# Joule vs Specsmith

The clearest difference is rating: Specsmith at 5.0 against Joule's 2.6. Specsmith also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs monthly). Joule's advantage is ratings volume (732 vs 1) and iOS requirement (10.0 vs 17.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Specsmith holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 2.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Joule has 732 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Joule ships an update monthly, Specsmith every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Joule | Specsmith |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [2.6 (732 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/joule-sous-vide-by-chefsteps/id970115018/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/specsmith/id6800023413/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **732** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 19.3% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Every 5 days** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 39 MB | 3 MB |
| Requires iOS | **10.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [ChefSteps Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/816731099) | [Jeremy Oertel](https://appshunter.io/developer/6800023415) |

## What reviewers say

### Joule

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/joule-sous-vide-by-chefsteps/id970115018)

This app provides access to sous vide recipes and allows remote control of a sous vide device. It guides users through the cooking process with features like Visual Doneness and precise temperature management, ensuring perfectly cooked food.

**Highlights:** Exclusive sous vide cooking guides, Visual Doneness selection, Step-by-step cooking instructions, Remote Bluetooth/Wifi control, Precise temperature control, Cooking notifications

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### Specsmith

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/specsmith/id6800023413)

This app provides bar teams with instant access to cocktail specifications, prep recipes, and batching calculations. It's designed for quick, at-a-glance readability in a busy service environment, ensuring consistency and accuracy.

**Highlights:** Instant cocktail specs, Linked prep recipes, Batching calculations, Service-ready recipe display, Multi-workspace support, In-app recipe editing, Ad-free experience

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Joule free?

Joule is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Specsmith free?

Specsmith is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Joule or Specsmith?

Specsmith is rated higher. Joule averages 2.6 out of 5 from 732 ratings, while Specsmith averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Joule or Specsmith have ads?

Neither Joule nor Specsmith shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Joule or Specsmith?

Joule ships an update monthly, and Specsmith every 5 days. Most recently, Joule was updated on October 7, 2026 and Specsmith on October 8, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*