Fermentation Lab vs Ferment
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side β with what reviewers say about each.
Fermentation Lab
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Fermentation Lab is the cellar notebook for people who ferment at home. Pick a ferment and a recipe: the app weighs the ingredients, tells you what to do each day and keeps track of temperature, pH and salt, jar by jar. Start from a recipe 95 recipes for 39 ferments β sauerkraut, kimchi, kombucha, kefir, yogurt, miso, shoyu, koji, tempeh, cured meats, cheese, vinegar, beer, wine, mead and more β plus bread recipes and pizza styles. Ingredients arrive already weighed and stay in proportion: change how much you make, or one line, and the rest follows. Next to each ingredient you see whether it is in your pantry; what is missing goes to the shopping list. Or write your own recipe and keep it for next time. The right step, every day Each type has its own care sheet: the phases, the task of each phase and the checkpoints β minimum salt, pH by the expected day, temperature limits, humidity, weight loss. Home follows what is fermenting and reminds you of today's task, with a notification when it is due. Short ferments such as bread, koji or yogurt are counted in hours. Log it, understand it Temperature, pH, gravity, notes and photos in one tap. Every reading is read for your ferment: whether it is within the limits of its care sheet, whether it is too early to tell, what counts besides that number. Measuring guides explain how to read pH and Β°Brix properly. You can connect an Inkbird Bluetooth sensor for temperature and humidity. Bread and pizza Baker's percentages on total flour, hydration, sourdough starter, biga and poolish. The method is part of the recipe: autolyse, folds, a night in the fridge, the pan. Doughs made in pieces are asked in pieces β four 250 g dough balls β and the step-by-step recipe has timers. The water temperature that brings the dough to the right temperature is one tap away from Home. The Laboratory Pantry and supplies, a shopping list with a barcode scanner, your cultures, the archive of finished ferments, statistics across batches, a calendar and timers. The Library Problems and doubts ("is it mold?"), techniques and microbes, with a search that reads inside the cards. Share An Instagram story or post with the jar's photo, log or recipe, plus a link to its web page. The Community Your profile is your lab: a jar for every ferment in progress. A weekly leaderboard, daily quests, culture swaps and a swap map. Others see only the types and progress of your lab β never names, notes or photos β and you can hide it. The Brigade, for kitchens A shared lab for kitchen teams: tickets on the rail, shift handovers, the week's HACCP checks, roles. And more Eight languages, a paper or cellar theme, and a predicted flavor profile and umami score (they are estimates). Fermentation Lab helps you keep count and not skip a check. Its values are the common ones of home fermentation: a number within limits says that number is within limits, not that a food is safe or ready. When in doubt, don't taste it.
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
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Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Fermentation Lab at none against Ferment's 2. Fermentation Lab also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 6 weeks). On price there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Ferment sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month. Fermentation Lab asks for nothing beyond the download.
Fermentation Lab ships an update fortnightly, Ferment every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Fermentation Lab | Ferment |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly β better | Every 6 weeks |
| Ads | No β better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No β better | Yes |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod β better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 β better | 17.0 |
| Further details β not scored | ||
| Size | 84 MB | 34 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Antonio Lice | Rytis U |
In-app purchases
Fermentation Lab
No in-app purchases
Ferment
- Ferment Premium3 Days trial$7.991 Month
- Ferment Premium3 Days trial$49.991 Year
Questions
Is Fermentation Lab free?
Is Ferment free?
Do Fermentation Lab or Ferment have ads?
Which is updated more often, Fermentation Lab or Ferment?
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