These simple comparisons don't tell the whole story. Let's dig deeper.
When free costs more than you think
Artisan is a wonderful open-source tool that has helped many home roasters and small businesses record their roast profiles. It's free, which is certainly appealing. But as the saying goes – if you're not paying for the product, you might be the product... or in this case, you might be paying in other ways.
The Hidden Costs of Free Software:
- Time spent configuring complex settings
- Technical expertise needed for setup
- Missing business management features
- Limited customer support
- No inventory management
- Lack of multi-location support
Why Professional Roasters Choose RoastLog:
- Complete roastery management system
- Easy setup and intuitive interface
- Direct support from the founders
- Comprehensive inventory tracking
- Cupping notes and quality control
- Designed for business growth
Beyond the roast curve: What serious roasters need
Artisan excels at one thing: recording roast profiles. It's a technical tool built by engineers for tech-savy users. But running a successful coffee roastery requires much more than just logging temperature data.
Artisan's Focus:
- Roast profile recording
- Basic statistics
- Manual data entry
RoastLog's Complete System:
- Roast profile development
- Green coffee inventory management
- Cupping and sample tracking
- Production planning and scheduling
- Multi-location support
"We started with Artisan because it was free, but we spent countless hours setting it up and still had to manage our inventory and orders in separate spreadsheets. Switching to RoastLog saved us time and helped us grow our business."
— Actual RoastLog Customer
Designed for growth: From hobby to business
There's a big difference between hobby roasting and running a commercial roastery. Artisan works great for home roasters with a single machine who roast as a hobby. RoastLog is designed for businesses that plan to grow.
Home Roasters
For hobbyists roasting on a single machine with no business aspirations, Artisan offers great value at no cost.
Perfect for: Weekend warriors who roast for themselves and friends.
Growing Businesses
For commercial roasters looking to scale operations and streamline their workflow, RoastLog provides everything needed in one platform.
Perfect for: Serious roasters focused on quality and growth.
Established Roasteries
Multi-location operations benefit from RoastLog's comprehensive management tools and consistent experience across sites.
Perfect for: Businesses with multiple roasters or locations.
Expert support when you need it
One of the biggest differences between RoastLog and Artisan is what happens when you need help. With open-source software, you're dependent on forums and community support. With RoastLog, you get direct access to the people who built the software.
RoastLog Support
Direct access to Brian and Linsey, the founders who built the product
- Direct email support from the core us
- Quick response times (we do our best!)
- We ❤️ hearing your feature requests
Artisan Support
Community forums and volunteer support
- Forum-based assistance
- Variable response times
- Complex feature requests require coding skills
- Technical focus rather than business guidance
When your business depends on your roasting software, having reliable support isn't just convenient—it's essential.
15 years of experience built into every feature
Since winning a Best New Product Award at the SCAA conference in 2010, we've been refining RoastLog based on feedback from professional coffee roasters. Our latest generation roasting software incorporates 15 years of industry insights.
What sets RoastLog apart:
- Intuitive interface that doesn't require an engineering degree
- Comprehensive inventory management that scales with your business
- Detailed sample and cupping note tracking for quality control
- Multi-location support for growing businesses
- Hardware compatibility with virtually any roasting machine
- Business-focused features beyond just roast recording
Ready to upgrade from Artisan to RoastLog?
Join coffee roasters around the world who have made the switch from free software to a complete roastery management system.