Comparison

ApiaryOS vs Umber

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

Head to head
About

ApiaryOS

Features
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**B-HyveOS is a beekeeping app for people who actually keep bees.** Every serious tool, in one elegant iPhone and iPad app. Built for beginners finding their way through a first season and for longtime keepers tracking a hundred inspections a year. **Your apiary, organized.** Group hives into named yards β€” "North Yard", "Backfield", wherever your bees live β€” each with its own location. Weather and bloom predictions come from exactly the right spot. Add hives one tap at a time or pin a whole apiary at once. **Inspections done right.** A guided inspection form walks you through what to check and why β€” queen spotted, eggs/larvae/capped brood, honey and pollen stores, temperament, pests, disease signs β€” with short educational notes so you're learning as you log. Temperature auto-fills from the weather at your hive's location. **Live weather and forage predictions.** Apple WeatherKit drives current conditions and a 5-day forecast for every hive. Growing degree days (GDD50) accumulate from your biofix date and power a built-in library of 25+ North American nectar and pollen plants. You see what's blooming now, what's starting soon, and what finished weeks ago. **Serious Varroa tracking.** Log mite counts by method (alcohol wash, sugar roll, sticky board), sample size, and mites counted. Watch the 3% economic threshold color-coded across the app β€” green below 2%, orange 2–3%, red above. The Varroa story, properly told. **Honey, treatments, feedings.** Track every harvest by frames pulled and weight. Log treatments by product β€” Apivar, oxalic acid, Formic Pro, Apiguard. Record sugar syrup feedings by ratio and amount. See lifetime totals on each hive. **Voice notes with on-device transcription.** Narrate what you see while you're at the hive. B-HyveOS records audio and transcribes with Apple's on-device speech recognition β€” your voice never leaves your phone. Attach notes to a specific hive, inspection, harvest, or leave them loose in the Journal. **Checklists for every season.** Eight curated templates β€” pre-inspection prep, spring opening, summer maintenance, fall prep, winter prep, swarm capture kit, extraction day, quick routine check. Check off items as you work. **Learn as you go.** Beekeeping glossary, seasonal calendar, first-year checklist, and links to the best free resources β€” Honey Bee Health Coalition's Varroa tools, Bee Informed Partnership, Cooperative Extension, American Beekeeping Federation. **Privacy by design.** Your data lives in your own iCloud β€” there are no servers because B-HyveOS doesn't need any. Voice recordings stay on your device. Sign in with your iCloud account and it just works across iPhone and iPad. **For the curious beekeeper.** For beginners: the explanations, the first-year checklist, the threshold colors that tell you when something's wrong. For experts: per-hive phenology, GDD correlation, a clean interface that gets out of your way during a 20-minute inspection in full suit. **Requires iOS 17 or later. Free. No subscription, no in-app purchases.**

About

Umber

Features
Read full description

Make your next outing easier to plan. Umber helps you find places that fit your company, mood, budget, and preferred setting. PLAN YOUR KIND OF DAY Choose who you’re going with, the atmosphere you want, and when you want to go. Explore places, save your favourites, and open map directions when you’re ready. PLAN TOGETHER Create a private invitation, share its link, and bring friends into a shared plan. Compare ideas, vote on suggested times, RSVP, and keep the conversation in one place. The host can confirm the group’s plan. Reporting and blocking controls help you manage your experience. EXPLORE ANOTHER CITY Travel mode with Umber Plus lets you choose a destination before you arrive. Schedule an outing in the destination’s local time and invite friends to help plan it. GOOD NIGHTS IN Discover date ideas, at-home activities, conversation questions, and movie-night inspiration. Optional weekly, monthly, or annual subscriptions unlock Travel mode, additional date styles, movie recommendations, ordering suggestions, remote question packs, shortlist enhancements, and higher planning and sharing allowances. Availability varies by feature and provider. Opening hours, prices, availability, and weather can change. Check details with the venue before travelling or booking. Umber does not make bookings or provide a verified travel itinerary. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://umber.71labs.com/privacy.html

Screenshots

ApiaryOS4 screens
Umber4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: ApiaryOS at none against Umber's 3. On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

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

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

Both are free to download. Umber sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days. ApiaryOS asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard1 real difference Β· 5 level
ApiaryOS versus Umber: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterApiaryOSUmber
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 4 daysβ€”
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo β€” betterYes
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details β€” not scored
Size5 MB9 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperJW McCulloughAhmed Alzaabi

In-app purchases

None

ApiaryOS

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Umber

Subscriptions3
  • Umber Plus Weekly$1.997 Days
  • Umber Plus Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Umber Plus Annual$39.991 Year

Questions

Is ApiaryOS free?
ApiaryOS is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Umber free?
Umber is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do ApiaryOS or Umber have ads?
Neither ApiaryOS nor Umber shows ads.

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