Comparison

FermentBuddy vs Ferment Lab

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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

About

Ferment Lab

Features
Read full description

Ferment Lab is the batch tracker home fermenters have needed for years. Log every jar, vessel, and crock — with pH readings, photos, tasting notes, and scheduled check-ins — and let on-device AI tell you if your ferment is on track. AI pH Safety Advisor Log your pH readings as your batch develops. Ferment Lab analyzes your acidification curve against culture-specific safety profiles (kimchi, kombucha, brine pickles, and cheese all behave differently) and tells you: on track, watch it, or discard. No guessing. No forum searching at midnight. Built for every ferment except bread Kimchi. Kombucha. Kefir. Hard and soft cheese. Hot sauce. Pickles. Sauerkraut. Vinegar. Miso. Tempeh. Wine and cider. Each culture gets the right schedule, right safety thresholds, and right guidance. Sourdough? That's Crumb — a separate app for bread bakers. What you track Salt %, temperature, vessel size, pH readings over time, tasting ratings, and a full photo journal. The batch detail screen is the most organized fermentation log you've ever had. Designed for the counter Live Activities keep your next check-in on your lock screen. Widgets show all active batches at a glance. Siri shortcuts log a pH reading without unlocking your phone. All data stays on your device or syncs privately via iCloud. No accounts. No server. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://brainrash.com/apps/ferment-lab/privacy

Screenshots

FermentBuddy4 screens
Ferment Lab4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: FermentBuddy at weekly against Ferment Lab's every 2 months. FermentBuddy also leads on iOS requirement (15.1 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. FermentBuddy sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and Ferment Lab sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

FermentBuddy ships an update weekly, Ferment Lab every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 7 level
FermentBuddy versus Ferment Lab: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFermentBuddyFerment Lab
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhone, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.1 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size103 MB4 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLight Works Studio, LLCJustin Pruskowski

In-app purchases

3 purchases

FermentBuddy

Subscriptions2
  • FermentBuddy Pro (Monthly)$3.991 Month
  • FermentBuddy Pro (Annual)$34.991 Year
One-time1
  • FermentBuddy Pro (Lifetime)$39.99
3 purchases

Ferment Lab

Subscriptions2
  • Ferment Lab Pro Monthly$3.991 Month
  • Ferment Lab Pro Annual$29.991 Year
One-time1
  • Ferment Lab Pro Lifetime$49.99

Questions

Is FermentBuddy free?
FermentBuddy is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Ferment Lab free?
Ferment Lab is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do FermentBuddy or Ferment Lab have ads?
Neither FermentBuddy nor Ferment Lab shows ads.
Which is updated more often, FermentBuddy or Ferment Lab?
FermentBuddy ships an update weekly, and Ferment Lab every 2 months. Most recently, FermentBuddy was updated on October 1, 2026 and Ferment Lab on October 8, 2026.

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