The Apiary Book Alternative Built to Work Offline
HiveSense keeps your inspections, queens, treatments and harvests on your phone, so it works in an out-yard with no bars. Voice notes are transcribed on the device, and the free tier covers 15 hives across 5 apiaries.
Free for up to 15 hives. Works offline. No credit card.
Apiary Book is broad. HiveSense is built for the beeyard.
Apiary Book has been around a long time and it shows in the breadth: inspections, harvests, tasks, weather, a beekeeper map, barcode reading, a hands-free Voice Assistant, and separate tools for beekeeping associations. It is translated into 19 languages. Its PRO plan adds cloud storage, multi-device access, advanced reports and a mentorship programme on Android. If you want one app that also serves your local association, that breadth is a real strength.
HiveSense does less, and does it offline. The whole app runs on an on-device database, so an inspection logged with zero signal is saved on the spot and syncs later. Voice notes go through a Whisper speech model that runs on your phone. You say “queen seen, good brood pattern, counted 4 varroa” and the fields fill in for you to check. On Pro, HiveSense reads BroodMinder and BEEP sensors and standard Bluetooth weight scales directly, so hive temperature and weight sit on the same timeline as your notes.
A note on availability (checked 22 September 2026)
The App Store and Google Play links on apiarybook.com did not open a listing when we checked. Google Play returned “not found”, and Apple's lookup found no app for the linked ID in the US, UK, German or Romanian stores. The web app at web.apiarybook.com was online. This may be temporary or regional. We mention it because it is the first thing an Apiary Book user looking for an alternative is likely to run into, not to score a point.
Feature comparison
| Feature | HiveSense | Apiary Book |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | iOS + Android | Android, iOS and a web app (per its site) |
| Voice logging | Transcribed on the phone (Whisper) | Voice Assistant; processing location not stated |
| Works with no signal | Yes | Not stated on its site |
| Bluetooth hive sensors | Pro — BroodMinder, BEEP, BLE weight scales | Not listed |
| Data export | CSV + PDF (Pro) | CSV |
| Team sharing | Up to 25 members (Pro) | Sharing records with your team |
| Mentorship programme | No | PRO, Android only |
| Tools for associations | No | Apiary Inform, Apiary Report |
| App languages | 5 | 19 |
| Free tier | 15 hives, 5 apiaries | 1 apiary, up to 9 hives |
| Paid plan | $5.99/mo or $59.99/yr | €80/yr or €50 for 6 months |
Based on apiarybook.com (home and product pages) as published on 22 September 2026. “Not listed” or “not stated” means we could not find it on their site, not that it is missing. Their product may have changed since.
Further reading
Voice notes for hive inspections
What you say, what gets filled in, and what happens with no signal.
How HiveSense works offline
On-device database, on-device voice, sync when you are back in range.
Moving your records, and exporting them back out
What HiveSense exports, and what it does not import yet.
Compare HiveSense to other beekeeping apps
Side-by-side comparisons across the market.
Frequently asked questions
How does HiveSense compare to Apiary Book?
Apiary Book is one of the longest-running beekeeping apps, with a wide feature set, 19 languages, tools for beekeeping associations and a mentorship programme on its PRO plan. HiveSense is younger and narrower, but it is built offline-first: inspections save with no signal, voice notes are transcribed on the phone by a Whisper speech model, and Pro reads BroodMinder and BEEP sensors and standard Bluetooth weight scales directly. The HiveSense free tier also covers more hives (15 across 5 apiaries, vs one apiary of up to 9).
Is Apiary Book still available on the App Store and Google Play?
When we checked on 22 September 2026, the App Store and Google Play links on apiarybook.com did not open a listing: Google Play returned "not found", and Apple’s lookup returned no app for the linked ID in the US, UK, German and Romanian stores. The Apiary Book web app at web.apiarybook.com was online. This may be temporary or regional, so check apiarybook.com for the current status before deciding.
Is Apiary Book voice the same as HiveSense voice?
Both let you log hands-free. Apiary Book’s site describes a Voice Assistant that takes notes, creates reminders, adds hives and records treatments, but does not say where the speech is processed. In HiveSense, the Whisper model downloads once (about 181 MB) and then transcribes on the phone, so it works in airplane mode. The app then fills in inspection fields such as queen seen, brood pattern and varroa count for you to review before saving.
Can I move my Apiary Book data to HiveSense?
Apiary Book exports CSV. HiveSense has no one-click importer, so email the file to support@tryhivesense.com and we will help you bring your hives and records across.
Is HiveSense free?
Yes, for up to 15 hives and 5 apiaries with no time limit, including voice notes and offline logging. Pro ($5.99/mo or $59.99/yr) adds unlimited hives and apiaries, treatment logging, Bluetooth sensors, CSV/PDF export, backup, AI insights and team members.
Not ready to install? Grab the free guide.
Get our 2026 Beginner Beekeeping Starter Guide (PDF) — no app required. One email, then decide in your own time.
Log an inspection without taking your gloves off
Free for up to 15 hives. Works with zero bars. Pro is $5.99/mo.
See the full 2026 app comparison