FermentBuddy vs Ferment
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
FermentBuddy
This kitchen companion helps you track and manage all your fermentation projects, from sourdough starters to kombucha. It provides smart timers, guided workflows, and troubleshooting assistance to ensure successful ferments. Document your progress with notes and photos, and access your data offline.
- Track multiple ferment types
- Smart recurring reminders
- Guided step-by-step workflows
- Troubleshooting diagnostic system
- Log ingredients, notes, and photos
- Home screen widgets
- Offline functionality
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Fermentation is all about timing — and your sourdough starter won't remind you when it's hungry. FermentBuddy is the kitchen companion that remembers what you forget, so you never kill another starter or over-ferment your kombucha again. TRACK ALL YOUR FERMENTS IN ONE PLACE Whether you're nurturing a sourdough starter, brewing kombucha, culturing kefir, or making sauerkraut, FermentBuddy keeps every project organized with timers, notes, and photo logs. Support for 13 fermentation types including kimchi, miso, tempeh, yogurt, jun, vinegar, water kefir, and pickles. SMART TIMERS THAT ACTUALLY HELP Set recurring feeding reminders for your sourdough starter. Get notified when your kombucha first ferment is ready. FermentBuddy sends push notifications so you can stop setting random phone alarms and sticky notes. Pro users get temperature-adjusted timers that use fermentation science to adapt timing to your kitchen conditions. GUIDED WORKFLOWS FOR EVERY STAGE New to fermentation? Follow step-by-step timelines that walk you through each stage — from mixing your first sourdough starter to bottling your kombucha. Visual progress tracking shows exactly where you are and what comes next. TROUBLESHOOTING THAT ACTUALLY WORKS Mold on your sauerkraut? Starter not rising? Kombucha too vinegary? FermentBuddy's diagnostic system helps you identify problems with 34+ symptoms, causes, severity levels, and actionable solutions. No more frantic googling — get answers in seconds. DOCUMENT YOUR PROGRESS Log each batch with ingredients, dates, notes, and photos. Track what works and what doesn't. Build your personal fermentation recipe book over time. Export your history as CSV or PDF to share or save. HOME SCREEN WIDGETS Check on your active ferments without opening the app. Small, medium, and large iOS widgets show your running timers and next actions at a glance. BEAUTIFUL, WARM DESIGN FermentBuddy's "Artisan Pantry" design feels like a cozy kitchen companion, not a clinical spreadsheet. Warm terracotta and olive tones, organic typography, and signature rising bubble animations bring your ferments to life. Full dark mode support with warm undertones for late-night feeding sessions. WORKS OFFLINE Start tracking immediately — no account required. FermentBuddy works offline with automatic cloud sync when you're connected. Your data is always safe and accessible across devices. FREE TO START, PRO TO MASTER Get started free with 2 active projects, 3 ferment types, smart timers, and basic troubleshooting. Upgrade to Pro for unlimited projects, all 13 ferment types, temperature-adjusted timers, feeding calculator, discard recipe library, home screen widgets, batch export, and more. SUBSCRIPTION & PRICING FermentBuddy Pro is available as: • Annual auto-renewing subscription: $34.99/year (just $2.90/month) • Monthly auto-renewing subscription: $3.99/month • Lifetime one-time purchase: $14.99 Subscriptions auto-renew at the end of each period unless canceled at least 24 hours before the current period ends. Manage or cancel anytime in your iTunes Account Settings. Payment is charged to your Apple ID account at confirmation of purchase. Whether you're starting your first sourdough starter or managing a kitchen full of ferments, FermentBuddy helps you ferment with confidence. Terms of Use (EULA): https://fermentbuddy.app/terms Privacy Policy: https://fermentbuddy.app/privacy
Ferment
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Ferment helps you make real sour pickles, sauerkraut, and kimchi at home. No vinegar, no canning, no special gear. Just vegetables, salt, and time. Whether this is your first jar or your fifth, the app stays in your pocket to answer the questions that come up along the way. These are naturally fermented foods. You salt the vegetables, keep them under the brine, and let them sour on the counter for a week or two. The result is crunchy, tangy, and alive. Ferment walks you through it and keeps you company the whole time. Ask the helper anything (new) The biggest part of this update. When a question comes up, just ask. Type it out, snap a photo of your jar, or leave a quick voice note, and you get a clear, plain answer back in seconds. Is this white film okay? Why did my kraut go soft? What can I make with this cabbage? It knows fermentation, it can read your photo, and it can help you build a simple recipe you can start tracking with one tap. Included with Premium. Get your salt right Salt is the one thing that really matters, and the math trips everyone up. The calculator does it for you. Use dry salt for shredded vegetables like cabbage, or a brine for whole vegetables like cucumbers. It handles different salt types and jar sizes, so you measure once and move on. Know what you are looking at See a cloudy brine, soft vegetables, or a film on top and not sure what it means? The visual guide walks you through what you are seeing, with reference photos for the common ones, and gives you a plain verdict: this is fine, do this, or start over. Most of what looks alarming is completely normal, and now you will know. Track your jars Keep an eye on up to 10 batches at once. Each one shows where it is in the process and what to expect next, with gentle reminders to press the vegetables back under the brine and to taste along the way. Log your notes, rate the sourness and crunch, and tap to make a good batch again. Recipes to start from One solid, tested recipe per type, written to actually work the first time. Sauerkraut, kimchi, garlic dill pickles from half-sour to full-sour, curtido, hot sauce, fermented carrots, and more. Each one points out what to watch for, and you can start a batch with reminders in a single tap. Straight answers on safety Plain, honest answers to the questions everyone has. Why salted vegetable ferments are safe to make at home, and how to trust your own eyes, nose, and taste. A quick per-batch checklist means you never have to second-guess. Made for everyday cooks You do not need to be an expert or know any of the lingo. If you have ever wanted to make your own pickles and were not sure where to start, this is for you. Calm, friendly guidance from someone who has made a few jars, not a textbook. 7-day free trial. Then $29.99/year or $4.99/month. SUBSCRIPTION DETAILS Ferment Premium is available as an auto-renewable subscription with two plans: - Ferment Annual: $29.99/year (7-day free trial) - Ferment Monthly: $4.99/month (7-day free trial) Payment is charged to your Apple ID account at confirmation of purchase. The subscription automatically renews unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your account is charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. You can manage and cancel your subscriptions in your Apple ID account settings. Any unused portion of a free trial period will be forfeited when you purchase a subscription. Terms of Use: https://heyferment.com/terms Privacy Policy: https://heyferment.com/privacy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: FermentBuddy at none against Ferment's shown. FermentBuddy also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 6 weeks) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). On price, 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. FermentBuddy sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and Ferment sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
FermentBuddy ships an update weekly, Ferment every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on July 9, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | FermentBuddy | Ferment |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better | — |
| Number of ratings | 1 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Weekly — better | Every 6 weeks |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Freemium | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 103 MB | 34 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Light Works Studio, LLC | Rytis U |
In-app purchases
FermentBuddy
- FermentBuddy Pro (Monthly)$3.991 Month
- FermentBuddy Pro (Annual)$34.991 Year
- FermentBuddy Pro (Lifetime)$39.99
Ferment
- Ferment Premium3 Days trial$7.991 Month
- Ferment Premium3 Days trial$49.991 Year





