Comparison

Hive Notes vs HiveHelper

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Hive Notes

Features
Read full description

Hive Notes helps beekeepers track their hives without the paperwork. ----- Spend less time on records, more time with your bees. What You Can Track: ----- - Apiaries and hive locations - Inspection observations (queen seen, brood pattern, temperament, stores) - Quick events and photos - Complete inspection history per hive Built for Real Beekeeping: ----- - Works offline at remote apiaries - Syncs across your devices with iCloud - Simple, reliable data tracking - Your data stays yours Hive Notes respects the craft of beekeeping. It's not trying to replace your experience. It's here to organize your observations so you can make better decisions about your hives. Whether you manage a backyard apiary or multiple locations, Hive Notes gives you a clear picture of each hive's history when you need it. Privacy Policy: https://codefoundry.be/privacy-policy/ Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

HiveHelper

This app provides a structured way to log beekeeping inspections, track hive health, and receive expert advice based on your data. It helps manage multiple hives, visualize trends, and offers offline capabilities for detailed record-keeping.

Highlights
  • Structured inspection logging
  • Hive health dashboard
  • Mite trend charting
  • Season summary and analysis
  • Manage multiple hives
  • Expert action items
  • Offline first functionality
Read full description

HEALTHIER HIVES, BUILT ONE INSPECTION AT A TIME Strong colonies come from catching small signals early — the brood pattern that's slipped from solid to spotty, the mite count nosing past 2%, the stores running thin before fall, the queen you didn't see this visit. HiveHelper captures these signals and converts them into coaching drawn from your hive's data. AI COACHING FROM YOUR HIVE'S DATA After every inspection, HiveHelper Insights reviews your data and the trend across recent visits, then returns 3 to 5 prioritized action items: what's urgent, what to monitor, what trend is worth noting. Guidance is calibrated to Honey Bee Health Coalition Varroa thresholds and Randy Oliver's Scientific Beekeeping protocols, then tuned by your hive's history: mite trajectory, brood pattern changes, treatment effectiveness, queen age, and stores trend. Spotty brood after a solid pattern? HiveHelper names the likely causes and what to confirm next visit. Mites drifting up despite a recent treatment? It flags possible resistance and suggests switching active ingredient class. Stores running thin as fall approaches? It calls out winter starvation risk before the cluster forms. WHAT EVERY INSPECTION CAPTURES The inspection form takes under 60 seconds and covers what experienced beekeepers track: - Queen status: queen seen, eggs seen, brood pattern, queen cell type (swarm, supersedure, emergency) - Mite checks: alcohol wash, sugar roll, or sticky board, with auto-calculated mite % - Colony strength: population, stores, frames of brood and honey, temperament - Actions: treatments (Apivar, Apiguard, Formic Pro, Oxalic Acid, more), feeding, box changes - Context: weather, date, ZIP-aware seasonal cues - Notes and photos for everything else LOG AT THE HIVE — EVEN WITHOUT YOUR PHONE Field Notes lets you work on paper at the hive and sync later. Print a QR-encoded field sheet, fill it in during your inspection, then scan it back into the app. HiveHelper reads your data and pre-fills the inspection form — no re-keying, no lost notes. WHAT YOU GET - HiveHelper Insights: AI coaching after every inspection - Hive health dashboard: queen, brood, mites, and stores at a glance - Mite trend chart: Varroa history with 2% and 3% threshold lines - Season summary: per-hive stats and an AI narrative of your year - Unlimited hives - Full inspection history and CSV export - Field Notes: paper log → QR scan → pre-filled inspection form - Seasonal task calendar: what your bees need this month - Offline-first: works in the apiary with no signal - Frame analysis (coming soon): varroa and queen detection from photos BUILT BY A BEEKEEPER HiveHelper was built by a beekeeper who got tired of losing track between inspections. Guidance comes from the Honey Bee Health Coalition's Varroa management guidelines and Randy Oliver's research at Scientific Beekeeping. If you run 1 hive or 10 and inspect weekly or biweekly, HiveHelper is built for you. TRY FREE FOR 7 DAYS Start a 7-day free trial. No charge until the trial ends; cancel anytime in your Apple ID subscription settings. The free tier includes 1 hive and 3 full HiveHelper Insights reviews. Pro includes unlimited hives and unlimited full guidance after every inspection. Terms of Use: https://matrixnj.com/terms Privacy Policy: https://matrixnj.com/privacy

Screenshots

Hive Notes4 screens
HiveHelper4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: HiveHelper at none against Hive Notes's shown. On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Hive Notes sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and HiveHelper sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Hive Notes ships an update every 6 weeks, HiveHelper every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Hive Notes versus HiveHelper: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHive NotesHiveHelper
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (14 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—14 — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
Monetization—Free
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS18.617.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size24 MB21 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBart JacobsMatrix Digital Media LLC

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Hive Notes

Subscriptions2
  • Hive Notes Premium7 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • Hive Notes Premium7 Days trial$59.991 Year
4 purchases

HiveHelper

Subscriptions4
  • HiveHelper Pro — Monthly7 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • HiveHelper Pro — Monthly7 Days trial$6.991 Month
  • HiveHelper Pro — Semiannual7 Days trial$29.996 Months
Show 1 more
  • HiveHelper Pro — Annual1 Month trial$49.991 Year

Questions

Is Hive Notes free?
Hive Notes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is HiveHelper free?
HiveHelper is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Hive Notes or HiveHelper have ads?
Hive Notes shows ads; HiveHelper does not.
Which is updated more often, Hive Notes or HiveHelper?
Hive Notes ships an update every 6 weeks, and HiveHelper every 3 weeks. Most recently, Hive Notes was updated on September 26, 2026 and HiveHelper on September 13, 2026.

Other comparisons