# Third Samurai vs Optimal Coffee Notes

The clearest difference is price: Optimal Coffee Notes at Free against Third Samurai's $1.99. Optimal Coffee Notes also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.5). Third Samurai's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 4 months) and review sentiment (100% vs 75%). On ratings volume, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Optimal Coffee Notes is free to download; Third Samurai costs $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Optimal Coffee Notes holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 5 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 100% of Third Samurai's written reviews are positive against 75% of Optimal Coffee Notes's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Third Samurai ships an update fortnightly, Optimal Coffee Notes every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Third Samurai | Optimal Coffee Notes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $1.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [4.5 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/third-samuraicoffee-timer/id1490741242/reviews) | **[5.0 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/optimal-coffee-notes/id1583625309/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 4 | **5** |
| Positive reviews | **100.0% of reviews** | 75.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 4 months |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free** |
| Size | 4 MB | 55 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **14.0.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Ivan Dzyubenko](https://appshunter.io/developer/1462172688) | [Andrew Daniels](https://appshunter.io/developer/1295689735) |

## What reviewers say

### Third Samurai

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/third-samuraicoffee-timer/id1490741242)

Discover new coffee brewing techniques and recipes with this app. It features a detailed timer with step-by-step guidance and hints to help you achieve the perfect cup.

**Highlights:** Recipe discovery, Recipe experimentation, Brewing timer, Detailed brewing steps, Brewing hints

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### Optimal Coffee Notes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/optimal-coffee-notes/id1583625309)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Third Samurai free?

Third Samurai costs $1.99, 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, Third Samurai or Optimal Coffee Notes?

Optimal Coffee Notes is rated higher. Third Samurai averages 4.5 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while Optimal Coffee Notes averages 5.0 from 5 ratings.

### Do Third Samurai or Optimal Coffee Notes have ads?

Neither Third Samurai nor Optimal Coffee Notes shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Third Samurai or Optimal Coffee Notes?

Third Samurai ships an update fortnightly, and Optimal Coffee Notes every 4 months. Most recently, Third Samurai was updated on October 29, 2026 and Optimal Coffee Notes on October 22, 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.*