Comparison

SmartThermo vs Anova Culinary

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

Head to head
About

SmartThermo

Easily monitor your meat's temperature while grilling or smoking. Insert the probe, select your food and desired doneness, and receive alerts when it's perfectly cooked. Features include Bluetooth connectivity, a long-lasting battery, and multiple cooking modes.

Highlights
  • Wireless meat temperature monitoring
  • Bluetooth connectivity
  • Preset temperatures for 8 meats
  • Custom doneness programming
  • Alerts for perfect temperature
  • Multiple cooking modes (Meat Profiles, Timer, Target Temp)
Features
Read full description

It has been never easy to take your meat from grill. Now you can use this Smart Thermo® to make grill easier. Just simple insert the SmartThermo® probe into the meat you'd like to track, let the free app know what you're tracking and leave your SmartThermo® by the side of the grill (or smoker). This SmartThermo® alerts you when your meal has reached the perfect temperature. Program your choice of eight entrees and choose the desired doneness - and you're good to grill! - Bluetooth® v4.0 -100-hour battery life -Backlight LCD display -High-strength Magnetic on back for vertical mounting -Modern Touch Key Display -3 Modes: Meat Profiles / Countdown Timer / Target Temperature -Preset temperatures for and doneness for BEEF, LAMB, VEAL, HAMBURGER, PORK, TURKEY, CHICKEN & FISH. App requires a Bluetooth® Smart Ready device.

About

Anova Culinary

Discover and create sous vide recipes with a vast collection from professional chefs and home cooks. Control your precision cooker remotely, monitor cooking progress, and share your culinary creations. Offers guided cooking, time and temperature guides, and personal recipe saving.

Highlights
  • Largest sous vide recipe collection
  • Remote cooker control
  • Guided cooking instructions
  • Recipe creation and sharing
  • Time and temperature guides
  • Personalized cooking profiles
Features
Read full description

The Anova family of precision cookers allows everyone to cook like a pro! Paired with the Anova Culinary app, now perfectly cooked restaurant quality meals are as easy as the touch of a button. Browse the largest collection of sous vide recipes by Michelin star chefs and home cooks just like you. Then simply connect your cooker to the app and start, stop, and monitor your cook right from your mobile phone. Feeling inspired? Create and share your own recipes and go viral on the ‘gram. Whatever your pleasure, the Anova Culinary app is the place for everything sous vide. FEATURES ======== • LARGEST COLLECTION OF SOUS VIDE RECIPES: Access sous vide recipes created by Michelin star chefs and home cooks just like you. • COOK FROM AFAR: Start, stop, change the temperature, set the timer, and monitor your cooking status from just about anywhere, as long as your device is within Wi-Fi range. • RECIPE DISCOVERY: Cook recipes by James Beard Award-winning chefs, food editors, celebrity chefs, and more. • GUIDED COOKING: Follow the step-by-step instructions and click start to start cooking. • COOK NOTIFICATIONS: Stay up-to-date on your cooking status without getting tied to the kitchen. • RECIPE SHARING: Share your recipe with friends directly through the app. • TIME AND TEMP GUIDES: Learn the basics with our simple sous vide guides. • MANUAL CONTROL: Customize your cook settings with manual time and temperature control. • RECIPE COLLECTIONS: A series of new and appetizing recipe collections that are sure to keep you cooking. • RECIPE CREATION: Easily create and save your own personal sous vide recipe. • FAVORITES: Have a recipe or two that you love? Mark it as a favorite for quick and easy access. • PERSONAL PROFILE: Create your personal profile and see a history of all the meals you’ve cooked. Try all the features free for 14 days. Options in-app for monthly or yearly subscription terms. Payment will be charged to the iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase. Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. The account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours before the end of the current period, and the renewal cost will be identified. Subscriptions may be managed by the user, and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase. Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication, where applicable. End User License Agreement (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

SmartThermo3 screens
Anova Culinary4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Anova Culinary at 4.4 against SmartThermo's 1.8. Anova Culinary also leads on ratings volume (26K vs 41) and review sentiment (32% vs 16%). SmartThermo's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.1). On price, update cadence, ads 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. Anova Culinary sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. SmartThermo asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Anova Culinary holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 1.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Anova Culinary has 26K ratings behind it against 41, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 16% of SmartThermo's written reviews are positive against 32% of Anova Culinary's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 6, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
SmartThermo versus Anova Culinary: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSmartThermoAnova Culinary
PriceFreeFree
Rating1.8 (41 ratings)4.4 (26K ratings) — better
Positive reviews16.4% of reviews31.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings4126K — better
Update frequencyMonthlyMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank—#36 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size15 MB80 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperFuzhou Emax Electronic Co.,LtdAnova Culinary

Customer experience

SmartThermo

All ratings41 ratings
Positive19.5%
Neutral0.0%
Negative80.5%
Written reviews55 reviews
Positive16.4%
Neutral10.9%
Negative72.7%

Anova Culinary

All ratings25,593 ratings
Positive85.1%
Neutral3.2%
Negative11.7%
Written reviews1,218 reviews
Positive31.5%
Neutral9.4%
Negative59.0%

User reviews

SmartThermo

From 41 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Accurate temperature readings
  • 👍 Works well when connected
  • 👍 Alarm notifies desired temp
  • 👍 Can see temperature remotely
  • 👍 Foolproof meals when working

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Does not work at all
  • 🐛 Connection issues
  • 🐛 Unintuitive interface
  • 🐛 Does not charge
  • 🐛 App gives no info on errors

Anova Culinary

From 26K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Easy to use
  • 🚀 Consistent cooking results
  • 🚀 Versatile for various foods
  • 🚀 Game-changing cooking method
  • 🚀 Convenient remote control

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Connectivity issues with app
  • 🐛 Unreliable timer functionality
  • 🐛 Glitchy app interface
  • 🐛 Difficult WiFi setup
  • 🐛 Lack of manual controls

Bugs and requests

SmartThermo

Reported bugs

11 issues
  • App not connecting to phone
  • Thermometer not charging
  • App buttons hidden by notch
  • App reverts to Celsius
  • Bluetooth connection drops frequently
Show 6 more
  • Timer function stopped working
  • App crashes with iOS 9.0.1
  • App not working with iOS 9.1
  • App not pairing with new versions
  • App not connecting to ET-737
  • App not pairing with iOS 10

Requested features

9 requests
  • Update UI for newer iPhones
  • Allow multiple device support
  • Color coding for probes
  • Add Apple Watch app
  • Add graph of temperature
Show 4 more
  • Estimate time to reach temp
  • Alerts for cool down temperatures
  • Ability to set alarms within app
  • Timers continue when disconnected

Anova Culinary

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • App unable to maintain connection to device
  • Timer resets unexpectedly during cooking
  • Recipes not saving properly in the app
  • Compatibility issues with certain WiFi networks
  • Notifications not working as expected

Requested features

5 requests
  • Improved recipe management
  • Better app integration with smart home devices
  • More customization options for cooking
  • Clearer instructions and troubleshooting guides
  • Ability to save personal recipes

In-app purchases

None

SmartThermo

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Anova Culinary

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Subscription14 Days trial$1.991 Month
  • Sous Vide Yearly Subscription14 Days trial$9.991 Year

Questions

Is SmartThermo free?
SmartThermo is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Anova Culinary free?
Anova Culinary is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, SmartThermo or Anova Culinary?
Anova Culinary is rated higher. SmartThermo averages 1.8 out of 5 from 41 ratings, while Anova Culinary averages 4.4 from 26K ratings.
Do SmartThermo or Anova Culinary have ads?
Neither SmartThermo nor Anova Culinary shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SmartThermo or Anova Culinary?
SmartThermo ships an update monthly, and Anova Culinary monthly. Most recently, SmartThermo was updated on October 6, 2026 and Anova Culinary on October 13, 2026.

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