Comparison

Fermentation Journal vs Fermentation Lab

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
Read full description

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

Fermentation Lab

Features
Read full description

Turn your kitchen into a fermentation lab. Fermentation Lab is the ultimate app for people who ferment seriously — from beginners to professional chefs. It pairs real fermentation science with a progression system that keeps you coming back every day. SCIENCE, NOT GUESSWORK Every ferment gets its own dashboard and scientific engines: microbial growth curves, flavor & umami prediction, food-safety indicators. Enter your ingredients and the app does the math. 20+ FERMENTATION TYPES Koji, miso, shoyu, amazake, sake, kombucha, kefir, beer, wine, mead, vinegar, sourdough, bread, pizza, kimchi, lacto-ferments, tempeh, natto, charcuterie, cheese and more — each with a guided step-by-step wizard. SMART REMINDERS Per-batch notifications so you never miss a check, taste or feeding. BLUETOOTH SENSORS Connect Inkbird sensors and monitor temperature and humidity in real time. PRO NUTRITIONAL LABELS Generate print-ready nutritional labels in your language. BRIGADE MODE (for chefs) Food-cost calculator, a menu built from your live ferments, and a shared brigade pantry. STARTER EXCHANGE MAP Find fermenters near you and swap starters, SCOBYs and mothers. KOJI CODEX An in-app encyclopedia featuring the world's leading fermentation minds. PROGRESSION & COMMUNITY XP, levels, daily missions, achievements, leaderboards and teams. 8 LANGUAGES English, Italian, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Japanese, Korean — wizards, recipes and labels fully translated. Free. No subscriptions. Start your first batch today.

Screenshots

Fermentation Journal4 screens
Fermentation Lab3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Fermentation Lab at none against Fermentation Journal's 5. Fermentation Lab also leads on iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). On price, update cadence, ads 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. Fermentation Lab asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Fermentation Journal ships an update monthly, Fermentation Lab every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 10, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 4 level
Fermentation Journal versus Fermentation Lab: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFermentation JournalFermentation Lab
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyMonthly — betterEvery 5 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.015.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size105 MB91 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperDrobinin LimitedAntonio Lice

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
None

Fermentation Lab

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Fermentation Journal free?
Fermentation Journal is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Fermentation Lab free?
Fermentation Lab is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Fermentation Journal or Fermentation Lab have ads?
Neither Fermentation Journal nor Fermentation Lab shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Fermentation Journal or Fermentation Lab?
Fermentation Journal ships an update monthly, and Fermentation Lab every 5 weeks. Most recently, Fermentation Journal was updated on September 10, 2026 and Fermentation Lab on September 23, 2026.

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