's Test Kitchen vs BBQAdvisor
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
America's Test Kitchen
Access thousands of rigorously tested recipes, cooking videos, and expert product reviews. Enhance your culinary skills with on-demand classes taught by test kitchen professionals. Save favorites, create shopping lists, and discover new dishes for any occasion.
- 14,000+ tested recipes
- Expert-led cooking classes
- App-exclusive content
- Product reviews and ratings
- Save favorite recipes
- Create shopping lists
- Ad-free cooking episodes
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The America's Test Kitchen app delivers the best-tasting recipes, cooking videos, product reviews, and more than 30 years of test kitchen discoveries! Get every rigorously tested recipe from America’s Test Kitchen, Cook’s Illustrated, and Cook’s Country. Recipe collections for every occasion: Weeknight recipes, healthy recipes, desserts, slow cooker recipes, and more all include “Why This Recipe Works” so you’ll know every test kitchen discovery. Save favorite recipes, cook great food, and get the recipe app that has it all. New app-exclusive feature! ATK Classes add on with expert-led cooking classes for all skill levels and personal connections with ATK instructors. Download America’s Test Kitchen today and become a culinary master! America’s Test Kitchen Features: Save Favorite Recipes - Cooking app with 14,000+ best-ever recipes - Recipes tested by test cooks and 70,000 volunteer home cooks - Recipe Collections: slow cooker recipes, seasonal picks, quick meals & more - Recipes added every month and cooking articles added every day! - Save favorite recipes, customize recipes with personal notes & get quick access on any device Kitchen Reviews - Kitchen appliance reviews and ingredient ratings at your fingertips - Save money and time with 8,000+ rigorously researched product reviews & trusted kitchen reviews Full Episodes, Ad-Free - Cooking episodes from 42 seasons of our top-rated TV shows America’s Test Kitchen and Cook’s Country And More! - Get Fresh Pick recommendations based on your favorites with Recipe Recommendations - Find, compare, save favorite recipes & share with others - Shopping lists are created with ease and you’ll never forget anything again New Feature: Add On ATK Classes! - Focused, fun on-demand classes taught by test kitchen experts - Build your skills and refine your cooking intuition - Use “Cook Along” mode to see every step - Enjoy a personal connection with instructors - Access classes for all skill levels Try out the entire app with a free trial. - Current ATK Essential members can access this app at no additional charge after logging in - Access to the ATK app requires a monthly or annual ATK Essential membership, which also includes all the content across the America’s Test Kitchen, Cook’s Illustrated, and Cook’s Country sites. - Bundle ATK Essential + ATK Classes and save! Privacy Policy: https://www.americastestkitchen.com/guides/corporate-pages/privacy-policy CA Privacy Notice: https://www.americastestkitchen.com/guides/corporate-pages/privacy-policy Terms of Service: https://www.americastestkitchen.com/guides/corporate-pages/terms-of-use Contact Us: support@Americastestkitchen.com All subscriptions start at the end of the applicable free trial period. Free trials are only available upon an initial subscription. Payment will be charged to your iTunes account after your free trial period or at confirmation of purchase. Your subscription will automatically renew each month or year 24 hours before the end of the current period and your credit card will be charged through your iTunes account unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. You can turn off auto-renew at any time from your iTunes account settings. Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when you purchase a subscription to that publication, where applicable. All products reviewed by America’s Test Kitchen are independently chosen, researched, and reviewed by our editors. We buy products for testing at retail locations and do not accept unsolicited samples for testing. We list suggested sources for recommended products as a convenience to our readers but do not endorse specific retailers. When you choose to purchase our editorial recommendations from the links we provide, we may earn an affiliate commission. Prices are subject to change.
BBQAdvisor
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It's hour six. The brisket has been stuck at 160°F. Is something wrong? No — that's the stall, and BBQAdvisor is the app that tells you so. BBQAdvisor is a smoking coach for low-and-slow cooks: plan the cook before you light the smoker, check in when the probe has you second-guessing, and find out afterward why it came out the way it did. PLAN YOUR COOK — FREE, INSTANT, UNLIMITED Pick your cut, enter the size, tell us when you want to eat. You get the full plan on one screen, instantly: • A backwards-planned timeline — when to season, when the meat goes on, when to expect the stall, with a built-in hold buffer so dinner is never waiting on the smoker • Two temperatures, clearly separated: the USDA-safe minimum and the done temp where the cut actually gets tender — because 145°F brisket is safe, but it isn't dinner • Wrap guidance: whether this cut benefits, and when • A rub recipe scaled exactly to your cook — pick a style, get amounts in tablespoons for your actual weight or rack count • Wood pairings, resting and holding notes, and how many people it feeds CHECK MID-COOK — THE PANIC KILLER (PRO) Enter your probe temp and how long it's been on — add a photo if you want a bark read. You get a straight verdict: on track, in the stall, wrap now, almost done, or done. When you're in the stall, it says so — hold steady, here's your wrap point — instead of letting you chase the temperature. LOG THE RESULT (PRO) Photograph the sliced cross-section. BBQAdvisor reads the bark, smoke ring, moisture, and tenderness, scores the cook, tells you what went well and what to change next time — and builds a share card worth sending. THE ROSTER Free: brisket, pork butt, chuck roast, baby back ribs, whole chicken — unlimited plans, no account required. Pro adds: beef ribs, spare ribs, tri-tip, prime rib, pork loin, pork tenderloin, pork belly, chicken wings, chicken thighs, spatchcock chicken, whole turkey, turkey breast, spatchcock turkey, salmon and trout — plus smoked sausage (snack sticks and summer sausage from your kit: we predict the time to 165°F and coach the smoke). RUBS AND BRINES Regional and classic profiles built from the canon — Texas, Kansas City, Memphis, Carolina, Santa Maria, Coffee-chili, Herb crust, Alabama white — each scaled to your cook. Build and save your own rubs. Poultry and fish brine guides included. SAFETY YOU CAN TRUST USDA-safe temperatures are always displayed and never improvised. Doneness is your call on steak-style cuts like tri-tip and prime rib — the guideline is always shown alongside. FREE — START HERE • Unlimited cook plans on the five most popular cuts • Full plan every time: timeline, temps, rub, wood — nothing held back • No ads, anywhere PRO — $39.99/YEAR OR $4.99/MONTH Less than a bag of pellets a month: • The full roster — 19 cuts plus smoked sausage • Mid-cook Check, unlimited • Finished-cook Log with share card • Your cook library — every smoke saved, with what you'd change SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION BBQAdvisor Pro is an auto-renewing subscription. Payment is charged to your Apple ID at confirmation of purchase. Your subscription renews automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel in your Apple ID account settings. Terms of Use: https://bbqadvisor.app/terms Privacy Policy: https://bbqadvisor.app/privacy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: BBQAdvisor at none against America's Test Kitchen's shown. America's Test Kitchen's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 6 weeks) and chart position (#10 vs #200). On price, in-app purchases and iOS requirement 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. America's Test Kitchen sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and BBQAdvisor sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
America's Test Kitchen ships an update fortnightly, BBQAdvisor every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | America's Test Kitchen | BBQAdvisor |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.9 (18K ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 66.2% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 18K — better | — |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly — better | Every 6 weeks |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Subscription | — |
| Best chart rank | #10 — better | #200 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 — better | 16.4 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 129 MB | 53 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | America's Test Kitchen LP | Christopher Hilmoe |
Bugs and requests
America's Test Kitchen
Reported bugs
4 issues- Recipes and content not loading properly
- Inability to access account after updates
- Syncing issues between app and website
- Frequent log-outs and need to re-login
Requested features
4 requests- Add ability to categorize and organize saved recipes
- Improve search functionality and filtering options
- Implement sharing capabilities to easily share recipes
- Add support for metric measurements alongside imperial
BBQAdvisor
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
America's Test Kitchen
- ATK Essential - Monthly14 Days trial$9.991 Month
- Classes Monthly$9.991 Month
- Essential + Classes - Monthly$19.991 Month
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- Classes Annual$39.991 Year
- ATK Essential - Annual14 Days trial$49.991 Year
- Essential + Classes - Annual14 Days trial$89.991 Year
BBQAdvisor
- BBQAdvisor Pro (Monthly)$4.991 Month
- BBQAdvisor Pro (Annual)$39.991 Year
Questions
Is America's Test Kitchen free?
Is BBQAdvisor free?
Do America's Test Kitchen or BBQAdvisor have ads?
Which is updated more often, America's Test Kitchen or BBQAdvisor?
Which is more popular, America's Test Kitchen or BBQAdvisor?
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