# Pestle vs Homebaker

The clearest difference is ads: Pestle at none against Homebaker's shown. Pestle also leads on chart position (#93 vs unranked). Homebaker's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 78%) and iOS requirement (14.0.0 vs 17.6). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Pestle sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Homebaker sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Pestle ships an update every 2 weeks, Homebaker fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and June 1, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Pestle | Homebaker |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (1.8K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pestle-recipe-manager/id1574776971/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **1.8K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 77.8% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#93** | — |
| Size | 97 MB | 52 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | **14.0.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Will Bishop](https://appshunter.io/developer/1344097184) | [SIMON RAYMOND SCHOEN](https://appshunter.io/developer/1708665361) |

## What reviewers say

### Pestle

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pestle-recipe-manager/id1574776971)

**Currently charting:** #93 Top Grossing · Food & Drink (US App Store)

Easily save recipes from any online source, organize them with guided cooking, and plan your meals. Digitize physical recipes with a scanner and share your cookbook with family.

**Highlights:** Import recipes from any website, Guided cooking with hands-free control, Unlimited timers and quantity reminders, Meal planning for up to 14 days, Shared household cookbooks, Recipe scanner for physical recipes, Automatic shopping list generation

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support, SharePlay

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pestle Pro (Monthly) | $2.99 | per month |
| Pestle Pro (Monthly) | $2.99 | per month |
| Pestle Pro Yearly | $24.99 | per year |
| Pestle Pro (Yearly) | $24.99 | per year |
| Pestle Pro (Lifetime) | $39.99 | one-time |
| Pestle Pro Lifetime | $49.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Easy to import recipes
- 👍 Intuitive and user-friendly interface
- 🔒 Secure storage of recipes
- 🚀 Efficient recipe organization
- 👍 Helpful meal planning and shopping list features

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional issues with recipe import
- 🐛 Bugs with meal planning and syncing
- 🐛 Limitations in recipe editing and customization
- 🐛 Inconsistent performance on some devices

**Reported bugs**

- Recipes disappearing after device change
- Inability to access saved recipes in free version
- Glitches with category/cuisine tagging
- Shopping list formatting issues

**Requested features**

- Ability to add multiple photos/scans for recipes
- Improved search and filtering options
- Integration with other recipe/meal planning apps
- Shared meal planning and recipe book for households
- Desktop app or web version


### Homebaker

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/homebaker-bread-baking-notes/id6467456391)

This app helps home bakers track bread recipes and baking sessions. It allows users to create custom recipes, log detailed session notes with timings and photos, and manage sourdough starters. Push notifications remind users of important steps and feeding times.

**Highlights:** Create custom bread recipes, Log detailed baking sessions with photos, Automatic baker's percentage calculation, Manage sourdough starter activity, Step-by-step baking session tracking, Push notification reminders

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Homebaker Pro | $1.99 | per month |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Pestle free?

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

### Is Homebaker free?

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

### Do Pestle or Homebaker have ads?

Homebaker shows ads; Pestle does not.

### Which is updated more often, Pestle or Homebaker?

Pestle ships an update every 2 weeks, and Homebaker fortnightly. Most recently, Pestle was updated on September 26, 2026 and Homebaker on June 1, 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.*