The HiveTracks Alternative Built for the Apiary
Offline-first. Voice-to-text inspections. Direct BLE sensor integration. HiveSense is the modern alternative to HiveTracks for beekeepers who want a tool that works in the field. Free on iOS and Android.
Free for up to 15 hives. Works offline. No credit card.
HiveTracks is good. Here is where HiveSense goes further.
HiveTracks has been around a long time and the team behind it has done real work — biodiversity datasets, community partnerships, and education. If those things matter to you, it is still worth having.
But the app itself is a web-first experience. It struggles at the apiary when cell signal is thin, does not natively read BLE sensors, and does not offer hands-free voice notes. For the actual act of opening a hive and recording what you see, we think the experience can be better.
HiveSense is built for exactly that moment. It was designed offline-first, dictates your observations while your hands are full, and pulls sensor readings from BroodMinder and BEEP directly over Bluetooth. Same records, better field workflow.
Feature comparison
| Feature | HiveSense | HiveTracks |
|---|---|---|
| Works fully offline | Yes | Limited |
| Voice-to-text inspections | Yes | No |
| On-device voice AI (no cloud) | Yes | No |
| BLE sensor support (BroodMinder, BEEP) | Yes | No |
| Local-only mode (zero cloud traffic) | Yes | No |
| Free tier | Up to 15 hives | Free app |
| Team collaboration | Pro plan | Yes |
| Queen lineage tracking | Yes | Basic |
| Varroa treatment scheduling | Yes | Basic |
| CSV / PDF export | Yes | Yes |
| Multi-language | 6 languages | English |
| iOS + Android | Yes | Yes |
Comparison based on publicly available product information as of April 2026. HiveTracks feature set may have changed since.
Further reading
Best Beekeeping Apps in 2026: An Honest Comparison
How HiveSense, HiveTracks, Apiary Book, APiLOG, and others compare on offline, voice, BLE, and pricing.
Offline Beekeeping App: Works Without Internet
Why offline-first architecture matters for remote apiaries and how HiveSense is built.
Read Your BroodMinder in HiveSense
Direct BLE reads for T2, TH, and W devices alongside full hive records.
Queen tracking — lineage and marking
Track every queen across every hive — supersedure events, performance scores, and the international color code.
Compare HiveSense to other beekeeping apps
Side-by-side comparisons with Apiary Book, MyBroodMinder, APiLOG, HiveBloom, and more.
Frequently asked questions
Why would I switch from HiveTracks?
HiveTracks is a respected tool, and their biodiversity work is real. But the app itself is cloud-first — it struggles in remote apiaries without signal. If you spend any time in yards with poor connectivity, want BLE sensor integration, or want hands-free voice notes, HiveSense covers those gaps. Many beekeepers use both: HiveTracks for community and biodiversity contributions, HiveSense for day-to-day field work.
Is HiveSense really free?
Yes. The free tier covers up to 15 hives with no time limit and no credit card. That includes offline mode, voice notes, BLE sensors, queen tracking, and treatment schedules. Paid tiers ($3.99 and $8.99/mo) add unlimited hives, team collaboration, and advanced analytics.
Can I import my HiveTracks data?
HiveTracks lets you export your data as CSV. We do not currently have a one-click importer, but you can reach out to support@tryhivesense.com and we will help you bring structured records over manually. Many switchers use the migration as a chance to clean up their records.
Does HiveSense have the same biodiversity focus?
No, and we think that is fine. HiveTracks is building an impressive biodiversity platform with enterprise customers. HiveSense is focused on being the best field tool for the beekeeper — the app you actually open when you are opening a hive. If you care deeply about contributing to biodiversity datasets, HiveTracks is worth keeping. Running both is a common pattern.
How does the offline experience compare?
HiveTracks has some offline capabilities but was architected cloud-first. HiveSense was built offline-first — every record writes to a local SQLite database before anything else happens. In practice this means HiveSense never shows spinners at the apiary, and every feature (including voice transcription) works without signal.
What BLE sensors does HiveSense support that HiveTracks does not?
HiveSense connects directly to BroodMinder (T2, TH, W), BEEP, Govee (H5100, H5075), SensorPush (HT.w, HTP.xw), and Inkbird (IBS-TH2, IBS-TH3). These readings pin to the hive record alongside inspections and treatments. HiveTracks does not have native BLE sensor integration.
Try the modern alternative today
Free for up to 15 hives. No credit card. Works offline.
See the full 2026 app comparison