Comparison

Tea Journal Brew Timer vs Nine Steeps

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

Head to head
About

Tea Journal Brew Timer

Features
Read full description

Steep is the beautiful tea journal for serious tea lovers. Track every brew session, perfect your technique, and discover what makes each cup exceptional. From your first gongfu session to your thousandth infusion, Steep captures every detail. BREW TIMER - Precision countdown timer for gongfu and Western brewing - Infusion tracking with automatic time increments - Per-infusion notes and mini ratings - Smart presets: gaiwan, teapot, kyusu, mug TEA COLLECTION - Build your personal tea library with unlimited entries (Pro) - Track vendor, origin, harvest year, and quantity - Flavor tagging with 40+ descriptors - Visual quantity tracker (full, half, empty) SESSION JOURNAL - Detailed tasting records for every brew - Rate aroma, flavor, mouthfeel, aftertaste, sweetness, and cha qi - Flavor descriptor tags - Session notes and photos INSIGHTS AND STATS - Track your daily brewing streak - Most-brewed teas and brewing history - Tasting evolution over time GO PRO - UNLOCK EVERYTHING - Unlimited tea collection (free tier: 5 teas) - Unlimited session history (free tier: 20 sessions) - AI Tea Advisor - personalized recommendations powered by Grok - Advanced tasting analytics and palate evolution - Session comparison side by side - CSV export and sharing Whether you brew longjing at 75 degrees or aged pu-erh at full boil, Steep honors the ritual. Warm parchment design, airy spacing, no clutter. Just you and the tea. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Nine Steeps

Features
Read full description

Nine Steeps is a tea companion for brewing, tasting, and keeping a small cellar. Build timed steeping sessions, record infusion notes, rate aroma, body, and finish, save teas, export and import tea files, and use Apple Watch and Live Activities during a session. Full Access is a one-time non-consumable in-app purchase with Apple StoreKit purchase and restore.

Screenshots

Tea Journal Brew Timer4 screens
Nine Steeps4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Nine Steeps at every 2 days against Tea Journal Brew Timer's fortnightly. Nine Steeps also leads on device support (4 vs 1). On price, ads, in-app purchases and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. Tea Journal Brew Timer sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Nine Steeps sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Tea Journal Brew Timer ships an update fortnightly, Nine Steeps every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences ยท 4 level
Tea Journal Brew Timer versus Nine Steeps: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTea Journal Brew TimerNine Steeps
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 2 days โ€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch โ€” better
Requires iOS17 โ€” better18.0
Further details โ€” not scored
Size5 MB26 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKarol JaworskiRizk Corsight, LLC

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Tea Journal Brew Timer

Subscriptions3
  • Steep Pro Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Steep Pro Yearly$39.991 Year
  • Steep Pro Yearly - Intro Offer1 Year trial$39.991 Year
3 purchases

Nine Steeps

One-time3
  • 3-Day TrialFree
  • Nine Steeps Full Access$1.99
  • Nine Steeps Pro$1.99

Questions

Is Tea Journal Brew Timer free?
Tea Journal Brew Timer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Nine Steeps free?
Nine Steeps is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Tea Journal Brew Timer or Nine Steeps have ads?
Neither Tea Journal Brew Timer nor Nine Steeps shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Tea Journal Brew Timer or Nine Steeps?
Tea Journal Brew Timer ships an update fortnightly, and Nine Steeps every 2 days. Most recently, Tea Journal Brew Timer was updated on October 28, 2026 and Nine Steeps on October 31, 2026.

Other comparisons