Fantastic Coffee Guide vs Grindstep
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Fantastic Coffee Guide
Learn to brew delicious coffee at home with step-by-step guides, grind size advice, and helpful calculators. This app demystifies coffee, helping you achieve repeatable, high-quality results with any brew method.
- Coffee basics explained
- Step-by-step brew guides
- Grind size recommendations
- Brewing calculators
- Coffee gear ROI analysis
- Quick coffee Q&A
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Fantastic Coffee Guide helps you understand coffee from the ground up — how to choose it, store it, grind it, and brew it with confidence. If you’ve ever brewed a cup with good beans and high hopes — and still ended up disappointed — you’re not alone. The good news? Most people are just a few simple fixes away from reliably delicious, repeatable coffee at home. That’s where this guide comes in. It takes the mystery out of coffee and helps you brew a slurp-worthy cup you’ll look forward to every day. Inside the app you’ll find: • Coffee basics made approachable, from freshness to roast levels • Step-by-step brew guides for popular methods • Grind size help for every brew style • Clear ratios, temperatures, and tools • Batch brew calculator • Savings calculator for brewing coffee at home • ROI calculator to know how quickly you'll pay off your coffee gear when brewing at home • Quick answers for your coffee questions Fantastic Coffee Guide is based on the book From Just Fine to Fantastic Coffee by Liz Roquet, founder of Lizzy’s Fresh Coffee. Liz has spent years helping home brewers with practical guidance to brew awesome coffee at home. Friendly, clear, and right at your fingertips — this app is here to help as you brew and sip.
Grindstep
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Dial in espresso with a clear next step—not another vague “grind finer.” Grindstep is an espresso shot log and grind calculator for home baristas. Record what happened, learn how your grinder changes shot time, and get a specific setting adjustment once there is enough history. Every quantitative recommendation includes the math and confidence behind it. LOG EACH SHOT, THEN KNOW WHAT TO CHANGE • Record grind setting, dose, yield, brew ratio, time, temperature, TDS, and taste • Use the built-in shot timer and repeat your last setup • Get free directional guidance from taste and timing • Unlock quantitative recommendations based on your own grinder data START EACH BAG CLOSER First Shot Forecast uses your previously dialed-in bags to suggest a starting grind setting. The source is always shown, so you can judge the suggestion before using it. SEE YOUR DIAL-IN PATH • Follow every bag from first pull to locked recipe • View a Brew Control Chart with measured TDS points or clearly marked estimated regions • Track roast age and see how your dialed setting moves over time • Freeze a bag without letting its roast-age clock keep running BUILT FOR THE MORNING RUSH Save bags, grinders, machines, recipes, costs, and tasting notes without turning each shot into paperwork. With Pro, widgets and Repeat Last Shot make your usual workflow faster. PRIVATE AND PORTABLE No account is required. Your coffee data stays on your iPhone. Import compatible coffee logs and export your full archive as JSON or your shots as CSV. FREE INCLUDES • Unlimited shot logging and the timer • Directional dial-in guidance • Two active bags, one grinder, and one machine • Basic stats plus import and export GRINDSTEP PRO ADDS • Quantitative grind adjustments with visible math • First Shot Forecast • Brew Control Chart and roast-age drift • Unlimited bags and equipment • Cost analytics, widgets, share cards, and optional water/accessory fields Grindstep includes optional in-app purchases. Pro is available as a one-time Lifetime purchase or an auto-renewing Annual plan with a 7-day free trial. Prices vary by storefront and are shown before purchase. The Annual plan renews automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel in your Apple Account settings. Download Grindstep, log your next shot, and turn the result into a clearer next move. Privacy Policy: https://app-legal-pages.vercel.app/grindstep/privacy Terms of Service: https://app-legal-pages.vercel.app/grindstep/terms Support: captainlongevity@gmail.com
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Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Fantastic Coffee Guide at none against Grindstep's 2. Fantastic Coffee Guide also leads on update cadence (every 8 days vs monthly) and device support (3 vs 1). On price and ads 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. Grindstep sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per year. Fantastic Coffee Guide asks for nothing beyond the download.
Fantastic Coffee Guide ships an update every 8 days, Grindstep monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and November 10, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Fantastic Coffee Guide | Grindstep |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (4 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 4 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 8 days — better | Monthly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 17.2 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 3 MB | 5 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Lizzy's Fresh Coffee | 慧慧 高 |
In-app purchases
Fantastic Coffee Guide
No in-app purchases
Grindstep
- Pro Annual7 Days trial$4.991 Year
- Pro Lifetime$14.99
Questions
Is Fantastic Coffee Guide free?
Is Grindstep free?
Do Fantastic Coffee Guide or Grindstep have ads?
Which is updated more often, Fantastic Coffee Guide or Grindstep?
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