Comparison

BeerCrafter 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

BeerCrafter

This app serves as a comprehensive guide for home brewers, offering detailed information on beer styles, brewing techniques, and over 50 popular beer recipes. It also includes a brewer's diary feature that can be synced across Apple devices.

Highlights
  • Detailed beer style information
  • Brewing theory and methods
  • Over 50 popular beer recipes
  • Brewer's diary
  • iCloud sync across Apple devices
Features
Read full description

The Beer Crafter app is created as a home brewer's assistant. Here you will find detailed information about beer styles, brewing theory, methods of its preparation, as well as more than 50 recipes for popular beers. You can also keep a brewer's diary and sync it with other Apple devices using iCloud.

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

BeerCrafter4 screens
Brew Pilot4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Brew Pilot at 100% against BeerCrafter's 57%. Brew Pilot also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs every 2 months). BeerCrafter's advantage is iOS requirement (14.0 vs 26.0). 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. BeerCrafter sells 5 one-off in-app purchases and Brew Pilot sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

BeerCrafter ships an update every 2 months, Brew Pilot every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
BeerCrafter versus Brew Pilot: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBeerCrafterBrew Pilot
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (8 ratings) — better
Positive reviews57.1% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings—8 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS14.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size11 MB21 MB
Age rating17+17+
DeveloperVladimir KostinBenjamin Holder

Customer experience

BeerCrafter

Written reviews7 reviews
Positive57.1%
Neutral0.0%
Negative42.9%

Brew Pilot

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

In-app purchases

5 purchases

BeerCrafter

One-time5
  • Small Donation$0.99
  • Medium Donation$1.99
  • Large Donation$4.99
Show 2 more
  • Royal Donation$9.99
  • Divine Donation$99.99
1 purchases

Brew Pilot

One-time1
  • Brew Pilot Premium$24.99

Questions

Is BeerCrafter free?
BeerCrafter is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Brew Pilot free?
Brew Pilot is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do BeerCrafter or Brew Pilot have ads?
Neither BeerCrafter nor Brew Pilot shows ads.
Which is updated more often, BeerCrafter or Brew Pilot?
BeerCrafter ships an update every 2 months, and Brew Pilot every 4 days. Most recently, BeerCrafter was updated on September 25, 2026 and Brew Pilot on October 11, 2026.

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