Cold Stone vs Panera Bread
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Cold Stone
Order custom ice cream creations, shakes, or cakes for pickup or delivery. Save your favorite orders, earn rewards, and enjoy exclusive birthday treats through a loyalty program.
- Order ice cream creations, shakes, and cakes
- Pickup at store or delivery to door
- Save favorite orders and re-order easily
- Unlimited customizations
- Earn points and redeem rewards
- Birthday Buy One, Get One FREE offer
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The Cold Stone Creamery® app lets you order our made-fresh Ice Cream in a Creation™, Shake or Cake and have it ready for pickup at your favorite store or delivered right to your door! Sign in to your My Cold Stone Rewards account and you can save favorite orders, earn points and redeem rewards! ABOUT MY COLD STONE CLUB REWARDS + Earn 1 point for every $1 + Receive a $5 Reward with every 50 points + Enjoy a Buy One, Get One FREE on your birthday FEATURES + Order ahead and pick up at the store + Or, get your order delivered right to your door + Easily re-order with favorites and recent orders + Enjoy The Ultimate Ice Cream Experience® in app with unlimited customizations
Panera Bread
Order your favorite soups, salads, and sandwiches ahead for pickup or delivery. Access exclusive deals and rewards, and manage your Unlimited Sip Club membership. Reorder past favorites with ease and send digital gift cards.
- Order ahead for pickup or delivery
- Access MyPanera rewards
- Join Unlimited Sip Club
- Save and reorder favorites
- Send digital gift cards
- Mix & Match menu deals
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Meet the NEW MyPanera® now with more FREE Panera faves than ever. Earn points toward FREE menu items, unlock delicious benefits, and get 500 bonus points with your first purchase.* Make the most of your MyPanera perks and points on the app, including MyPanera+ Sip Club™ benefits, exclusive members-only extras, offers, and more–all in one place. *Offer valid for 14 days. Terms apply. The Panera Bread ® app is like having a mini-Panera ® in your pocket, but even better! You’ll find all your faves, classic and new—and so. much. more: Get to the MMM faster. Skip the line! Find your local cafe and order ahead for Rapid Pick-Up®. Staying in? We’ll deliver your flavor fix right to your door. Track your order and get ready for the deliciousness. Every bite gets you closer to FREE. Join MyPanera® to earn points on every purchase that can be redeemed for FREE Panera favorites. Plus, enjoy personalized rewards, member-only perks, special surprises, and birthday treats. Sip. Save. Repeat. Join MyPanera+ Sip Club™ for access to a variety of beverages, exclusive offers, and special perks. Already a member? Redeem your drinks even faster in the app. We save your favorites. Your go-to orders (customizations and all) are right at your fingertips, so you can reorder it again, and again, and again... Share the YUM. Send them a gift card! Give them a coffee for their first day, a ‘get well’ soup, or a little extra love just because—right from the app to their email inbox.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Panera Bread at 75% against Cold Stone's 20%. Panera Bread also leads on ratings volume (1.3M vs 23K) and rating (4.9 vs 4.7). Cold Stone's advantage is monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.0). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Panera Bread holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Panera Bread has 1.3M ratings behind it against 23K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 20% of Cold Stone's written reviews are positive against 75% of Panera Bread's.
Cold Stone ships an update every 3 weeks, Panera Bread every 2 weeks. Both last shipped on October 2, 2026.
| Parameter | Cold Stone | Panera Bread |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (23K ratings) | 4.9 (1.3M ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 19.5% of reviews | 74.9% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 23K | 1.3M — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #114 | #32 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, Apple Watch |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 72 MB | 156 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Kahala Management, L.L.C. | Panera Bread |
Customer experience
Cold Stone
Panera Bread
User reviews
Cold Stone
From 23K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Fast and easy order and pick up
- 👍 Exceptional ice cream and service
- 💡 Allows store to accept phone number for rewards
Room to improve
- 🐛 Buggy and glitchy app features
- 👎 Outdated and clunky app design
- 🤔 Disconnect between app and store inventory
- 💸 Incorrect orders and missing items
- 🤯 Frustrating login and account issues
Panera Bread
From 1.3M App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Efficient ordering process
- 🔒 Contactless delivery option
- 👍 Customization options
- 👍 Syncs with payment methods
- 👍 Rewards program integration
Room to improve
- 🐛 Buggy ordering process
- 🐛 Inconsistent user experience
- 🐛 Lack of order tracking
- 🐛 Payment and rewards issues
- 🐛 Slow app performance
Bugs and requests
Cold Stone
Reported bugs
4 issues- Payment processing errors
- Inability to change pickup location
- Rewards not updating properly
- App crashes when trying to add gift cards
Requested features
5 requests- Ability to reorder previous orders
- Option to select custom ice cream flavors
- Integration with mobile wallets (Apple Pay, Google Pay)
- Easier way to apply rewards and discounts
- Clearer communication on store closures and order availability
Panera Bread
Reported bugs
5 issues- Orders not showing up at the store
- Inability to access past orders
- Rewards not properly applied
- Inconsistent behavior when switching between WiFi and cellular
- App crashes or freezes during ordering process
Requested features
5 requests- Allow drive-thru pickup option
- Improve customization capabilities
- Provide order history and balance tracking
- Streamline payment and rewards integration
- Enhance app stability and responsiveness
In-app purchases
Cold Stone
No in-app purchases
Panera Bread
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Cold Stone free?
Is Panera Bread free?
Which has better reviews, Cold Stone or Panera Bread?
Do Cold Stone or Panera Bread have ads?
Which is updated more often, Cold Stone or Panera Bread?
Which is more popular, Cold Stone or Panera Bread?
Other comparisons
