Comparison

Tap Deck vs Brew Pilot

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

Head to head
About

Tap Deck

Manage and display your craft beer selection with this innovative system. Showcase your brews on various screens, from large TVs to mobile devices, updating inventory and tap changes in real-time. This management app requires login and integrates social features.

Highlights
  • Real-time tap and inventory updates
  • Display on TVs and mobile devices
  • Socially integrated media center
  • Product showcase for customers
  • Login-required management app
Features
Read full description

An innovative display system for your craft brews on tap. More than just a display system, it’s a social integrated, mobile aware media center that brings your product up close and personal. From any size TV display to mobile devices, get your product out to your customers as you change the taps or add to your inventory. This application is the management app for the Tap Deck Display System. Login required.

About

Brew Pilot

This app helps homebrewers design, manage, and execute their beer recipes. It offers offline functionality, real-time timers, and recipe sharing via QR codes. Premium features are available via a one-time purchase.

Highlights
  • Offline-first brewing companion
  • Cascading equipment-aware timers
  • Real-time mash pH calculator
  • Integrated brew log
  • QR code recipe sharing
  • BeerXML import/export
  • Apple Watch companion app
Features
Read full description

Brew Pilot is the brewing companion that lives in your pocket and on your wrist. Design recipes on your phone, share them with a single QR code, and execute flawlessly on brew day with cascading timers and real-time calculations...all without internet, without accounts, without monthly subscriptions. BREW DAY FEATURES • Cascading equipment-aware timers for steep, mash, boil, and fermentation • Real-time mash pH calculator with water chemistry adjustments • Integrated brew log with one-tap step completion • Souring, fermentation, and aging phase tracking with editable start time...see exactly how many days into each phase you are • Auto-filled rack, keg, and bottle dates when you check off the matching step • Per-brew-day Live Activities & Dynamic Island timer...run multiple batches at once without losing your place • Apple Watch Companion (watchOS + iPhone 15+) RECIPE DESIGN • Complete all-grain, extract, partial mash, kettle sour, and mixed fermentation recipes • 109 BJCP style profiles with gravity ranges and characteristics • Group recipes by broad style...every IPA, Stout, Lager, or Sour in your library in one glance • Live ingredient library...tweak a grain's PPG, a yeast's notes, or a water profile, and every recipe that uses it picks up the change • Searchable ingredient libraries...find the grain, hop, yeast, or adjunct you need in seconds • BeerXML import/export (compatible with Brewfather, BeerSmith, Brewer's Friend) • Unlimited recipes in free tier RECIPE SHARING • QR codes - share a complete recipe by scan or photo; no account, no login, no link to click • Universal Links - recipients without the app see a styled web preview at share.brewpilotapp.com • Custom ingredients travel with the recipe - your custom grains, hops, and yeast auto-populate the recipient's library on scan • Universal stats - every shared card uses a standard efficiency so the numbers represent the recipe, not your specific brewery • Long-press the QR on a saved image to open it directly, no second device needed WHY BREW PILOT WINS • Offline-first: No internet required, no data harvesting • No account needed: Your recipes stay on your phone • Free forever: Full recipe design + brew logs, zero paywalls • One-time Pro ($24.99): Advanced water chemistry, BJCP profiles, multiple equipment setups, iCloud sync • watchOS + Dynamic Island: Brew day timer on your wrist - no phone needed • Cascading timers: All timers sync, reset, and pause together MADE FOR HOMEBREWERS WHO VALUE SIMPLICITY Built by someone who got tired of paying subscriptions for software that didn't work when you needed it most. No email harvesting. No monthly charges. Just a tool that disappears into your brew day and gets out of the way. FREE FOREVER. PREMIUM ONCE. • Brew Pilot is free with unlimited recipes, QR recipe sharing, BeerXML / JSON import and export, 1 active brew day, full brew day tracking, and 7 ready-to-brew house recipes. • Brew Pilot Premium unlocks pro calculators, BJCP style compliance, stepped mash, multiple equipment setups, water chemistry, cost tracking, iCloud sync, PDF brew sheets, Apple Watch companion, SG tracking, Tilt Hydrometer compatibility and cross-batch insights with a single one-time purchase. • No subscription. No recurring fees. Ever.

Screenshots

Tap Deck4 screens
Brew Pilot4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Tap Deck at none against Brew Pilot's 1. Tap Deck also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 26.0). Brew Pilot's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs every 18 months) and ratings volume (8 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Brew Pilot sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Tap Deck asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Tap Deck against 5.0 for Brew Pilot. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Brew Pilot has 8 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Tap Deck ships an update every 18 months, Brew Pilot every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Tap Deck versus Brew Pilot: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTap DeckBrew Pilot
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings)5.0 (8 ratings)
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings18 — better
Update frequencyEvery 18 monthsEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch
Requires iOS15.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size19 MB21 MB
Age rating17+17+
DeveloperJason NeumeierBenjamin Holder

Customer experience

Tap Deck

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Brew Pilot

All ratings8 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Tap Deck

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Brew Pilot

One-time1
  • Brew Pilot Premium$24.99

Questions

Is Tap Deck free?
Tap Deck is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Brew Pilot free?
Brew Pilot is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Tap Deck or Brew Pilot?
Tap Deck and Brew Pilot are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 8 ratings respectively.
Do Tap Deck or Brew Pilot have ads?
Neither Tap Deck nor Brew Pilot shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Tap Deck or Brew Pilot?
Tap Deck ships an update every 18 months, and Brew Pilot every 4 days. Most recently, Tap Deck was updated on November 2, 2026 and Brew Pilot on October 31, 2026.

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