Comparison

Espresso Journal vs We Make Coffee

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

Head to head
About

Espresso Journal

Log and analyze every aspect of your espresso brewing to understand what makes a great shot. Track details like timing, weight, bean origin, and tasting notes to refine your technique and achieve consistent results. Perfect for home baristas and coffee professionals seeking to improve their craft.

Highlights
  • Shot timing and yield tracking
  • Bean origin and roast details
  • Equipment and recipe logging
  • Tasting notes and ratings
  • Built-in shot timer
  • Recipe management
  • iCloud sync
Features
Read full description

Espresso Journal is a simple log for home espresso. Record each shot, see what you changed, and get to a better cup sooner. LOG A SHOT IN SECONDS New shots start from your last one, so you only change what you're dialing in. Start the timer, pull the shot, and the brew time is filled in for you. Add dose, yield, grind setting, grinder RPM, grind time, temperature, a rating and notes. KEEP TRACK OF YOUR BEANS AND GEAR Save the roaster, origin, process and roast date for each coffee, with a link to the shop for when you need more. Add your machine, grinder, portafilters and baskets. ON IPHONE AND IPAD Your journal syncs through iCloud. Export your shots as a spreadsheet whenever you like. ESPRESSO JOURNAL PRO A one-time purchase, shared with your family: • Take a photo of a bag and the app reads the label for you • Recipes for the drinks you make often • Charts comparing grind, ratio and time with how you rated each shot • The shot timer on the Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island, and a Pull a Shot button for Control Center and Siri • Bean stock, shot cards and flavor notes Questions or ideas? Use Send Feedback in Settings.

About

We Make Coffee

Discover hundreds of coffee recipes and personalize your brewing experience. Save your favorite recipes, add private notes, and join a community of coffee enthusiasts. This app helps you brew better coffee at home with interactive guides and settings.

Highlights
  • Hundreds of coffee recipes
  • Personalized brew notes
  • Interactive recipe timer
  • Filter and save recipes
  • Community recipe conversations
  • Default grinder settings
Features
Read full description

We Make Coffee brings together hundreds of coffee recipes, personalised brew notes, and a vibrant community - all in one simple app. Built by the team at AeroPrecipe (aeroprecipe.com) - the world’s largest AeroPress community - this is our first step towards expanding to all brew types, beyond just the AeroPress. AeroPrecipe members can log in with their existing credentials to access all app features, including: •⁠ ⁠Browse hundreds of recipes •⁠ ⁠Filter recipes •⁠ ⁠Save recipes •⁠ ⁠Follow the interactive recipe timer •⁠ ⁠Add Private recipe notes •⁠ ⁠Save default grinder settings •⁠ ⁠Join recipe conversations And this is just the beginning - we’re working on a host of new features.

Screenshots

Espresso Journal4 screens
We Make Coffee4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Espresso Journal at 100% against We Make Coffee's 50%. Espresso Journal also leads on monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). We Make Coffee's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 5 months) and iOS requirement (15.1 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. Espresso Journal sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and We Make Coffee sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Espresso Journal ships an update every 5 months, We Make Coffee every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Espresso Journal versus We Make Coffee: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterEspresso JournalWe Make Coffee
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (3 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings3 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS26.015.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size6 MB41 MB
Age rating+44+
DeveloperGruffydd JohnstonThree Big Kids Limited

Customer experience

Espresso Journal

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

We Make Coffee

Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral50.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Espresso Journal

One-time1
  • Espresso Journal Pro$9.99
1 purchases

We Make Coffee

One-time1
  • Lifetime membership$19.99

Questions

Is Espresso Journal free?
Espresso Journal is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is We Make Coffee free?
We Make Coffee is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Espresso Journal or We Make Coffee have ads?
Neither Espresso Journal nor We Make Coffee shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Espresso Journal or We Make Coffee?
Espresso Journal ships an update every 5 months, and We Make Coffee every 2 weeks. Most recently, Espresso Journal was updated on October 25, 2026 and We Make Coffee on October 30, 2026.

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