Comparison

Roast Pilot vs Coffee DTR Timer

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

Head to head
About

Roast Pilot

Features
Read full description

Take the guesswork out of roasting and unlock the full potential of your RK Drum. Roast Pilot is the essential companion for the artisan roaster, transforming your manual setup into a smart, data-driven system for achieving the perfect roast. Paired with the Roast Pilot companion hardware, this app gives you unprecedented command over your roast cycle. No more frantic scribbling on notepads or trying to remember past roast parameters. From charge to drop, every critical data point is monitored, controlled, and saved right on your iPhone or iPad. KEY FEATURES: REAL-TIME ROAST MONITORING: Watch your roast unfold with a beautiful, dynamic graph. Track crucial variables in real-time, including Bean Temperature (T bean ​ ), Environment Temperature (T env ​ ), and the critical Rate of Rise (RoR) to make split-second decisions with confidence. PRECISION ROASTER CONTROL: Directly adjust your roaster's heat and fan speed from the app. Nudge your roast curve to perfectly follow your desired profile without ever leaving your screen. AUTOMATED ROAST LOGGING: Roast Pilot automatically records every second of your roast, creating a detailed log. Mark key events with a single tapβ€”such as Charge, Dry End, First Crack, and Dropβ€”for precise post-roast analysis. SEAMLESS WI-FI CONNECTION: Designed exclusively for RK Drums equipped with the Roast Pilot hardware module. The app connects effortlessly over your local Wi-Fi network, ensuring a stable and highly responsive connection to your roaster. COMING SOON: We are constantly working to improve Roast Pilot! Future updates will include: Roast Profile Library: Save, load, and overlay your favorite roast profiles to achieve ultimate consistency. Data Export: Export your roast logs for advanced analysis and sharing with the roasting community. Whether you're a passionate home roaster seeking consistency or a small-batch professional demanding precision, Roast Pilot is the co-pilot you need to elevate your craft. Please Note: This application requires the companion Roast Pilot hardware module for RK Drums to function. To learn more or to purchase the hardware, please visit RKDrums.com.

About

Coffee DTR Timer

This app helps coffee roasters time their roasts accurately. It allows users to input roaster, bean, and weight details, then track key stages like yellowing and first crack. The timer calculates development time, weight loss, and provides a roast summary for logging.

Highlights
  • Roast stage timing (Yellowing, First Crack, Drop)
  • Live Development Time (DTR) calculation
  • Weight loss calculation
  • Roast history logging
  • Favorite and delete roasts
  • Custom roaster and bean input
Features
Read full description

This simple coffee roast timer is used with your roaster of choice. Add your roaster name, bean name and green weight with units on the setup screen. On the timer screen hit start when you start your roast. Tap the Yellowing button when the beans start to turn yellow and the drying phase time is saved. Tap First Crack at the sound of first crack and the Maillard phase time is saved and live DTR is enabled allowing to dial in development time! Tap Drop/End and the development time along with DTR, maillard time, time to first crack and total roast time are shown to allow you to log your roast information. Add roasted weight and weight loss is calculated. Save roast will add to roast history and display the roast summary screen. On the history screen the user can favorite or delete roasts from the history.

Screenshots

Roast Pilot4 screens
Coffee DTR Timer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Coffee DTR Timer at every 9 days against Roast Pilot's every 6 weeks. Roast Pilot's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.5). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

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

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Roast Pilot ships an update every 6 weeks, Coffee DTR Timer every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on September 9, 2026 and September 11, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences Β· 6 level
Roast Pilot versus Coffee DTR Timer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRoast PilotCoffee DTR Timer
PriceFreeFree
Positive reviewsβ€”100.0% of reviews
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksEvery 9 days β€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
Monetizationβ€”Free
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod β€” betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 β€” better18.5
Further details β€” not scored
Size358 MB1 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperBrian CarterMike Whaley

In-app purchases

None

Roast Pilot

No in-app purchases

None

Coffee DTR Timer

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Roast Pilot free?
Roast Pilot is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Coffee DTR Timer free?
Coffee DTR Timer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Roast Pilot or Coffee DTR Timer have ads?
Neither Roast Pilot nor Coffee DTR Timer shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Roast Pilot or Coffee DTR Timer?
Roast Pilot ships an update every 6 weeks, and Coffee DTR Timer every 9 days. Most recently, Roast Pilot was updated on September 9, 2026 and Coffee DTR Timer on September 11, 2026.

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