Fermentation Journal vs Bread Engineer
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Fermentation Journal
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Fermento keeps pickles, sourdough, cheeses, kombucha, charcuterie and more on schedule with smart timelines, reminders, calculators and exportable logs—for beginners and pros. Projects & timelines - Unlimited batches with custom milestones and photo notes - pH, salt %, weight and observations—timestamped in one place - Smart reminders for feeds, flips, checks and cures Culture management - Starters, SCOBY hotels and kefir grains—health, feeds and lineage together HACCP (for pros) - Decision-tree builder for hazards and CCPs - Monitoring/verification logs with corrective actions - Export tidy PDFs for audits and compliance Calculators & scaling - Hydration, salt %, inoculation ratios and timing helpers - Instant scaling and saved methods Insights - Compare batches, spot trends and review pH/tempo curves - Equipment notes and calibration history (keep sensors honest) Why Fermento? Made by fermentation obsessives. Private, focused and practical—whether it's your first kimchi or a full curing chamber. Terms of Use: https://drobinin.com/apps/terms/fermento/
Bread Engineer
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Plan and track better bread, step by step. Bread Engineer combines guided recipes with equation-based fermentation timing so you can plan a bake around your dough and kitchen—not guesswork. GUIDED BREAD RECIPES • Choose from same-day white, overnight white and whole-wheat recipes • Scale ingredients by loaf count • See ingredients, directions and expected duration before you begin ADAPTIVE FERMENTATION TIMING • Adjust dough mass, hydration, yeast, dough temperature, room temperature and humidity • Recalculate fermentation timing on device using a deterministic equation • Keep progress and remaining time visible during the bake RELIABLE STEP TIMERS • Use native alarms when a bread step ends • Keep the active timer visible on the Lock Screen • Fall back to a local notification when alarms are unavailable RECORD YOUR RESULTS • Keep completed recipes with photos, notes, crumb ratings and taste ratings • Share a finished bake using native iOS sharing Bread Engineer is free and requires no account. Recipe data and photos stay on your device. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Fermentation Journal at monthly against Bread Engineer's every 6 months. Fermentation Journal also leads on iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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
Both are free to download. Fermentation Journal sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per 7 days and Bread Engineer sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Fermentation Journal ships an update monthly, Bread Engineer every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on September 29, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Fermentation Journal | Bread Engineer |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Monthly — better | Every 6 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 — better | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 109 MB | 39 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Drobinin Limited | Eric Savoie |
In-app purchases
Fermentation Journal
- Starter Culture Pro Weekly$3.997 Days
- Culture & Probiotic Pro$7.991 Month
- Culture & Probiotic Pro3 Days trial$59.991 Year
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- HACCP Safety Compliance Pro$179.991 Year
- Lifetime (Personal)$199.99
Bread Engineer
- Bread Engineer Monthly2 Months trial$4.991 Month
- Bread Engineer Annual2 Months trial$34.991 Year
Questions
Is Fermentation Journal free?
Is Bread Engineer free?
Do Fermentation Journal or Bread Engineer have ads?
Which is updated more often, Fermentation Journal or Bread Engineer?
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