Comparison

Coffee 101 vs Optimal Coffee Notes

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

Head to head
About

Coffee 101

Discover brewing guides for popular coffee makers, learn about grind sizes, roasts, and ratios. Find tool suggestions and explore recipes for various coffee drinks. Includes a built-in timer and ratio calculator.

Highlights
  • Brewing guides for multiple brewers
  • Coffee education (grind, roast, ratios)
  • Coffee tool suggestions
  • Coffee drink recipes
  • Built-in brewing timer
  • Ratio calculator
Features
Read full description

Coffee 101 is the ultimate coffee resource for iOS. This application provides you with brewing guides for some of the most popular brewers: Chemex, Hario V60, French Press, AeroPress, Cold Brew, Moka Pot, Espresso, and Turkish. Along with the Brew Guide, you will get an introductory course about Grind Sizes, Roasts, and Coffee Ratios. There are also suggestions on various Coffee Tools: Kettles, Brewers, Filters, Grinders, Scales, and Accessories. Need Recipes? There are categories for your favorites - such as Cappuccino, Frappe, Mocha, and Lattes. Coffee 101 also has a built in Timer that gives you the current step in your Brew Guide alongside the elapsed time. There is also a Ratio Calculator that will tell you how much Coffee to Water ratio you need by easily choosing how many cups you wish to make. Miss anything? Leave in-app feedback or contact us from the app as well!

About

Optimal Coffee Notes

Record and track detailed notes about your coffee brewing sessions. Document variables like grind size and brewing time to understand their impact on flavor. Rate your coffee and organize notes by brewing method or bean type to refine your perfect cup.

Highlights
  • Record coffee brewing details
  • Rate and review coffee taste
  • Add photos and custom details
  • Organize notes by method/type
  • Gain insights into flavor variables
Features
Read full description

Welcome to our simple and intuitive coffee notes app! Never forget the details of your daily brewing again with our easy-to-use tool for recording and tracking your coffee notes. Whether you're a home brewer or a coffee enthusiast, this app is designed to elevate your coffee experience. With our app, you can effortlessly record and store all the key information about your favorite brews. Document the grind size, water-to-coffee ratio, brewing time, and any other variables that impact the flavor and quality of your coffee. By having a record of each brewing session, you can understand how different factors influence the taste and make adjustments for your future brews. One of the valuable features of our app is the ability to rate your coffee. By evaluating the taste, aroma, and overall enjoyment of each cup, you can track your preferences and identify your perfect brew. This allows you to fine-tune your brewing techniques and experiment with different variables to achieve consistently exceptional results. Do you enjoy exploring various brewing methods or experimenting with different coffee beans? Our app is perfect for you too! Easily create separate notes for each brewing method or coffee blend, making it simple to reference and replicate your favorite recipes. Whether you're an aspiring home barista or simply enjoy a great cup of coffee, our app is your go-to tool for keeping a record of your coffee journey. Download now to start capturing the intricate details of your brewing process and unlock the potential to create your best coffee yet! Features: - Conveniently record your coffee notes and brewing details - Rate and review your coffee to track your personal preferences - Customize your notes by adding photos and additional details - Organize your notes by brewing methods or coffee types - Get insights into how different variables affect the taste of your coffee Join our community of coffee enthusiasts today and enhance your coffee journey with our coffee notes app. Share your experiences, learn from fellow coffee lovers, and unlock the secrets to brewing the perfect cup every time!

Screenshots

Coffee 1014 screens
Optimal Coffee Notes4 screens

Verdict

The call

Coffee 101 and Optimal Coffee Notes both sit at 4.9 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of Coffee 101's written reviews are positive against 75% of Optimal Coffee Notes's. On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence 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

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Coffee 101 against 5.0 for Optimal Coffee Notes. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 7 and 5 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 100% of Coffee 101's written reviews are positive against 75% of Optimal Coffee Notes's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Coffee 101 ships an update every 6 months, Optimal Coffee Notes every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on September 30, 2026 and October 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Coffee 101 versus Optimal Coffee Notes: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCoffee 101Optimal Coffee Notes
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (7 ratings)5.0 (5 ratings) — better
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better75.0% of reviews
Number of ratings7 — better5
Update frequencyEvery 6 monthsEvery 4 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.014.0.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size37 MB55 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJohn RylesAndrew Daniels

Customer experience

Coffee 101

All ratings7 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Optimal Coffee Notes

All ratings5 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews8 reviews
Positive75.0%
Neutral12.5%
Negative12.5%

In-app purchases

None

Coffee 101

No in-app purchases

None

Optimal Coffee Notes

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Coffee 101 free?
Coffee 101 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Optimal Coffee Notes free?
Optimal Coffee Notes is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Coffee 101 or Optimal Coffee Notes?
Optimal Coffee Notes is rated higher. Coffee 101 averages 4.9 out of 5 from 7 ratings, while Optimal Coffee Notes averages 5.0 from 5 ratings.
Do Coffee 101 or Optimal Coffee Notes have ads?
Neither Coffee 101 nor Optimal Coffee Notes shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Coffee 101 or Optimal Coffee Notes?
Coffee 101 ships an update every 6 months, and Optimal Coffee Notes every 4 months. Most recently, Coffee 101 was updated on September 30, 2026 and Optimal Coffee Notes on October 5, 2026.

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