Free iOS homebrewing app. Full offline. Cascading timers on your Apple Watch. No subscription — ever. See how it stacks up against Brewfather, BeerSmith, and Brewer's Friend.
Why brewers are switching
Four reasons homebrewers are done with the status quo — and what Brew Pilot does differently.
Brewfather recently hiked prices 50%. BeerSmith charges full desktop price plus a mobile subscription. Brew Pilot is free forever — the Pro upgrade is $24.99, once, and it never expires.
Brewfather is cloud-first — open your recipe on brew day and you're hitting their servers. Brew Pilot stores everything on-device. Basement, garage, dead zone — it doesn't matter.
Nobody else has cascading timers on Apple Watch. Brew Pilot chains your boil additions, hop schedules, and rest times — and runs them live on your wrist so you never lose track.
Cloud-first apps hold your data hostage. Brew Pilot is local-only — no account required, no server to lose your recipes if the company shuts down. BeerXML export keeps you portable.
Head-to-head comparison
Brew Pilot vs Brewfather vs BeerSmith vs Brewer's Friend — every major feature, no spin.
| Brew Pilot ★ Best Pick | Brewfather | BeerSmith | Brewer's Friend | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing | ||||
| Base price | Free | Free tier (limited) | Free trial only | Free tier (limited) |
| Full unlock | $24.99 one-time | ~$30–49/yr | $34.99 desktop + $7.99/mo mobile | $24–36/yr |
| 5-year total cost | $24.99 | $150–245 | $515+ | $120–180 |
| No account required | ✓ Yes | ✗ Account required | Partial | ✗ Account required |
| Offline & Data | ||||
| Full offline support | ✓ Full offline | ✗ Cloud-first | ✓ Desktop only | ✗ Cloud-first |
| Local-only data storage | ✓ On-device only | ✗ Cloud stored | Partial (desktop local) | ✗ Cloud stored |
| BeerXML import/export | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Brew Day Execution | ||||
| Cascading brew timers | ✓ Unique feature | ✗ No | ✗ No | ✗ No |
| Apple Watch integration | ✓ Native watchOS | ✗ No | ✗ No | ✗ No |
| Dynamic Island / Live Activities | ✓ Yes (iOS 16+) | ✗ No | ✗ No | ✗ No |
| Equipment-aware checklists | ✓ Yes | Partial | ✓ Yes | Partial |
| Recipe Management | ||||
| BJCP style profiles | ✓ 109 styles | ✓ Full library | ✓ Full library | ✓ Full library |
| BJCP compliance checker | ✓ Pro feature | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Stepped mash profiles | ✓ Pro feature | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Recipe design (all-grain/extract) | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Water Chemistry | ||||
| Water chemistry calculator | ✓ Basic (Pro: advanced) | ✓ Full | ✓ Full | ✓ Full |
| Mash pH estimation | ✓ Pro feature | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Platform | ||||
| iOS / iPhone | ✓ Native | ✓ App | ✓ App | ✓ App |
| Desktop (Mac/PC) | ✗ iOS only | ✓ Web | ✓ Desktop app | ✓ Web |
| iCloud sync | ✓ Pro feature | ✓ Cloud sync | ✓ Cloud sync | ✓ Cloud sync |
The case for switching
Brew Pilot's cascading timers chain your entire hop schedule and show the next addition on your Apple Watch. No phone-checking, no sticky notes, no missed additions at 60 minutes.
Cloud apps are a liability. When a company raises prices, changes policy, or shuts down, your recipes go with them. Brew Pilot stores everything locally — export to BeerXML anytime, no permission needed.
The App Store is full of "free to start" apps that charge forever. Brew Pilot is genuinely free — and if you want Pro features, it's $24.99 once. That's it. No annual renewal, no price hike surprises.
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Common questions
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