BeerBuddy app: what it is, and the best alternatives
BeerBuddy (listed as Beer Buddy on the App Store) is a free social app from Berlin that pings your friends when you have a drink and shows who is out on a map. It is big, it runs on iPhone and Android, and it does that one job well.
Every card says in one line what the app or game does. Switch off what you don't need and draw again.
Pick an alternative if you want something else from the night: Dronk puts party games and a friends map in one iPhone app, Beer With Me is the small original version of the same idea, and Untappd is for rating the beer itself.
- Made by
- Buddy Network GmbH
- Platforms
- iPhone and Android
- App Store
- 4.9 from 114k ratings
- Reviews we read
- 626
What is the BeerBuddy app?
BeerBuddy is a social app for the moment you have a drink. You snap a photo, pick what you are drinking, and your friends get a notification. A live map shows who is out and where, and friends can send a cheers or an on my way. It is made by Buddy Network GmbH in Berlin and has been on the App Store since December 2019.
Here is what the App Store listing says it does today (checked 6 October 2026, version 6.43):
- Drink notifications: your friends see the moment you post a drink, and you see theirs.
- Live friends map: who is out, where they are and what they are doing. The listing says your location is shown briefly after you post.
- Drink catalog: pick from more than 100,000 drinks, including wine, cocktails, soda and mocktails.
- History: a timeline of your drinks, places and nights out.
- Quick reactions: Cheers, On my way, or a digital toast.
- Group stats: your circle's drinking activity per month.
- Invite only: no public profiles, only friends you add see your posts.
The app is free to download. Beer Buddy+ is its paid plan, listed at prices from $3.99 to $49.99 in the US App Store depending on the period. On Android it is called Beer Buddy: Drink with me! and has more than a million downloads on Google Play.
One tap, no catalog
Snap the glass, get a polaroid
In Dronk there is no drink list to scroll. You snap your glass, the app cuts it out like a sticker and prints it as a polaroid with the time. It lands on the map for the friends you pick, and the next day your night is ready as a video. Beer, water or coffee, it all counts the same.
BeerBuddy vs Dronk
The two apps start from the same place: your friends, a photo of your glass and a map of who is out. They are built for different nights, though. BeerBuddy is a feed of what your friends are drinking. Dronk is the night itself: the games at the table, the map between bars, and a recap the morning after.
| BeerBuddy | Dronk | |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | iPhone and Android | iPhone only |
| Price | Free, paid Beer Buddy+ plan | Free to download |
| Posting | Photo plus a drink from a 100,000+ catalog | Snap your glass, it becomes a cutout and a polaroid |
| Who sees you on the map | Friends you add, shown briefly after a post | Only friends you pick, only while you're out, hide from everyone anytime |
| Reactions | Cheers, On my way, toast | Cheers, Come over, messages |
| Stats | Group drinking activity per month | No leaderboards, nothing that ranks how much you drink |
| Party games | Removed in October 2025, according to user reviews | 16 party games in the same app |
| Morning after | History timeline | The night as a video, place by place |
| Network | Millions of users, years of friends already there | Newer, you bring your own friends |
Where BeerBuddy is better
It is on Android, so a mixed group can all use it. Its network is far bigger, so the odds that your friends already have it are higher. And if you want to log exactly which drink you had, the catalog does that and Dronk doesn't.
Where Dronk is different
Dronk is a party game app first: Imposter, The Bomb, Most Likely To, Truth or Dare and twelve more, so the app has something to do when you are sitting at the same table. The map only shows you to the friends you choose and only while you are out. Your posts are polaroids rather than a drink log, and there are no rankings or counts of how much anyone drank.
What BeerBuddy users love, and what they miss
We read all 626 written App Store reviews of BeerBuddy we could find, from 12 countries, posted between December 2019 and September 2026. The star rating is very high, but the written reviews tell a more detailed story. Almost every complaint is about a change to the app, not about the idea.
What people love
- Friends far away. The warmest reviews are about following friends' nights in other cities and countries, and the map that lets whoever is nearby come over.
- Cheers as a ritual. A notification when a friend posts, and a quick cheers back, is the feature people name most.
- Simple posting. Photo, tap, done. The most repeated complaint is that it used to be simpler.
- Memories. The history of past nights matters a lot. Lost photos after a phone switch caused some of the angriest reviews.
What people miss
- The games. BeerBuddy used to have party games like Never Have I Ever and Truth or Dare. Reviewers from several countries asked for them back after they were removed.
- Fewer changes. Around 70 reviews ask the app to stop redesigning itself. Rating dips line up with big updates.
- Less AI. In June 2026 an AI drink camera and AI captions became the default, and reviewers pushed back. Many liked the funny captions as an option, not as the only way to post.
- Fewer pop ups. Repeated prompts to pay when posting a drink were a common complaint in 2026.
To be fair, the newest reviews (July to September 2026) are much better again, averaging around 4.3 stars. The core idea, seeing your friends' nights and cheering them, is what people stay for.
See who's out tonight, and start a game when they arrive
In Dronk you snap your glass and show up on the map for the friends you pick. Send a cheers, ask people to come over, and when the group is together, open one of 16 party games in the same app. It only shows while you're out, and you can hide from everyone anytime.
Get Dronk free on iPhone
Apps like BeerBuddy, sorted by what you want
There is no exact copy of BeerBuddy. The apps below each cover one part of what it does, and the games cover the part it dropped. Draw one with the deck at the top of the page, or read the list.
Friends and the night out
3- Dronk: snap your glass, show up on the map for friends you pick, send a cheers or a come over, and play party games in the same app. iPhone only.
- Beer With Me: the Swedish app with the same basic idea, a big drink button that tells friends you are out and a map of who is at the pub. Small, on iPhone and Android.
- Find My: Apple's built in app for sharing your location with chosen people. No photos or cheers, but it is already on every iPhone.
Rate and remember what you drink
2- Untappd: check in a beer, rate it, earn badges and see what friends are drinking. Since late 2025 it covers wine, spirits and more. iPhone and Android.
- Vivino: scan a wine label for ratings, reviews and prices, and keep a list of the wines you liked. iPhone and Android.
The games BeerBuddy used to have
4These are modes in the Dronk app. One phone on the table is enough.
- Truth or Dare: pick truth or dare, and if you refuse, you take a fun penalty the group decides.
- Most Likely To: a question pops up and everyone points at the person who fits it best, or votes on their own phone.
- Imposter: everyone sees the secret word except one player, each gives a clue, and the group votes on who is faking it.
- The Bomb: say an answer in the category and pass the phone before the hidden fuse goes off.
Which one should you use?
- Your whole group is on BeerBuddy and some have Android: stay on BeerBuddy. The network is the point.
- You want games and the map in one place: Dronk, as long as everyone has an iPhone.
- You care about what is in the glass: Untappd for beer, Vivino for wine.
- You only need to find each other: Find My is already on your phone.
Nothing stops you from using two. Plenty of people keep Untappd for rating and use a social app for the night itself.
Questions people ask
What is the BeerBuddy app?
A free social app by Buddy Network GmbH in Berlin. You post a photo of your drink, your friends get a notification, and a map shows who is out. It runs on iPhone and Android.
Is BeerBuddy free?
Yes, it is free to download and use. It also has a paid plan called Beer Buddy+, listed in the US App Store at prices from $3.99 to $49.99 depending on the period.
Does BeerBuddy still have drinking games?
No. According to user reviews, the games and the ranking were removed in October 2025. Dronk has 16 party games, including Truth or Dare and Most Likely To, in the same app as its friends map.
Is there an app like BeerBuddy for iPhone?
Dronk is the closest on iPhone if you also want games: you snap your glass, show up on a map for the friends you pick, and send a cheers or a come over. Beer With Me is a smaller app with the same basic idea.
Can strangers see my location on BeerBuddy?
BeerBuddy's App Store listing says it is invite only, that only friends you add see your posts and location, and that location is shown briefly after you post. In Dronk only friends you pick see you, only while you're out, and you can hide from everyone anytime.
Is Dronk on Android?
No, Dronk is iPhone only for now. If your group mixes iPhone and Android, BeerBuddy or Untappd will work for everyone.
Keep the night going
Updated