# BARTENDER® vs Cocktail Friend

The clearest difference is rating: Cocktail Friend at 5.0 against BARTENDER®'s 4.6. Cocktail Friend also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 5 weeks). BARTENDER®'s advantage is ratings volume (42 vs 1) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 26.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Cocktail Friend holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: BARTENDER® has 42 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

BARTENDER® ships an update every 5 weeks, Cocktail Friend weekly. Both last shipped on October 30, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | BARTENDER® | Cocktail Friend |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (42 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bartender/id6739690613/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cocktail-friend/id6756235791/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **42** | 1 |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 57 MB | 4 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 26.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [BARTENDER Media LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1786508890) | [Joseph Condon](https://appshunter.io/developer/1836065282) |

## What reviewers say

### BARTENDER®

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bartender/id6739690613)

Discover thousands of cocktail recipes, expert tips, and industry trends. This app is your ultimate guide for crafting drinks at home or managing a professional bar. Explore articles, product reviews, and access digital magazine issues.

**Highlights:** Searchable cocktail recipe database, Trending and seasonal drink discovery, In-depth articles on bartending techniques, Expert reviews and product recommendations, Digital BARTENDER Magazine access, Online merchandise store

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Cocktail Friend

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cocktail-friend/id6756235791)

Discover and create thousands of cocktails with detailed recipes, ingredient information, and personalized suggestions based on what you have at home. Explore new drinks, learn about spirits, and save your favorites for easy access.

**Highlights:** Thousands of cocktail recipes, Virtual liquor cabinet for personalized suggestions, Browse by category, glass type, or ingredient, Learn about cocktail ingredients, Save favorite recipes, Articles on cocktail culture and techniques, Works offline

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is BARTENDER® free?

BARTENDER® is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Cocktail Friend free?

Cocktail Friend is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, BARTENDER® or Cocktail Friend?

Cocktail Friend is rated higher. BARTENDER® averages 4.6 out of 5 from 42 ratings, while Cocktail Friend averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do BARTENDER® or Cocktail Friend have ads?

Neither BARTENDER® nor Cocktail Friend shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, BARTENDER® or Cocktail Friend?

BARTENDER® ships an update every 5 weeks, and Cocktail Friend weekly. Most recently, BARTENDER® was updated on October 30, 2026 and Cocktail Friend on October 30, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*