Comparison

VST CoffeeTools for iPhone vs Brewmaster

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

VST CoffeeTools for iPhone

This tool helps baristas and roasters calculate precise coffee and espresso brew formulas. It uses measurements from a coffee refractometer to achieve Gold Cup standards, allowing for detailed recipe sharing and analysis. Supports both coffee and espresso brewing modes, along with sugar analysis.

Highlights
  • Compute brew formulas for coffee and espresso
  • Measure extraction yield to Gold Cup standards
  • Share recipes and measurements via email
  • Supports metric, imperial, and mixed units
  • Analyze sugar content for beverages
  • Database sorting, import, and export
Features
Read full description

PROFESSIONAL COFFEE TOOLS for the BARISTA, SPECIALTY ROASTER and COFFEE BEVERAGE EQUIPMENT DESIGNER Best New Product SCAA EXPO 2010 VST CoffeeTools™ allows professional and home users to quickly compute proper brew formulas using any method of brewing coffee or espresso. Used with a coffee refractometer (not included) VST CoffeeTools will apply measurements of brew formula and coffee TDS to compute normalized extraction yield – a crucial metric for ensuring the sweetest coffee and espresso. COFFEE BREWED TO GOLD CUP STANDARDS •Use VST CoffeeTools™ with any VST coffee refractometer to compute brew recipes and measure results to meet internationally accepted Gold Cup standards as practiced by the Specialty Coffee Associations of America (SCAA) and Europe (SCAE), as well as the Norwegian Coffee Association (NCA) and European Coffee Brewing Center (ECBC). COMMUNICATE •Recipes & Measurements can be eMailed and shared with customers, clients and colleagues for quick, detailed communication of all brewing parameters. Full database sorting, import and export is supported. COFFEE MODE •VST CoffeeTools™ for Coffee offers professional baristas and specialty roasters the tools to design, measure, diagnose and refine any brew method to ensure excellence in coffee brewing. •Metric, English (U.S. Custom) or mixed units, and conversions of weights and volume is fully supported. •Compatible with all drip and immersion brewing methods and works with any VST Coffee refractometer displaying % TDS to 0.01% – temperature corrected for coffee. Accuracy recommended: +/- 0.05% or better. •Save, share, import measurements and details, including TDS, Ext Yield, Dose, Brew Formula, CO2, Moisture, Brew Time, Brew Method, Temperature, Pre-Infusion, Grinder/Setting, Roaster, Roast Style, Farm/Farmer, Barista Name/Notes and much more. COFFEE LITE MODE (discontinued) ESPRESSO MODE •VST CoffeeTools™ for Espresso offers professional baristas and specialty roasters the tools to design, measure, diagnose and refine espresso extraction. •Eliminate sour or bitter shot defects by making adjustments to quickly dial in measured Extraction Yield. •Presets for Single, Double or Triple shots as Normale, Lungo or Ristretto can be loaded and custom preset for personal preferences. •Works with any VST Coffee refractometer displaying % TDS to 0.01% or 0.1% – temperature corrected for coffee. Accuracy recommended: +/- 0.1 % TDS or better. •Save, share, import measurements and details, including TDS, Yield, Dose, Brew Formula, Shot Time, Temperature, Pressure, Pre-Infusion, Grinder/Setting, Roaster, Roast Style, Farm/Farmer, Barista Name/Notes and much more. SUGAR MODE • Sugar mode allows beverage industry professionals to measure Sucrose, Glucose, Fructose and Invert Sugars at any temperature from 15-40 Deg C for use in concentrates and related sugar-based beverages. •Simply enter Refractive Index and Temperature from any refractometer to compute and displays all values for Specific Gravity, Density, Total Weight, Mass Fraction and Dry Substance weight. •VST CoffeeTools™ for Sugars is accurate to +/- 0.00003 nD per ICUMSA Tables (1998 & 2000). Final accuracy depends on accuracy of instrument. CORN MODE •CORN mode allows beverage industry professionals to measure High Fructose Corn Syrups HFCS42 and HFCS55 at any temperature from 10-50 Deg C for use in concentrates and related HFCS-based beverages. •Simply enter the Refractive Index and TEMP from any refractometer to compute and displays all values for Specific Gravity, Density, Total Weight, Mass Fraction and Dry Substance weight. •VST CoffeeTools™ for CORN Syrups has been tested against the Corn Refiners Association tables for syrup composition, and is fit to be accurate to better than +/- 0.0001 nD and less than +/- 0.02 % Mass Fraction. Final accuracy depends on accuracy of instrument.

About

Brewmaster

This app logs your coffee brewing process, visualizing data in real-time with a connected scale. It helps you understand extraction, ratios, and share your brewing moments.

Highlights
  • Log brewing process, methods, notes, and flavors
  • Real-time visualized brewing charts
  • Monitor extraction amount and duration
  • Coffee ratio converter
  • Share brewing print cards
Read full description

Introducing “Brewmaster” Log your coffee brewing moment with Brewmaster. Using the acaia scale with the Brewmaster to create beautiful and informative visualized coffee brewing data which helps you to know your brewing better. A coffee log that does a live recording of your coffee brewing process, using acaia’s precise weighing technology, when you brew your coffee on the acaia coffee scale, whether it’s pourover or espresso, you can easily monitor the amount and the duration of coffee extraction. Features: Log-a-brew: Log your brewing process, methods, notes, and coffee flavors, brew better coffee with the acaia coffee scale. Real-time Visualize Brewing Print : improve coffee brewing with the real-time flow charts that reflects your pouring speed, flow rate, learn the way of coffee extraction and brew a mind-blowing cup of coffee with great flavor. And… Coffee Ratio Converter: Easy calculation of water to bean, or bean to water ratio. Celebrate The Moment: Share your brewing print cards with friends, remember the great times and great tastes.

Screenshots

VST CoffeeTools for iPhone4 screens
Brewmaster4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: VST CoffeeTools for iPhone at 61% against Brewmaster's 17%. VST CoffeeTools for iPhone also leads on rating (2.3 vs 1.7) and iOS requirement (9.3 vs 16.6). Brewmaster's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 5) and update cadence (monthly vs every 3 months). On price, ratings volume, ads 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. VST CoffeeTools for iPhone sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. Brewmaster asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

VST CoffeeTools for iPhone holds the better App Store score, 2.3 against 1.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 15 and 18 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 61% of VST CoffeeTools for iPhone's written reviews are positive against 17% of Brewmaster's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

VST CoffeeTools for iPhone ships an update every 3 months, Brewmaster monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
VST CoffeeTools for iPhone versus Brewmaster: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterVST CoffeeTools for iPhoneBrewmaster
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.3 (15 ratings) — better1.7 (18 ratings)
Positive reviews61.1% of reviews — better17.5% of reviews
Number of ratings1518 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsMonthly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS9.3 — better16.6
Further details — not scored
Size13 MB26 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperVSTacaia

Customer experience

VST CoffeeTools for iPhone

All ratings15 ratings
Positive26.7%
Neutral13.3%
Negative60.0%
Written reviews36 reviews
Positive61.1%
Neutral2.8%
Negative36.1%

Brewmaster

All ratings18 ratings
Positive11.1%
Neutral5.6%
Negative83.3%
Written reviews63 reviews
Positive17.5%
Neutral6.3%
Negative76.2%

Bugs and requests

VST CoffeeTools for iPhone

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Brewmaster

Reported bugs

24 issues
  • App crashes frequently
  • Bluetooth connection unreliable
  • Saved images not showing
  • Data not saved or deleted randomly
  • Timer skips seconds or is inaccurate
Show 19 more
  • App crashes when accessing specific features (e.g., kettle settings)
  • Cannot edit water or update profile picture
  • CSV output incomplete
  • App crashes on startup
  • Cannot pair with scale
  • Lost data after crash
  • Saving photos not working
  • Connectivity broken after updates
  • Auto-start has significant lag
  • Background process drains phone battery
  • Flow rate measurement changed/inaccurate
  • Cannot measure to a tenth of a gram
  • Timer only begins when espresso lands in cup, not when start is pressed
  • App adds extra seconds to total brew time
  • Average flow rate not calculated or displayed
  • Information from other apps not retrieved
  • Cannot save brew curves after update
  • Automatic transfer of notes from one shot to the next
  • Timer on scale doesn't run if app is running

Requested features

18 requests
  • Hire a better software team
  • Improve app stability and maintenance
  • Update UI to be more modern
  • Allow manual data input
  • Add dark mode
Show 13 more
  • Improve graph readability
  • Add flow rate calculator
  • Sync scale timer and app timer
  • Allow 0.1g accuracy in timer mode
  • Auto-stop feature
  • Search functionality for previous brews
  • Comparison of brew charts side-by-side
  • Recommendations for brew ratios by coffee type
  • Fix display on iPhone 6+
  • Allow editing of profile name
  • Change 'Tribe' to 'Brew Method'
  • API documentation for third-party apps
  • One unified app instead of multiple

In-app purchases

5 purchases

VST CoffeeTools for iPhone

One-time5
  • Corn Mode$5.99
  • Sugar Mode$9.99
  • Coffee Mode Upgr$24.99
Show 2 more
  • Espresso Mode$29.99
  • Coffee Mode$29.99
None

Brewmaster

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is VST CoffeeTools for iPhone free?
VST CoffeeTools for iPhone is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Brewmaster free?
Brewmaster is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, VST CoffeeTools for iPhone or Brewmaster?
VST CoffeeTools for iPhone is rated higher. VST CoffeeTools for iPhone averages 2.3 out of 5 from 15 ratings, while Brewmaster averages 1.7 from 18 ratings.
Do VST CoffeeTools for iPhone or Brewmaster have ads?
Neither VST CoffeeTools for iPhone nor Brewmaster shows ads.
Which is updated more often, VST CoffeeTools for iPhone or Brewmaster?
VST CoffeeTools for iPhone ships an update every 3 months, and Brewmaster monthly. Most recently, VST CoffeeTools for iPhone was updated on November 6, 2026 and Brewmaster on November 5, 2026.

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