# HiveBloom vs Castella

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Castella at none against HiveBloom's 4. Castella also leads on update cadence (weekly vs fortnightly). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. HiveBloom sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Castella asks for nothing beyond the download.

HiveBloom ships an update fortnightly, Castella weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | HiveBloom | Castella |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (287 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hivebloom/id1490920620/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **287** | — |
| Positive reviews | 88.2% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Freemium | — |
| Size | 93 MB | 9 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **15.6** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Martin Fuhry](https://appshunter.io/developer/1490920619) | [Serdar Percin](https://appshunter.io/developer/1143186597) |

## What reviewers say

### HiveBloom

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hivebloom/id1490920620)

This app simplifies beekeeping by providing a digital journal for managing your hives. It helps you track colonies, record inspections, and stay organized, with features like cloud syncing and weather-based reminders. The free version supports up to two hives.

**Highlights:** Free management for up to 2 hives, Unlimited hive inspections, Apiary mapping and organization, Detailed hive health tracking, Cloud backup and syncing, Weather-based inspection reminders, Offline functionality

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| HiveBloom Monthly | $2.99 | per month |
| HiveBloom Monthly Subscription | $5.99 | per month |
| HiveBloom Yearly | $17.99 | per year |
| HiveBloom Yearly Subscription | $59.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use and navigate
- 👍 Intuitive design
- 👍 Excellent for tracking hives
- 👍 Comprehensive record-keeping options
- 👍 Voice note taker feature

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Lack of response from support
- 🐛 Paywall/cost concerns
- 🐛 Missing financial management feature
- 🐛 No Spanish version available
- 🐛 Issues with data loss after trial

**Reported bugs**

- Technical issue with no support response
- Lost all entries and data after free trial
- Issues with reloading records after phone death (resolved by support)
- Harvest feature issue (resolved by support)

**Requested features**

- Ability to share notes/inspections read-only
- Summary views for varroa counts, hive weights, gentleness over time
- Line graphs for data visualization
- Financial management features (recording sales, units)
- Ability to modify dates to be in the past


### Castella

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/castella/id6749802163)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is HiveBloom free?

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

### Is Castella free?

Castella is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do HiveBloom or Castella have ads?

Neither HiveBloom nor Castella shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, HiveBloom or Castella?

HiveBloom ships an update fortnightly, and Castella weekly. Most recently, HiveBloom was updated on October 7, 2026 and Castella on October 11, 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.*