Comparison

CrackLog vs RoastEar

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

Head to head
About

CrackLog

Manually log coffee roasting details in real-time, including temperature, crack events, and fan/power adjustments. Visualize your roast curves and save batches as cards for easy comparison and future reference. Export your data for safekeeping.

Highlights
  • Real-time roast curve drawing
  • Manual temperature and crack logging
  • Fan and power adjustment tracking
  • Batch card collection
  • Side-by-side roast comparison
  • Data export and import
Features
Read full description

Hear the crack, press the big button once. A dot lands on the curve right there. CrackLog is a roasting log for home roasters who read the temperature off the machine and listen for the cracks themselves. Start the timer at charge, log temps as you go, tap first crack and second crack when you hear them, and the roast curve draws itself in real time. At drop, the batch becomes a card in your collection. Nothing to sign up for and nothing uploaded: your roast curves and batch cards never leave the handset you tapped them into. TRY IT BEFORE YOU ROAST A demo compresses a ten-minute roast into thirty seconds. You tap the cracks yourself and watch the dots land, without a single green bean. Demo batches stay out of your stats and overlays. A ROAST, START TO FINISH Charge: the timer starts at 0:00. Roasting: log the temperature shown on your roaster as often as you like. Keep the screen on while the timer runs. Cracks: tap First crack when you hear it, then Second crack. The dot is placed at that exact second. Mis-tapped? Undo on the spot. Drop: the timer stops, total time and DTR are worked out, and the batch card is made. DONE BY HAND, ON PURPOSE You type the temperature you see and you press the crack you hear. CrackLog never guesses your roast level and never grades the roast. It records what happened, as it happened. FAN AND POWER, LOGGED IN PLACE Each time you turn fan or power (1 to 9), one tap. The changes draw as a step line in a lane under the curve and sit in a table on the card, so next time with the same green coffee you can follow "fan 7 at 3:20" exactly. Tap yellowing and the end of first crack too and the drying, Maillard and development ratios are summarised for you. Preheat and room temperature go in the batch details. WHAT A CARD HOLDS Time-by-temperature curve with first and second crack dots Fan and power changes, yellowing and end-of-first-crack times Green coffee, origin, charge weight, drop weight, weight loss, roaster used, preheat and room temperature Roast level, eight steps from Light to Italian, chosen by you One line of roasting notes Browse the collection by green coffee or roast level. There are no streaks, no missions and no nagging to roast every day. SIDE BY SIDE WITH THE LAST BATCH Overlay the previous batch of the same green coffee as a translucent curve and compare as you roast. Roast again from any card and the green coffee, charge weight, roaster and preheat are filled in before you start. ROASTER'S KIT (OPTIONAL, ONE-TIME PURCHASE) Replay guide: start the same green coffee and the last batch's fan, power and crack times run alongside your timer. Multi-batch overlay: up to three earlier batches on one curve. Second temp: alternate between two readouts, such as bean temperature and exhaust temperature. Name them yourself and a second line is drawn on the curve. Roaster profile: rename the two dials and set their ranges to match your machine. Curve share card, green coffee stock, stats by green coffee, your own marks, card theme. Not a subscription. Whatever is free today stays free. YOUR RECORDS BELONG TO YOU Export every batch to a single file and import it again. Delete everything in one step from Settings. Logging works without an account, without a connection and without touching your photos, mic or location. Ads never appear and nothing renews. One optional lifetime purchase, handled by the App Store.

About

RoastEar

Features
Read full description

First crack can be hard to hear over a fan. RoastEar gives home coffee roasters a focused timer, large milestone controls, and optional acoustic assistance that listens alongside you. YOU STAY IN CONTROL Mark charge, dry end, first crack, second crack, drop, and cool by hand. When acoustic assistance is enabled, RoastEar analyzes microphone input on your device and may suggest first- or second-crack timing. Confirm or correct every suggestion. The timer and manual controls work without microphone access or a subscription. BUILT FOR THE ROAST • A large clock and controls designed for quick glances • Session-specific noise calibration and adjustable sensitivity • Live crack-rate context rather than a generic loudness meter • Development time and development ratio • Manual bean-temperature logging with temperature curves and rate of rise • Weight loss, ratings, roast notes, and cupping notes • Import an Artisan roast free. Pro unlocks unlimited roast history and export. • Optional retained audio for your own review PRIVATE BY DESIGN Audio analysis runs on your device. RoastEar does not serve ads or track users across unrelated apps, and no RoastEar account is required. RevenueCat receives pseudonymous Apple purchase and entitlement metadata for Pro access, restoration, and subscription analytics; no roast or audio data is sent to it. A separate legal-record service retains your legal choice and receipt, document versions, and pseudonymous installation identity—not your roast or audio content. Optional retained audio stays only on the originating device, is excluded from device backups, and leaves only when you explicitly share it. Roast records use your private iCloud database when iCloud is available. ROASTEAR PRO Import an Artisan roast free. Pro unlocks unlimited roast history and export. The free version also includes the manual timer, calculators, and one saved roast. Acoustic results depend on the roaster, batch, device placement, microphone, and surrounding noise. RoastEar is a logging companion, not a safety monitor. Never leave a roaster unattended. Terms of Use: https://www.uncommonweather.com/legal/apps/roastear-terms.html Privacy Policy: https://www.uncommonweather.com/legal/apps/roastear-privacy.html Product Schedule: https://www.uncommonweather.com/legal/roastear.html

Screenshots

CrackLog4 screens
RoastEar4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: RoastEar at every 9 days against CrackLog's every 3 weeks. CrackLog's advantage is iOS requirement (16.4 vs 18.0). 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. CrackLog sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and RoastEar sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

CrackLog ships an update every 3 weeks, RoastEar every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
CrackLog versus RoastEar: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCrackLogRoastEar
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (3 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings3 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 9 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS16.4 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size40 MB12 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKYUNGHWAN KIMRyan Tinklepaugh

In-app purchases

1 purchases

CrackLog

One-time1
  • Roaster's Kit$7.99
2 purchases

RoastEar

Subscriptions2
  • RoastEar Pro Monthly3 Days trial$3.991 Month
  • RoastEar Pro Annual7 Days trial$24.991 Year

Questions

Is CrackLog free?
CrackLog is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is RoastEar free?
RoastEar is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do CrackLog or RoastEar have ads?
Neither CrackLog nor RoastEar shows ads.
Which is updated more often, CrackLog or RoastEar?
CrackLog ships an update every 3 weeks, and RoastEar every 9 days. Most recently, CrackLog was updated on October 29, 2026 and RoastEar on October 25, 2026.

Other comparisons