# Apiarist vs HiveDiary

The clearest difference is monetization model: HiveDiary at free against Apiarist's free with in-app purchases. HiveDiary also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.7). Apiarist's advantage is ratings volume (148 vs 1) and device support (3 vs 1). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Apiarist sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and HiveDiary sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

HiveDiary holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Apiarist has 148 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Apiarist ships an update every 10 days, HiveDiary weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Apiarist | HiveDiary |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (148 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/apiarist-beekeeper-assistant/id1436515928/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hivediary/id6796917723/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **148** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 81.8% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 10 days | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 13 MB | 61 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 16.4 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Oleg Soloviev](https://appshunter.io/developer/1263912907) | [Brett Reisman](https://appshunter.io/developer/6796917725) |

## What reviewers say

### Apiarist

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/apiarist-beekeeper-assistant/id1436515928)

This application helps beekeepers manage their apiaries and hives efficiently. It allows for tracking inspections, harvests, and financial data, with features like photo storage and task reminders. The app works offline and supports data import/export for comprehensive apiary management.

**Highlights:** Track unlimited apiaries, hives, inspections, and harvests, Store data locally and work offline, Take photos of apiaries and inspections, Reminders for scheduled tasks, Financial tracking for income and expenses, Data import and export for backup

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Subscription | $3.99 | per month |
| Yearly Subscription | $39.99 | per year |
| 1 coffee | $4.99 | one-time |
| 2 coffees | $9.99 | one-time |
| 5 coffees | $24.99 | one-time |
| 10 coffees | $49.99 | one-time |


### HiveDiary

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hivediary/id6796917723)

Easily log hive inspections, analyze comb photos, and generate to-do lists for beekeeping. Track costs, income, and export data for inspectors. Model your real hives and manage your apiary efficiently.

**Highlights:** Log inspections with a few taps, Photograph frames for comb analysis, Generate to-do lists from records, Model real hives with drag-and-drop, Track costs and income per hive, Export data as PDF

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Weekly | $1.99 | per 7 days |
| Monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| Yearly | $44.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Apiarist free?

Apiarist is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is HiveDiary free?

HiveDiary is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Apiarist or HiveDiary?

HiveDiary is rated higher. Apiarist averages 4.7 out of 5 from 148 ratings, while HiveDiary averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Apiarist or HiveDiary have ads?

Neither Apiarist nor HiveDiary shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Apiarist or HiveDiary?

Apiarist ships an update every 10 days, and HiveDiary weekly. Most recently, Apiarist was updated on November 2, 2026 and HiveDiary on October 31, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*