# Cupcake Maker vs Baking Time!

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Baking Time! at none against Cupcake Maker's 7. Cupcake Maker's advantage is review sentiment (78% vs 51%). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Cupcake Maker sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. Baking Time! asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Cupcake Maker against 4.7 for Baking Time!. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2.3K and 2.5K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 78% of Cupcake Maker's written reviews are positive against 51% of Baking Time!'s.

Cupcake Maker ships an update fortnightly, Baking Time! every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 15, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Cupcake Maker | Baking Time! |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (2.3K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cupcake-maker-baking-games/id557898813/reviews)** | [4.7 (2.5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/baking-time/id1666627152/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 2.3K | **2.5K** |
| Positive reviews | **77.9% of reviews** | 50.9% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Every 10 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Ad-supported** |
| Size | 72 MB | 271 MB |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Bluebear Technologies Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/522548950) | [Studio Rouleau Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/933957878) |

## What reviewers say

### Cupcake Maker

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cupcake-maker-baking-games/id557898813)

Design and bake your own virtual cupcakes from scratch. Choose from numerous flavors, liners, and a vast array of frosting, sprinkles, and decorative toppings to create unique treats. Save, eat, or share your edible masterpieces.

**Highlights:** Customizable paper liners, Nearly 30 flavor recipes, Step-by-step cooking stages, Variety of frostings and whipped creams, Extensive sprinkle and sweet decorations, Save, eat, or share creations

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (7)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Food Pass | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| Bluebear FoodPass Monthly | $6.99 | per month |
| Bluebear Food Pass Monthly | $6.99 | per month |
| Bluebear FoodPass Annual | $29.99 | per year |
| Bluebear FoodPass Annual | $29.99 | per year |
| Unlock Everything & Remove Ads | $4.99 | one-time |
| Bluebear FoodPass Lifetime | $39.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Fun and interactive app
- 🍰 Wide variety of cupcake flavors
- 🎨 Ability to decorate cupcakes
- 💕 Loved by kids and families

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔒 Many features locked behind paywall
- 💸 Expensive to unlock full version
- 📢 Excessive ads interrupting gameplay
- 🐛 Occasional glitches and crashes

**Reported bugs**

- Disappearing cupcake wrappers
- Inability to access previously made cupcakes
- Locked features not working after purchase

**Requested features**

- Ability to save and revisit decorated cupcakes
- More unlocked flavors and decorations
- Cake or other dessert maker modes
- Smoothie, milkshake, or other drink maker


### Baking Time!

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/baking-time/id1666627152)

Manage a bustling bakery, bake a variety of delicious goods, and serve eager customers. Merge and dig to unlock new recipes and expand your business. Enjoy addictive gameplay with colorful graphics.

**Highlights:** Bake various goods, Serve customers, Merge and dig mechanics, Unlock new recipes, Expand bakery, Hire staff

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🎮 Addictive gameplay
- 🕰️ Helps cure boredom/stress
- 💖 Fun and enjoyable

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💢 Excessive ads
- 🚫 No ad-free option
- 🐌 Game becomes laggy over time

**Reported bugs**

- Crashing/freezing issues when completing levels
- Workers not functioning properly after upgrades
- Glitches with cash collection and rewards

**Requested features**

- Add option to purchase ad-free version
- Improve tutorial and in-game instructions
- Implement bulk upgrade options for workers


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Cupcake Maker free?

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

### Is Baking Time! free?

Baking Time! is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Cupcake Maker or Baking Time!?

Cupcake Maker is rated higher. Cupcake Maker averages 4.8 out of 5 from 2.3K ratings, while Baking Time! averages 4.7 from 2.5K ratings.

### Do Cupcake Maker or Baking Time! have ads?

Both Cupcake Maker and Baking Time! show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Cupcake Maker or Baking Time!?

Cupcake Maker ships an update fortnightly, and Baking Time! every 10 days. Most recently, Cupcake Maker was updated on September 22, 2026 and Baking Time! on September 15, 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.*