GrindLab vs BeanBench
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
GrindLab
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GrindLab turns your iPhone camera into a precision coffee grind analyzer. Snap a photo of your grounds and get instant, micron-level particle size measurements — no extra hardware needed. ANALYZE YOUR GRIND Use computer vision to detect individual particles and measure their size distribution. GrindLab calculates median size, uniformity score, fines percentage, and boulders percentage so you know exactly how consistent your grinder is performing. Calibrate with a coin or ruler for real-world micron accuracy. FOUR GRIND PROFILES Dial in for any brew method with built-in target ranges: - Espresso: 170-300μm - Filter/Pour-Over: 400-800μm - French Press: 750-1000μm - Cold Brew: 800-1200μm TASTE-TO-GRIND RECOMMENDATIONS Log how your coffee tastes — sour, bitter, balanced, weak — and GrindLab connects your flavor feedback to your grind data. BREW TIMER & RECIPES Time your brews with step-by-step guidance for V60, Espresso, French Press, and Chemex. Create custom recipes with your own ratios, steps, and notes. Live Activities put your timer on the Lock Screen and Dynamic Island so you never miss a pour. BREW JOURNAL Track every cup. Log your beans (roaster, origin, roast level, freshness), brew parameters (dose, yield, temperature, time), and tasting notes with star ratings. Search and filter your history to spot trends and refine your process over time. COMPARE & IMPROVE Save analyses and compare them side by side. Overlay distribution charts, view delta metrics, and set a baseline to track how grinder adjustments affect consistency. See your stats at a glance: total analyses, percentage in target range, and weekly trends. DETAILED VISUALIZATIONS Color-coded particle overlays show exactly where fines and boulders live in your sample. Distribution charts, histograms, and pie charts make your data easy to understand and share. PRIVACY FIRST GrindLab processes everything on-device. Your photos and data stay on your iPhone. No account required. No tracking. Whether you're a home barista chasing the perfect espresso or a pour-over enthusiast dialing in a new bag, GrindLab gives you the data to brew better coffee every day.
BeanBench
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BeanBench is a coffee log for people who brew at home and drink out. Track the beans you buy, the cups you make, and the cafés you visit, then see how your taste develops over time. LOG BREWS, YOUR WAY - Guided timers with stage-by-stage prompts and haptics: V60, 4:6, the BeanBench House recipes, Chemex, Kalita, AeroPress, French press, Stagg [XF], cold brew, and cupping, plus any recipe you save yourself. - Quick manual logging when you already know the numbers: dose, water, temperature, grind (with your grinder's own scale), total time, and drawdown. Add a custom brew method if yours isn't listed. - Espresso too: baskets, prep, pressure profiles, and shot outcomes. BUILD YOUR COFFEE LIBRARY - Scan a bag: photograph the label and BeanBench reads it on your device, including the roaster, origin, process, variety, roast date, and tasting notes. Then you review and save. Photos never leave your phone. - Or import from an AI assistant: copy a prompt, attach your bag photos in the assistant you already use, then paste the reply back. - Track price, bag size, rest days after roast, and whether you'd buy again. Resting reminders tell you when a bag is ready. RATE WITH PRECISION - Five stars, with quarter-star steps. Tap for speed, drag for precision. CHECK IN AT CAFÉS - Log drinks at coffee shops with photos, prices, and ratings. See your visits on a map and in stats. Earn badges as your coffee map grows. SEE YOUR TASTE DEVELOP - The Coffee Passport automatically stamps countries and flavor families based on what you log. - Analytics show brew trends, spending, top coffees, and what you actually reorder. YOUR DATA, YOURS - Everything lives on your device. Optional iCloud sync uses your private iCloud account, with live sync status in Settings so you always know where things stand. We never see your data. - Full backup and restore to a single file. CSV and JSON export for everything. No account. No ads. No tracking.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: GrindLab at every 2 weeks against BeanBench's every 3 months. BeanBench's advantage is iOS requirement (17.0 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
GrindLab ships an update every 2 weeks, BeanBench every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | GrindLab | BeanBench |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks — better | Every 3 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 17.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 32 MB | 10 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Nathan King | Mount Si Labs LLC |
In-app purchases
GrindLab
No in-app purchases
BeanBench
No in-app purchases









