AboutWine vs Vivino
The best Vivino alternative for people who want to understand the wine
Vivino built the world’s biggest wine database, and for pulling up a star rating on a label it is still genuinely useful. But over the years it turned into a marketplace, and a lot of long-time users feel the app now optimizes for selling wine rather than explaining it. If that’s you, here’s an honest look at how AboutWine does things differently — including the places where Vivino is still ahead.
Last updated August 2026
Where Vivino shines
- An enormous catalog — tens of millions of labels with community ratings.
- A huge user base, so even obscure supermarket wines have reviews.
- A built-in marketplace and price comparison if you want to buy in the app.
- Apps on both iOS and Android; AboutWine is iPhone and iPad only today.
Where it leaves a gap
- The headline is a crowd average, with little about how the wine tastes.
- A star rating teaches you nothing you can carry to the next bottle.
- Much of the experience pushes you toward the shop and sponsored placements.
- Your notes sit inside a social feed rather than a private cellar.
Vivino vs AboutWine, at a glance
| Feature | Vivino | AboutWine |
|---|---|---|
| What it leads with | A star average from other users | Sweetness, acidity, body and tannin |
| Scanning | Label scan, plus wine lists | Label scan, with the runner-up matches shown |
| Asking questions | Community reviews | AI sommelier answering from a 200,000-bottle catalog |
| Ads & marketplace | Central to the app | None — nothing to sell you |
| Price comparison | Yes, built in | No — we don’t do prices |
| Platforms | iOS and Android | iPhone and iPad (iOS 26+) |
| Best for | Checking a rating and buying in-app | Understanding and remembering what you drink |
Why people choose AboutWine
It tells you how the wine tastes, not how it polled
A 4.1★ average tells you strangers approved. AboutWine leads with the four things that actually predict whether you’ll like a bottle — sweetness, acidity, body and tannin — plus the aromas, the grapes and the foods it goes with.
A sommelier that can’t invent a bottle
Ask about a grape, a producer, or what to open with Thursday’s roast. Every wine the AI names is a real one from the catalog. When it reads a label we don’t hold, it says so on the card and shows no rating and no price rather than guessing.
No marketplace pulling the strings
Nobody can pay to rank higher, because there is nothing to sell. No cart, no affiliate links, no sponsored bottles. That’s the line a lot of Vivino users wish hadn’t been crossed.
Your cellar is private, not a feed
Save a bottle, rate it, write the note you’ll want in six months. It’s filed with the date you scanned it, searchable, and it belongs to you — delete the account and it goes with you.
If you want the biggest ratings database, price comparison, an Android app or an in-app shop, Vivino still does all of that and AboutWine does none of it. If you want to understand the bottle in your hand, ask real questions about it, and keep a private record of what you liked — with no ads and no marketplace — that’s what AboutWine is built for.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a free Vivino alternative?
Yes. AboutWine is free on the App Store: label scanning, the full catalog of 200,000+ wines, taste profiles, food pairings, the Wine Atlas and your Collection cost nothing, along with three AI sommelier questions a day. There are no ads on any tier.
What does AboutWine do that Vivino doesn’t?
It leads with the structure of the wine — sweetness, acidity, body and tannin — rather than a crowd average, it answers open questions through an AI sommelier grounded in a real catalog, it maps estates on a 3D Wine Atlas, and it carries no ads and no marketplace.
Does AboutWine compare wine prices like Vivino?
No. AboutWine does not price-check bottles or link to retailers, and it never shows an invented price. If comparing prices across shops is your main need, Vivino or Wine-Searcher will serve you better.
Is AboutWine available on Android?
Not yet. AboutWine is an iPhone and iPad app requiring iOS 26 or later. Vivino is on both iOS and Android today.
