# Roastmaster vs bartender.live

The clearest difference is rating: bartender.live at 4.8 against Roastmaster's 3.7. bartender.live also leads on update cadence (every 9 days vs every 5 months) and monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). On price, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Roastmaster sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and bartender.live sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

bartender.live holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: bartender.live has 388 ratings behind it against 29, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 79% of Roastmaster's written reviews are positive against 77% of bartender.live's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Roastmaster ships an update every 5 months, bartender.live every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on September 30, 2026 and September 26, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Roastmaster | bartender.live |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.7 (29 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/roastmaster/id375526217/reviews) | **[4.8 (388 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bartenderlive/id1309377225/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 29 | **388** |
| Positive reviews | **79.1% of reviews** | 76.7% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | **Every 9 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 88 MB | 76 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **17.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Rainfrog, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/375526220) | [Jacket Industries, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1126517950) |

## What reviewers say

### Roastmaster

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/roastmaster/id375526217)

This app helps coffee roasters achieve consistent, perfect cups by tracking roast data, managing green bean inventory, and facilitating blend creation. It offers detailed reporting, visual analysis tools, and optional thermocouple integration for automated roasting.

**Highlights:** Roast data tracking and analysis, Green bean inventory management, Blend creation and experimentation, Cupping score recording, Automated roast reminders, Roaster maintenance scheduling, Optional thermocouple data logging

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

**In-app purchases (7)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Basic Monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| Pro Monthly | $19.99 | per month |
| Premium Monthly | $39.99 | per month |
| Basic Yearly | $49.99 | per year |
| Pro Yearly | $199.99 | per year |
| Premium Yearly | $399.99 | per year |
| Data Logging | $14.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Comprehensive logging and tracking
- 👍 Great for consistency
- 👍 Feature-rich
- 👍 Useful for business and hobbyists
- 👍 Good developer support (historical)

**What reviewers complain about**

- 👎 Sudden subscription model
- 👎 Previously paid features now require subscription
- 👎 Locked out long-time users
- 👎 Dated interface (mentioned by some)
- 👎 Not intuitive (mentioned by some)

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes
- Cannot connect to Bluetooth probe (specific machine)
- Cannot connect to cloud
- Increase Contrast iOS setting obscures preference settings
- App is no longer usable without buying entitlements

**Requested features**

- Add development percentage to roast screen
- Ability to store low to medium resolution image with a roast
- Ability to make a blend from existing roasts
- Support for cheaper, off-the-shelf Bluetooth probe thermometers
- Copy roast including data curve


### bartender.live

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bartenderlive/id1309377225)

Discover cocktail recipes based on ingredients you have. Browse over a thousand drinks, star favorites, and share creations. Learn drink histories and find new concoctions.

**Highlights:** Ingredient-based drink discovery, Browse 1000+ cocktail recipes, Favorite drinks for quick access, Share recipes with friends, Learn drink history, Discover new cocktails

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Top Shelf | $4.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Intuitive and easy-to-use interface
- 💡 Innovative 'In My Bar' feature to find drinks based on available ingredients
- 📚 Extensive database of cocktail recipes
- 🎯 Generic ingredient categories instead of brand-specific items
- ⏰ Daily drink reminder at 5pm

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔍 Search function inconsistent and sometimes returns no results
- ❌ Limited ability to add personal recipes and notes
- 🐦 Twitter-only submission method for new recipes (inaccessible to many)
- 📋 Incomplete recipe database missing common drinks
- ⚠️ Quality control issues with some recipes (missing ingredients)

**Reported bugs**

- Search returns no results for valid queries (e.g., 'Gin Campari')
- 'New' tab in drinks list remains grayed out
- New drink notifications not accessible if alert is missed
- Missing ingredients in some recipe descriptions despite correct images
- Inconsistent notification delivery for daily drink feature

**Requested features**

- Search/filter by specific spirit or ingredient (e.g., mint, bourbon)
- Ability to add personal notes and modify recipes
- Quantity tracking for inventory items
- Filter drinks by number of missing ingredients (1-3 missing)
- Ingredient suggestions to unlock more drinks


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Roastmaster free?

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

### Is bartender.live free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Roastmaster or bartender.live?

bartender.live is rated higher. Roastmaster averages 3.7 out of 5 from 29 ratings, while bartender.live averages 4.8 from 388 ratings.

### Do Roastmaster or bartender.live have ads?

Neither Roastmaster nor bartender.live shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Roastmaster or bartender.live?

Roastmaster ships an update every 5 months, and bartender.live every 9 days. Most recently, Roastmaster was updated on September 30, 2026 and bartender.live on September 26, 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.*