Comparison

Baking Journal vs Crustello

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

Head to head
About

Baking Journal

Easily manage all your baking projects with this app. Build recipes with detailed instructions, track individual bakes, and note what worked and what didn't. Share your baking data across multiple devices.

Highlights
  • Recipe building with ingredients and instructions
  • Hydration percentage calculation
  • Individual bake tracking
  • Notes on bake outcomes and changes
  • Cross-device data sharing
Features
Read full description

Manage all of your baking projects in one app. The Baking Journal app makes it easy. * Build your recipes, with ingredients, notes, and step-by-step instructions. It will even calculate Hydration percentages for you! * Track each individual bake for a recipe. Record start and end times, remember which steps you have completed (or which you’ve decided to skip), and take notes on what went right, what went wrong, and what you changed each time. * Share your data across multiple devices. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://www.zmosoft.com/privacy-policy

About

Crustello

This app helps bakers perfect their dough and sourdough starters by monitoring fermentation with real-time data, smart alerts, and historical analysis. It works with companion hardware to track rise, temperature, and activity, making baking more predictable and delicious.

Highlights
  • Track fermentation with real-time data
  • Receive smart alerts for peak rise and temperature
  • Monitor sourdough starter activity and feeding schedules
  • Log and analyze past baking sessions
  • Compare fermentation graphs for technique refinement
  • Utilize a smart calculator for precise baking plans
  • Connect and manage multiple sensors remotely
Features
Read full description

Crustello is the smart companion app for the Crustello Starter Kit and Proofing Kit — helping you perfect your dough, sourdough starter, and every stage of fermentation with real-time data, alerts, and insights. Whether you’re cultivating a thriving starter or proofing dough for bread, pizza, focaccia, or pastries, Crustello takes the guesswork out of fermentation by tracking the things that matter most: rise, temperature, activity, and timing. Get instant notifications, monitor your dough from anywhere, and follow guided steps designed to make every bake more predictable and more delicious. • Track Fermentation Monitor your dough with complete clarity. The Crustello app records fermentation and shows graphs for dough, bowl, and room temperature, giving you full information over every stage of proofing. • Smart Alerts Never miss the right moment again. Set smart alerts in the Crustello app to notify you when your dough reaches peak rise, when the temperature falls outside the range, or even at custom stages of fermentation. • Sourdough Tracking Crustello makes it easy to know your starter’s rhythm. The smart bowl measures its growth, and the app’s graphs reveal the perfect moment to feed or use it, ensuring you always add your starter at peak strength. • Log Your Feedings Log every sourdough feeding in the Crustello app, including the exact ratios of starter, flour, and water. This makes it easy to track your routine, stay consistent, and see how different methods affect your starter’s growth. • History & Analysis Keep a complete record of your baking journey. Every dough and sourdough session is saved in the Crustello app, with detailed graphs you can revisit anytime to learn from past bakes and improve. • Data & Comparison See how your methods evolve over time. The Crustello app lets you compare recordings by overlaying graphs, making it easy to spot differences, refine techniques, and achieve consistent results. • Smart Calculator Plan your bake with precision before you even start. Enter your flour, water, salt, oil, yeast, or starter amounts along with fermentation times, and let the Crustello app calculate everything for a smooth, accurate workflow. • Connect Your Sensor Pair the app with the Crustello Smart Sensor via Wi-Fi and monitor from anywhere — even when you’re not home. You can connect and manage multiple sensors at once. The Crustello app works hand-in-hand with our Proofing/Starter Bowls and our Smart Sensor to provide a complete experience that helps you track your dough and sourdough consistently.

Screenshots

Baking Journal4 screens
Crustello4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Baking Journal at 5.0 against Crustello's 1.0. Baking Journal also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs every 2 weeks). Crustello's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and ratings volume (3 vs 1). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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. Baking Journal sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Crustello asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Baking Journal holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 1.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 3 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Baking Journal ships an update every 3 days, Crustello every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and September 20, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Baking Journal versus Crustello: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBaking JournalCrustello
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better1.0 (3 ratings)
Positive reviews—0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings13 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 days — betterEvery 2 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesAd-supported — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.6 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size63 MB19 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperZMo SoftwareRaceBox Motorsport Llc

Customer experience

Baking Journal

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Crustello

All ratings3 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Baking Journal

Subscriptions2
  • Baking Journal Premium$4.991 Month
  • Baking Journal Premium$39.991 Year
None

Crustello

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Baking Journal free?
Baking Journal is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Crustello free?
Crustello is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Baking Journal or Crustello?
Baking Journal is rated higher. Baking Journal averages 5.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while Crustello averages 1.0 from 3 ratings.
Do Baking Journal or Crustello have ads?
Neither Baking Journal nor Crustello shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Baking Journal or Crustello?
Baking Journal ships an update every 3 days, and Crustello every 2 weeks. Most recently, Baking Journal was updated on October 8, 2026 and Crustello on September 20, 2026.

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