Comparison

Pocket Hive vs Beekeeping Community, Forums

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

Head to head
About

Pocket Hive

This app helps beekeepers manage their hives, track colony health, and optimize honey harvests. It offers features like voice logging, AI-powered photo analysis, and sales management. Prepare for seasons, track inventory, and sync data across devices.

Highlights
  • Voice-powered inspection logging
  • AI-powered photo documentation
  • Colony health intelligence and monitoring
  • Harvest and sales tracking
  • Seasonal preparation tools
  • Multi-apiary support
  • Cloud sync
Features
Read full description

Pocket Hive is the complete beekeeping companion designed for modern beekeepers. Whether you're nurturing your first backyard hive or managing a commercial operation, Pocket Hive helps you track, analyze, and optimize every aspect of your beekeeping journey. SMART INSPECTION LOGGING • Voice-powered dictation — log inspections hands-free while you're suited up • Photo documentation with AI-powered analysis • Comprehensive health tracking including queen status, brood pattern, and temperament • Automatic weather data integration for each inspection COLONY HEALTH INTELLIGENCE • Hive IQ scoring — see your colony's health at a glance • Varroa mite monitoring with treatment tracking and withdrawal period alerts • Historical trend analysis to spot problems early • Colony strength assessments backed by beekeeping science HARVEST & SALES MANAGEMENT • Track yields by hive, apiary, and season • Batch numbering with provenance QR codes for traceability • Built-in sales ledger with profit tracking • Professional honey jar labels with Label Studio SEASONAL PREPARATION TOOLS • Winter readiness checklist with countdown • Nectar flow predictions using local weather data • Swarm prevention alerts during peak season • Treatment schedules with reminder notifications PROFESSIONAL FEATURES • Multi-apiary support — manage locations across regions • QR code scanning for instant hive identification • Inventory tracking for equipment and supplies • Export reports to PDF or CSV for record-keeping • Cloud sync across all your devices GLOBAL SUPPORT • Available in 12 languages • Metric and imperial unit support • Hemisphere-aware seasonal logic for beekeepers worldwide Pocket Hive is built by beekeepers, for beekeepers. We understand that your time at the hive should be spent with your bees, not fighting with apps. That's why we've designed every feature to be fast, intuitive, and reliable — even offline. Start your journey to better beekeeping today. Your bees will thank you. --- Pocket Hive Pro unlocks premium tools, including Harvest Management, Winter Prep, and advanced analytics. Pocket Hive Pro is available as a monthly or yearly subscription, or as a one-time lifetime purchase. Current prices are shown in the app and may vary by country. Subscriptions automatically renew unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage subscriptions in your Apple ID account settings. Privacy Policy: https://pockethive.ai/privacy Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Beekeeping Community, Forums

This app helps beekeepers manage their apiaries by tracking hives, identifying bees and pests with AI, and connecting with a global community. It offers tools for logging inspections, scheduling tasks, and learning about beekeeping practices.

Highlights
  • AI-powered bee, pest, and disease identification
  • Detailed hive inspection logging
  • Automated task reminders
  • Global beekeeper forums with translation
  • Interactive bee map and bloom calendar
  • Flight forecast and QR hive tags
Features
Read full description

Beekeeping Community is the complete app for beekeepers — track your hives, identify bees, pests, and diseases with AI, and get answers from 12,000+ beekeepers around the world. Whether you're catching your first swarm or running a hundred commercial colonies, this is your pocket apiary manager. Log inspections in seconds, catch varroa before it spreads, and never miss another treatment or honey harvest. WHAT YOU CAN DO BEE AI Photo-identify bees, pests, diseases, and forage plants. Diagnose brood problems, spot varroa mites early, and check whether a wildflower is bee-friendly — with vision AI trained on beekeeping, not generic biology. HIVE LOGBOOK Structured inspection notes: queen status, brood pattern, temperament, frames of honey, bees, brood, and pollen, mite counts, treatments, feeding, supers on. Attach photos to every inspection, and cover a whole apiary in one round. SMART TASKS Never forget a varroa treatment, sugar shake, honey harvest, or queen re-check. Set daily, weekly, or monthly reminders — or let inspections flagged \"check soon\" create follow-up tasks automatically. GLOBAL FORUM Ask anything and get answers from beekeepers in your region and climate. Automatic translation across 18 languages, plus direct messages with experienced mentors. BEE MAP Pin apiaries, forage spots, swarm reports, and local clubs. See real-time community activity near you, with reviews on every location. BLOOM CALENDAR Major nectar plants — dandelion, clover, linden, heather, black locust, canola, borage, sunflower, and more — mapped by bloom month. Know the flow before your bees do. FLIGHT FORECAST Daily weather-based scores that tell you when your bees will fly. QR HIVE TAGS Print a QR sticker for each hive. Scan it to open that hive's logbook in one tap. LEARN Video lessons from Langstroth basics to varroa cadence, queen rearing, and honey extraction. VARROA CALCULATOR Alcohol wash and sugar shake ratios with treatment thresholds, instantly. QUEEN TRACKER Marking color by year, birthdate, status (laying, virgin, missing), and last-seen date. IN YOUR LANGUAGE Available in 18 languages: English, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, Polish, Romanian, Russian, Ukrainian, Turkish, Hindi, Indonesian, Korean, Thai, Vietnamese, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese. FREE FOREVER The forum, map, hive logbook, bloom calendar, single-hive inspections, and Bee AI trials are free — with no banner ads, ever. Your inspection notes, messages, and GPS coordinates are never shared or sold. BEEKEEPING PLUS Go further with unlimited Bee AI, advanced map layers, mentor messaging, the full lesson library, printable QR sheets, multi-hive inspections, and priority translations. BUILT BY BEEKEEPERS Every field, reminder, and AI category was designed around real hive management. One hive or five hundred, urban rooftop or mountain apiary — this is your beekeeping journal and community, in your pocket. Join the hive. Premium Membership and Terms: Access exclusive features with our Premium Membership, available at $12.99 per month. - Premium membership includes a 3-day free trial, followed by a subscription at $12.99/month. - Payment will be charged to your iTunes account upon confirmation of purchase. The subscription automatically renews unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. - Manage subscriptions and disable auto-renewal via Account Settings after purchase. - Any unused portion of a free trial period will be forfeited upon subscription purchase. Please review our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy: - Terms of Use: https://asteradigital.com/terms - Privacy Policy: https://asteradigital.com/privacy

Screenshots

Pocket Hive4 screens
Beekeeping Community, Forums4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Pocket Hive at none against Beekeeping Community, Forums's shown. Pocket Hive also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.6). Beekeeping Community, Forums's advantage is update cadence (daily vs every 9 days). On price, rating, ratings volume and in-app purchases 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. Pocket Hive sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Beekeeping Community, Forums sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Pocket Hive against 5.0 for Beekeeping Community, Forums. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 1 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pocket Hive ships an update every 9 days, Beekeeping Community, Forums daily. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and November 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Pocket Hive versus Beekeeping Community, Forums: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPocket HiveBeekeeping Community, Forums
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings11
Update frequencyEvery 9 daysDaily — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better18.6
Further details — not scored
Size131 MB44 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRICHARD C PALMERAstera Dijital Hizmetler Anonim Sirketi

Customer experience

Pocket Hive

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Beekeeping Community, Forums

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Pocket Hive

Subscriptions2
  • Pocket Hive Pro Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Pocket Hive Pro Yearly$49.991 Year
One-time1
  • Pocket Hive Pro Lifetime$119.99
3 purchases

Beekeeping Community, Forums

Subscriptions3
  • Beekeeping Plus Weekly7 Days trial$6.997 Days
  • Beekeeping Plus Monthly7 Days trial$12.991 Month
  • Beekeeping Plus Yearly7 Days trial$44.991 Year

Questions

Is Pocket Hive free?
Pocket Hive is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Beekeeping Community, Forums free?
Beekeeping Community, Forums is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Pocket Hive or Beekeeping Community, Forums?
Pocket Hive and Beekeeping Community, Forums are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 1 ratings respectively.
Do Pocket Hive or Beekeeping Community, Forums have ads?
Beekeeping Community, Forums shows ads; Pocket Hive does not.
Which is updated more often, Pocket Hive or Beekeeping Community, Forums?
Pocket Hive ships an update every 9 days, and Beekeeping Community, Forums daily. Most recently, Pocket Hive was updated on November 7, 2026 and Beekeeping Community, Forums on November 9, 2026.

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