# Potion.bar vs Bourbonator

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.

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 7, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Potion.bar | Bourbonator |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.2 (380 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/potionbar-whiskey-scanner/id1516194643/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bourbonator/id6777819389/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **380** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 29.4% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Daily** |
| Monetization | Freemium | Freemium |
| Size | 11 MB | 35 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **15.1** |
| Devices | iPhone | **iPhone, iPod** |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Ainbr, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1876709375) | [Ryan Vervack](https://appshunter.io/developer/6777819391) |

## What reviewers say

### Potion.bar

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/potionbar-whiskey-scanner/id1516194643)

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.

**Highlights:** 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

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium (Monthly) | $7.99 | per month |
| Premium (Yearly) | $79.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 💡 Fantastic idea
- 👍 MSRP section is nice
- 👍 Auto-populated links to reviews are awesome
- 👍 Simple to use
- 👍 Useful

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 App constantly freezes
- 🐛 App crashes frequently
- 🐛 App doesn't work after iOS 17 upgrade
- 🐛 App hangs or crashes
- 🐛 Hunting locations have old reports

**Reported bugs**

- 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

**Requested features**

- 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)


### Bourbonator

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bourbonator/id6777819389)

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.

**Highlights:** 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)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Pro Subscription | $4.99 | per month |
| Bourbonator Pro - Annual | $49.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Potion.bar free?

Potion.bar is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Bourbonator free?

Bourbonator is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Potion.bar or Bourbonator?

Bourbonator is rated higher. Potion.bar averages 4.2 out of 5 from 380 ratings, while Bourbonator averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Potion.bar or Bourbonator have ads?

Neither Potion.bar nor Bourbonator shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Potion.bar or Bourbonator?

Potion.bar ships an update every 3 weeks, and Bourbonator daily. Most recently, Potion.bar was updated on November 7, 2026 and Bourbonator on October 31, 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.*