Apple Variety Guides
Head to head comparisons of the apples you actually see in the store, written by the people who grow and pack them.
Which apple should you actually buy?
There are more apple varieties on a grocery shelf than at any point in history, and most of them are marketed with the same three words. Sweet. Crisp. Juicy.
These guides do something more useful. Each one takes two varieties, puts them side by side on sweetness, texture, storage, harvest timing and what they do in the oven, and tells you plainly which one to buy for what you are doing.
We grow and pack these apples in Michigan, so the harvest dates and the growing notes come from our own orchards rather than a database.
Start Here
The Best Michigan Apples for Pie
Six varieties that hold their shape under heat, the four to skip, and why the apple you love raw is usually the wrong one to bake with. The place to start if you only read one of these.
Every comparison, side by side
Cortland vs Jonagold
The two apples most likely to end up in a Michigan pie. Jonagold brings sweetness and size. Cortland brings structure and resists browning. Here is when to use each.
Paula Red vs McIntosh
Paula Red opens the Michigan apple season in August and is gone before most fall varieties are picked. It is a McIntosh look-alike with a shorter window and a local origin story.
Ambrosia vs Honeycrisp
Ambrosia is sweeter than Honeycrisp, browns more slowly and costs less. It is the winter apple most people have not tried yet, and here is how it stacks up.
Empire vs McIntosh
Empire is a McIntosh crossed with Red Delicious, and the result is sweeter and firmer than either parent alone. Here is when to choose it over a straight McIntosh.
Golden Delicious vs Ginger Gold
Two yellow apples that look alike on the shelf. Ginger Gold arrives in August and disappears fast. Golden Delicious is sweeter, more available and the parent of half the apples you already eat.
Red Delicious vs Gala
Red Delicious was America’s favorite apple for decades and Gala took its place. Here is what changed, how the two actually taste, and where Red Delicious still leads.
Pink Lady vs Braeburn
Two late-harvest apples with tang and spice. Pink Lady is firmer, sweeter and available into summer. Braeburn is tarter, better for baking and increasingly hard to find fresh.
Honeycrisp vs Fuji
Fuji is the sweeter apple and the better keeper. Honeycrisp has the bigger burst of juice. Here is how the two most requested snacking apples actually compare.
Ida Red vs Rome
Two classic Michigan baking apples that behave differently in the oven. Ida Red is sweeter and better in a pie. Rome is milder and the traditional choice for baking apples whole.
Jonathan vs Jonagold
The names are close because the apples are related. Jonathan is the tartest apple Michigan grows. Jonagold is its much sweeter offspring and one of the best pie apples in the state.
McIntosh vs Cortland
McIntosh and Cortland look almost identical on the shelf, and they are closely related. Cortland is sweeter and holds its shape. McIntosh breaks down into sauce and makes better cider.
Honeycrisp vs SnapDragon
SnapDragon is a Honeycrisp descendant with a spicier flavor and a licensing agreement behind it. Here is how the two compare on taste, texture and where they are grown.
Honeycrisp vs EverCrisp
EverCrisp is Honeycrisp crossed with Fuji, and it arrives seven weeks later. If you love Honeycrisp in September, EverCrisp is what you want in February.
Honeycrisp vs Gala
Honeycrisp is sweeter, juicier and roughly twice the price. Gala is the reliable everyday apple. Here is what actually separates them, including why Honeycrisp costs what it does.
Gala vs Fuji
The Short VersionGala and Fuji are both sweet, low-acid eating apples, and they are the two most planted varieties in the country. Fuji is...
Not sure where to start?
Apple Sweetness Chart
Every variety we pack ranked from tart to sweet on a single scale, from Jonathan at a 1 to Fuji at a 10.
Variety Explorer
Filter every variety by what you want to do with it and when it comes off the tree, then read the full profile.
Now go find them
Riveridge apples are packed in Sparta, Michigan and shipped to retailers across the country. Here is where to look for them.