Potion.bar vs Bourbonator
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Potion.bar
Scan whiskey bottles to instantly access tasting notes, community reviews, and price comparisons. Discover new spirits and find local availability to make informed purchasing decisions.
- Scan and identify whiskey bottles
- Explore tasting notes and flavor profiles
- Read community reviews and ratings
- Compare prices from online and local retailers
- Find bottles at nearby shops and bars
- Receive curated whiskey recommendations
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Discover whiskey with Potion.bar. Scan any bottle with your camera to identify it fast—then explore tasting notes, reviews, ratings, and price comparisons so you can choose your next pour with confidence. What you can do: - Scan & identify bottles: Recognize bottles from the label and pull up key details in seconds. - Explore tasting notes: Learn flavor profiles, style, and distillery background. - Read reviews & ratings: See what the community thinks before you buy. - Compare prices: Check online and local retailer listings (where available) to spot good deals. - Find bottles near you: Discover whiskeys at shops, bars, and distilleries in your area. - Curated recommendations: Browse picks for beginners and seasoned enthusiasts. Whether you’re identifying a mystery bottle, deciding between two bourbons, or hunting for a better price, Potion.bar helps you explore more and guess less. Note: Product information, pricing, and availability can vary by region and retailer. Potion.bar Premium (optional subscription) Premium unlocks deal alerts for bottles you track, every store location and price behind a listing, full price history with low, median and high, Fair Price and expert-score detail, and advanced value filters. - Premium Monthly: $7.99 per month - Premium Yearly: $79.99 per year Prices are in U.S. dollars and may vary by region. Payment is charged to your Apple ID account at confirmation of purchase. The subscription renews automatically unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your account is charged for renewal within 24 hours before the current period ends. You can manage your subscription and turn off auto-renew in your App Store account settings after purchase. Privacy Policy: https://potion.bar/privacy Terms of Use: https://potion.bar/terms
Bourbonator
Log your whiskey experiences, rate your favorite pours, and discover new bottles with personalized recommendations. Connect with a community of fellow enthusiasts, track your collection, and build a wishlist of future tastings. Explore detailed profiles and tasting notes for a wide range of spirits.
- Log tastings with ratings, notes, and photos
- Personal cellar and wishlist management
- Personalized whiskey recommendations
- Explore distillery profiles and expression details
- Connect with other whiskey enthusiasts
- AI-powered bottle identification (Pro feature)
- Flavor profile visualization (Pro feature)
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Bourbonator is the app for everyone who loves whiskey — from the curious newcomer to the seasoned collector. Track what you drink, rate what you love, discover what's next, and share it all with a community that gets it. WHETHER YOU'RE LOGGING OR EXPLORING Check in every pour with a rating, tasting notes, and a photo. Build a personal record of everything you've tried, so you never forget that one incredible dram — or that bottle to avoid next time. TRACK YOUR JOURNEY Check in whiskeys with ratings, flavor notes, and photos Keep a personal cellar of bottles you own Build a wishlist of what you want to try next Browse your full tasting history, sorted and searchable DISCOVER YOUR NEXT BOTTLE Get personalized recommendations based on your taste Explore a deep catalog of bourbons, ryes, scotches, and more Find what's popular in the community Dig into distillery profiles and expression details CONNECT WITH FELLOW ENTHUSIASTS Follow friends and see what they're pouring Toast, like, and comment on check-ins Tag friends in your tastings — and nudge them to pour one with you Discover people who share your palate GO DEEPER WITH PRO Unlock the full experience with Bourbonator Pro: Whisky Lens — scan a bottle, menu, or shelf with your camera and let AI identify what you're looking at Taste DNA — visualize your flavor preferences across six dimensions Annual Recap — your year in whiskey, beautifully summarized Advanced stats and deeper insights Private lists Unlimited tasting flights Bourbonator is built by whiskey lovers, for whiskey lovers. Please drink responsibly. You must be of legal drinking age to use this app. Terms of Use: https://bourbonator.app/terms
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Bourbonator at 100% against Potion.bar's 29%. Bourbonator also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.2) and update cadence (daily vs every 3 weeks). Potion.bar's advantage is ratings volume (380 vs 1). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Potion.bar sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month and Bourbonator sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Bourbonator holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Potion.bar has 380 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 29% of Potion.bar's written reviews are positive against 100% of Bourbonator's.
Potion.bar ships an update every 3 weeks, Bourbonator daily. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Potion.bar | Bourbonator |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.2 (380 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 29.4% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 380 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Daily — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Freemium | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 15.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 11 MB | 35 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Ainbr, Inc. | Ryan Vervack |
Customer experience
Potion.bar
Bourbonator
Bugs and requests
Potion.bar
Reported bugs
10 issues- App freezes and requires closing
- App goes in circles after iOS 17 upgrade
- App hangs or crashes, difficult to navigate back
- Hunting locations show reports over a year old
- Nothing listed for Alabama
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- Search only populates results for Austin and Dallas, Texas
- Hunting spots just spin with no results
- Searches yield no results
- App crashes every time a bottle is selected
- Search function for bottles never worked
Requested features
9 requests- Fix app after iOS 17 upgrade
- Improve stability and prevent crashes
- Update hunting location data with recent reports
- Provide incentives for user contributions
- Expand coverage to include more states/areas (e.g., Houston, Alabama)
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- Work with distributors for delivery information
- Market the app to stores to encourage stock tracking
- Improve search functionality for common items
- Allow searching by local area
Bourbonator
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Potion.bar
- Premium (Monthly)$7.991 Month
- Premium (Yearly)$79.991 Year
Bourbonator
- Monthly Pro Subscription$4.991 Month
- Bourbonator Pro - Annual$49.991 Year
