[Updated] Battle of the Beer Apps: Untappd vs. Beerby

I love beer. All kinds of it. I recently earned my Bachelor’s in the Tacomac Brewniversity program, which means I’ve tried 125 different beers at least once; I can’t say I hated any of them. But here’s the problem: keeping track of the beers I’ve tried, and remembering how much I liked each of them. Then I found out about Untappd. It’s a website, optimized for mobile, that helps you track all of this. I’ve been using it for a couple months, though most heavily the last couple of weeks.

Then I got a link to Beerby, an app which serves the same purpose as Untappd. So what do I do? I decide to go to the bar to test them both out and find out which, in my opinion, is better. And yes, Beerby is the underdog because I’ve been using Untappd for an extended period of time. So here we go:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Round 1: Mobile Website vs. App

The first difference between the two programs is that one is a mobile website (Untappd) and one is an app (Beerby). This is a big difference, because I can access my account on Untappd from any computer, phone, or other internet access points. With Beerby, I have to have a phone that already has the app installed (or I can install it myself). Having to get onto the internet to access Untappd is more inconvenient than having an app on my phone that I can open up though. However, availability trumps a small inconvenience when it comes to this for me. Untapped: 1 Beerby: 0

 

Round 2: Interface

Untappd: The interface is great. It is very easy to use from the get go, whether you’re used to mobile apps/websites or not. The navigation bar at the top links you to four places:

• Friends: A live stream of what your friends on Untappd are drinking.
• The Pub: A public stream of what everyone who is logged into Untappd is drinking, from everywhere.
• Your Tab: What you’ve had to drink; your personal homepage of brews. It’s also the place to see your friends, how many brews total you’ve had, had many of them are unique, and what badges you’ve earned. You can also view your wish list of brews you want to try, but haven’t gotten to yet.
• Drink Up: The tab you’ll most want to use. It’s where you check in to the brew you’re currently drinking. You can add your location by integrating Foursquare, and you can post on Twitter and Facebook directly. Rate your brew, write any notes you’d like to say about it, and there you go!

The website is a pleasing Bud Light yellow (on purpose, duh) with easily readable text. Overall, a stellar looking piece of work that makes you forget you aren’t using an app. The only negative I have found is that I frequently hit the ‘back’ button, which takes me to the previous webpage, not the last screen I was on; this wouldn’t happen if it was an app instead of a website.

 

Beerby: The interface is very similar to Untappd’s. It has the navigation bar up top that links to four places as well:

• Home: This shows you the beers that you’ve consumed. Click on one of the beers to view your comments about it.
• Beer: This loads up the screen where you can search for new beers to check in, and also shows you your most recent beers, along with what appears to be other suggestions. I’m not sure exactly how this list is populated, and wish that would be explained. A cool little thing here is the icon next to the beer, distinguishing it as a lager, ale, porter, etc. It’s not that necessary, but it’s a nice touch.
• Places: This page brings up a Google Map with locations pinned down that you can check in to. Confusing to use, I think you can check in to locations this way but it’s not Foursquare integrated so I’m not sure what the point is…just personal notes I guess.
• Me: Oddly, you would think this page would show the beers you’ve had, but it doesn’t. It has a settings tab and contacts tab within it that you can view. In the settings tab you can see your ‘Badgers’ (their name for Badges) and your stats. The Badgers page and the Stats page are my favorite parts of the app, and are something that Beerby brings to the game that Untappd does not. The Badgers page, instead of keeping badges unknown until you earn them, has meters that fill up as you drink beers that apply to applicable badges. This allows you to see all the badges you’re on your way to earning, and how far you have to go. It’s simply great, and motivating. The Stats page, while very simple, is a nice add on: it examines all of your beers and tells you your preferred beer, style, brewery, and country; nothing special, but still cool.

My overall view of the interface is that it’s not as visually pleasing as Untappd, and the lack of LBS integration is a big miss. It is not as user-friendly as Untappd and takes awhile getting used to it. I’m still confused by some of the pages, and still find myself asking “why does this page not do this?” and feel that the Home and Me pages should be combined.

Untappd wins this one, it’s just easier to use and it looks better too. Untappd: 2; Beerby: 0

 

Round 3: Social Integration

Untappd: Untappd does a great job at integrating all things social with your account. When you check in to a brew you are able to post on both your Twitter and Facebook accounts automatically, as well as add your location via Foursquare, letting you check in that way as well. As you earn badges this posts on your social networks as well. Adding friends and commenting/toasting their check ins is very easy to do. Being able to view a stream of just your friends’ check ins is a helpful addition.

Beerby: Beerby lacks in social. That’s basically all you need to know. Your checkins, aren’t checkins, you are choosing to “track” a beer. When you choose to track a beer you can post to Twitter but that’s the only social integration there is. You can attach a photo to the tweet which is actually really great. Documenting all the beers you’ve had is a lot more fun when you’ve got pictures to go along with any comments you have about the beers. Other than this…there isn’t much going for Beerby on the social front. Adding in Foursquare or Gowalla integration is necessary for an app like this, and being able to post on Facebook is something that I thought everyone realized is essential.

Untappd wins this in a landslide. In the social media era you need to have at least Twitter, Facebook, and at least one LBS program involved in your app that is all about sharing your activity…Untappd has all three and Beerby only has one. Untapped: 3; Beerby: 0.

 

Concluding Thoughts:

Both Untappd and Beerby are great. But I feel that Untappd just has it more together than Beerby on every level. That doesn’t mean Beerby isn’t a great app, it just needs improvement. Add in more social integration, clean up the interface a bit to make it less confusing, and voila! You have an Untappd competitor. Where Beerby succeeds in comparison is its Badgers system and stats page, as well as being able to add photos to each beer you drink. There are some cool looking bottles I’d like to remember, and having photo proof is always a good thing.

Untappd wins this battle, and I’m going to keep using it, but I will also keep using Beerby. Giving in a few more weeks of regular use may change my mind on some things, and I’m always open to learning the intricacies you can only learn with more exposure.

Have you had a chance to use Untappd or Beerby? I’d give both of them a chance. Drinking beer is always a good time, and being able to see your past “performance” just improves the experience.

 

**UPDATE**

Beerby has informed me that they do have Foursquare integration within their latest update, as well as Facebook support but only on the iPhone. I have an Android so that is why I missed this. If you have an iPhone, go crazy! Android peeps, we’ve got a bit to wait, but we’ll get there soon enough.