Comparison

SteepPilot vs Cha Qi · 茶气

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

Head to head
About

SteepPilot

Features
Read full description

SteepPilot times every infusion of your tea session. Pick your tea and it sets the water temperature, the leaf for your vessel and how long each steep runs, a few seconds longer every round. Then it times them one by one. GONGFU OR WESTERN Gongfu mode is many short steeps in a small gaiwan or teapot. Set the first steep, the seconds added each round and the number of infusions. Western mode is one long steep in a large mug. EIGHT TEAS Green, black, oolong, white, sheng and shou pu-erh, herbal and matcha each come with their own water temperature and starting steep times. Pu-erh starts with a rinse. Temperatures in °C or °F. LEAF FOR YOUR VESSEL Set the size of your gaiwan, teapot or mug and SteepPilot suggests how much leaf to use, depending on the tea and the brewing method. ICED TEA One switch splits the water into hot water and ice. THE TIMER Each infusion gets its own countdown ring. A soft chime and a vibration tell you when to pour, and the screen stays on. Pause, skip, or let the infusions advance on their own. The timer keeps running when your iPhone locks, and a notification tells you when each steep is done. A running session survives the app being closed. TASTE AS YOU GO Between infusions, tap the flavors you taste and give the infusion stars. Pro adds a short written note for each infusion. At the end, the summary shows how many infusions you made, how long the session took and a rough caffeine estimate. TEA JOURNAL Save a session with its rating and tasting notes and read back through it later. The free version keeps three sessions. Pro keeps them all and exports your journal as a CSV file. MY TEAS Keep your loose leaf teas with origin, vendor and how many grams are left. Save a session with one of them and its leaf comes off what's left, and SteepPilot tells you when a tea is running low. Five teas are free, Pro has no limit. PRESETS Save a setup you like and start it again with one tap. ICLOUD SYNC Your journal, teas and presets reach your other Apple devices through your own iCloud. You can turn sync off in Settings. PRIVACY No account and no SteepPilot server. No analytics, no ads, no tracking. Notifications are scheduled on your iPhone and never pass through a server. FREE AND PRO Free: all eight teas, gongfu and western timers, iced tea, flavor tags and ratings, presets, three journal sessions and five teas. SteepPilot Pro keeps an unlimited journal and tea collection, adds a written note for each infusion and exports your journal as CSV. Pro is available as a monthly or yearly subscription, or as a one-time lifetime purchase. The price is shown in the app before you buy. Payment is charged to your Apple ID when you confirm the purchase. A subscription renews automatically unless you cancel it at least 24 hours before the end of the current period, and the renewal is charged within the 24 hours before the period ends. You can manage or cancel it in your iPhone's Settings under your name, then Subscriptions. Help: https://apps.alexgalkin.de/steeppilot/ Privacy policy: https://apps.alexgalkin.de/steeppilot/privacy/ Terms of use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Cha Qi · 茶气

This app helps gongfu cha drinkers calculate tea session scores, estimate caffeine and L-theanine, and forecast sleep impact. It offers personalized brew recommendations based on desired mental states and includes a session timer and diary for logging experiences.

Highlights
  • Gongfu cha session calculator
  • Caffeine and L-theanine estimation
  • Sleep impact forecast
  • TCM nature and Qi profile analysis
  • Goal-driven brew recommendations
  • Gongfu infusion timer
  • Session diary and notes
Features
Read full description

Cha Qi · 茶气 is a calculator and notebook for the gongfu cha drinker. WHAT IT DOES • Cha qi score on Lu Tong's Seven Bowls scale • Caffeine and L-theanine estimate • Sleep forecast — when you can fall asleep by 11pm • TCM nature 性 of the brew: cool, neutral, warm, hot • Qi profile: calm vs focus vs euphoria balance • Goal-driven recommendation: what to brew for the state you want SIX TABS • Session: pick your tea, vessel, and grams — see the calculation • Goal: set a state ("Bright focus", "Soft relaxation", "Deep dive", "Cha zui euphoria") and get a brew plan • Timer: gongfu infusion timer • Diary: log sessions, taste notes, mood • A/B: compare two brews side by side • Teas: library of 40 known varieties + your personal stash PRIVACY All your data — library, diary, notes — stays on your device. Nothing is uploaded. LANGUAGES Russian, English, Chinese (Simplified) with locale-aware tea names. OFFLINE Works without internet.

Screenshots

SteepPilot4 screens
Cha Qi · 茶气4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Cha Qi · 茶气 at none against SteepPilot's 3. On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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. SteepPilot sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Cha Qi · 茶气 asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard1 real difference · 8 level
SteepPilot versus Cha Qi · 茶气: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSteepPilotCha Qi · 茶气
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—2 — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 months—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
Monetization—Free
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better16.1
Further details — not scored
Size9 MB4 MB
Age rating+44+
DeveloperAlex GalkinUMAR SEMENOV

In-app purchases

3 purchases

SteepPilot

Subscriptions2
  • Pro Monthly$1.991 Month
  • Pro Yearly$9.991 Year
One-time1
  • Pro Lifetime$19.99
None

Cha Qi · 茶气

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is SteepPilot free?
SteepPilot is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Cha Qi · 茶气 free?
Cha Qi · 茶气 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do SteepPilot or Cha Qi · 茶气 have ads?
Neither SteepPilot nor Cha Qi · 茶气 shows ads.

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