What's an alternative to Filtru without a subscription?
Last updated: 7 September 2026
Pucksmith is a coffee journal and espresso dial-in log with no subscription: the free tier is the whole journal and never expires, and Pucksmith Pro is US$19.99 paid once. It runs on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Android and Windows, where Filtru is iOS only.
One difference first. Filtru leads with guided brewing. Pucksmith is a vault and journal first: a starting recipe, then a record of what you did and what changed. If you want a step-by-step guide every morning, Pucksmith is not that. If you want to remember what worked and repeat it, it is.
How to leave a subscription coffee app
- Decide what you actually use: the guided timer, or the log. Pick the replacement for that job.
- Export your history before you cancel. Look in the app's settings for CSV. If there is no export, screenshot your best recipe for each open bag.
- Write down the current best recipe per bag on paper: dose, grind, yield, time. Old history is nice, the last good recipe is what dials in the next bag.
- Check what the new app charges and where it runs. A one-time price, on every device you own, is the point of switching.
- Enter your open bags and one best brew each into the new app. Do not re-type the whole history.
- Cancel at the store, not inside the app. On iPhone that is Settings, your name, Subscriptions.
How Pucksmith does it
The free tier is the whole journal: unlimited bags, unlimited history, the margin delta, Quick Brew and all fifteen starting points, search, export, backup and restore, plus three photo or barcode captures. Pucksmith Pro is US$19.99, paid once, and unlocks the dial-in graph, unlimited photo and barcode capture, the full tally with cost per cup, and the Dial Sheet PDF. There is nothing to renew. Pro is bought once on the store you use and unlocks on every device signed in to that store account, with Family Sharing on Apple.
Pucksmith runs on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Android and Windows. On Mac and Windows the sheet opens wide, with the shelf, the bag and the margin column side by side, and prints a Dial Sheet PDF. On phones it folds to a one-thumb log. There is no cloud sync. Move the log between devices with the one-file backup.
Instead of a guided timer, Pucksmith gives you fifteen starting points (espresso, V60, Chemex, AeroPress, moka, cold brew and more) with a real ratio, dose, time and temperature. Then a margin strip on every entry shows what changed since the last brew, and one tap opens the next brew with the numbers from your best-rated shot for that bag.
No account, ever. There is no sign-up and no login. Everything you log stays on your device and nothing leaves it unless you export or send it. There are no ads and no tracking, and it works offline.
Other apps people name here: Timer.Coffee is free and open source, with recipes, timers and a bean diary. It is pour-over and timer first with a social feed, closer to Filtru's shape than to a private log.
Get Pucksmith
Related questions
- Is the Pucksmith free tier a trial?
- No. It is not a trial and does not expire. Unlimited bags and history, export and backup are free for good.
- Does Pucksmith have guided brew timers like Filtru?
- No. It gives you fifteen starting points with ratio, dose, time and temperature, then logs what you did. It is a journal first, not a step-by-step teacher.
- Does Pucksmith run on Android and Windows?
- Yes. iPhone, iPad, Mac, Android and Windows. Filtru is iOS only.
Pucksmith is a Trueframe Digital app. Pay once, no account, your data stays on your device. See the Pucksmith page for screenshots, the full feature list and prices.