Comparison

Fermentation Journal vs Bread Engineer

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

Head to head
About

Fermentation Journal

Features
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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/

About

Bread Engineer

Features
Read full description

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

Fermentation Journal4 screens
Bread Engineer4 screens

Verdict

The call

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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

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.

Scorecard2 real differences · 4 level
Fermentation Journal versus Bread Engineer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFermentation JournalBread Engineer
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyMonthly — betterEvery 6 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS17.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size109 MB39 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperDrobinin LimitedEric Savoie

In-app purchases

5 purchases

Fermentation Journal

Subscriptions4
  • Starter Culture Pro Weekly$3.997 Days
  • Culture & Probiotic Pro$7.991 Month
  • Culture & Probiotic Pro3 Days trial$59.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • HACCP Safety Compliance Pro$179.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime (Personal)$199.99
2 purchases

Bread Engineer

Subscriptions2
  • Bread Engineer Monthly2 Months trial$4.991 Month
  • Bread Engineer Annual2 Months trial$34.991 Year

Questions

Is Fermentation Journal free?
Fermentation Journal is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Bread Engineer free?
Bread Engineer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Fermentation Journal or Bread Engineer have ads?
Neither Fermentation Journal nor Bread Engineer shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Fermentation Journal or Bread Engineer?
Fermentation Journal ships an update monthly, and Bread Engineer every 6 months. Most recently, Fermentation Journal was updated on September 29, 2026 and Bread Engineer on September 21, 2026.

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