There are dozens of hive-tracking apps built for a hobbyist with two hives in the backyard. Far fewer are actually built for running a commercial operation — multiple apiaries, a team, pollination contracts, and per-site profitability. Here's an honest look at the tools that come up when beekeepers search for a commercial-grade option, based on what's actually published on their sites.
Every claim about a third-party product below reflects its public website as fetched for this comparison. Vendor sites, pricing, and features change — verify current details directly with each vendor before deciding.
| Software | Scale | Commercial | FAQ | Public pricing | Offline |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SunnyBee | New, growing | yes | yes | yes | yes |
| HiveTracks | 25,000+ users, 50,000+ hives | partial | no | no | reported |
| Apiary Book | 210,000+ installs, 25,000 MAU | partial | no | yes | yes |
| BeeKeepPal | not published | partial | no | yes | unclear |
| HiveIQ | not published | hardware-led | unclear | yes (hardware) | unclear |
| BeePlus | not published, no official site | no | unclear | free/donation | unclear |
"Commercial" here means the vendor's own site shows features built specifically for multi-site, team, or contract operations — not just larger hive counts on the same hobbyist workflow.
The largest established platform by user count. Its homepage has broadened toward biodiversity/ESG data services for businesses, alongside beekeeper tools — worth checking their dedicated commercial page directly, as it wasn't reachable during this review. No FAQ, pricing, or testimonials shown on the main site.
The most content-rich and socially-proven of the group — real install numbers, monthly active users, and testimonials with names and locations. Its commercial tier is real (unlimited hives, multi-apiary), plus a mentorship program aimed more at individual growth than team operations.
A lean, browser-based SaaS with clear tiered pricing ($5.99–$58/yr) but no stated user base, no FAQ, and no testimonials — the thinnest page of the group, which makes it hard to evaluate fit before signing up.
Primarily a hardware company — physical hives and equipment — with a management app bundled in. If you're not buying their hives, it's a different category of purchase entirely.
A free, donation-supported, iOS-only app built by beekeepers for beekeepers. No official website, no pricing tier, no commercial positioning — a genuinely different product for a genuinely different buyer.
Built specifically around the operational layer commercial beekeepers actually run on: per-apiary team roles, pollination contract management, queen genetic lineage, and offline-first field use — with published pricing and an FAQ on every page.
In practice: support for multiple apiaries with a roll-up view, role-based access for a team (not just one login), and features tied to revenue operations like pollination contracts — not just a higher hive-count ceiling on a single-user hobbyist workflow.
Treat them as a rough signal of maturity, not proof of fit. A large user base tells you a product is established — it doesn't tell you whether it has the specific commercial features your operation needs. Check the feature list, not just the headline number.
It's a proxy for how ready a product is for a straightforward buying decision. Several tools in this comparison don't publish pricing on their main site, which means evaluating cost requires a sales conversation before you know if it's even in range.
For a handful of hives, often yes. Past roughly 25–50 hives or more than one apiary, the operational gaps — no team access, no per-site cost tracking, no contract management — tend to show up fast.
Start free, or request a 15-day PRO trial if you're evaluating for a commercial or multi-apiary setup.