HiveTracks is one of the best-known beekeeping apps, and for good reason — it has been around a long time and packs a lot of features. But at roughly $50 per year, it is also one of the most expensive ways to keep hive records. If you run a handful of colonies as a hobby, or you simply do not want another annual subscription, that price adds up fast. The good news: there are strong free alternatives that cover the essentials without asking for your credit card. This guide walks through the five best, honestly, so you can pick the one that fits how you actually keep bees.

Why People Switch From HiveTracks

HiveTracks does a lot right, but the same complaints come up again and again from beekeepers looking to leave. Understanding them helps you choose a replacement that fixes your specific pain point instead of trading one frustration for another.

  • The annual cost. Fifty dollars a year is fine for a commercial operation, but steep for someone with two or three hives. Over five years that is $250 to record inspections you could log for free.
  • Cloud dependence. HiveTracks is built around online sync and accounts. Out at the apiary, cell service is often weak or gone. An app that stalls waiting for a connection is useless standing over an open hive.
  • Feature overload. Many hobbyists find the interface heavier than they need. When you just want to note "queen seen, laying well, added a super," wading through screens built for large operations slows you down.
  • Account and data concerns. Creating an account, handing over an email, and trusting a company to keep your records online forever is more than some beekeepers want. If the service shuts down or changes its pricing, your data goes with it.

If any of these sound familiar, the alternatives below are worth a look. Sort them by what matters most to you — price, offline reliability, or simplicity.

1. HiveBook (Free)

HiveBook is our top pick as a HiveTracks alternative, and yes, we build it — so read the honest reviews further down too and judge for yourself. Here is why it leads this list.

HiveBook is completely free. Not a free trial, not a stripped-down tier that nags you to upgrade — every feature is included at no cost. There is no account and no sign-up. You download it and start logging your first inspection in under a minute. Nothing to remember, nothing to hand over.

Most importantly for anyone who has fought with cloud apps in the field, HiveBook works 100% offline. Your records live on your device, so it opens instantly and never stalls waiting for a signal — whether you are in a back-field apiary or a spot with no bars at all. That also means your data is yours: no company server holds it hostage.

The app covers the core of hive management — inspection logs, queen status, brood and colony strength notes, feeding and treatment records, and hive history you can scroll back through across seasons. It is deliberately focused on what a beekeeper actually does at the hive rather than piling on features you will never open.

The honest trade-offs: HiveBook is iOS only (App Store), so Android users will need one of the options below. And because it keeps everything on-device by design, there is no web dashboard to log in from your laptop. For most hobbyists and sideliners, that is exactly the point — but if multi-device cloud sync is a must-have, weigh that.

Try HiveBook free today. Download HiveBook Free — no subscription, no account, works 100% offline.

2. Apiary Book (Free + $5 Premium)

Apiary Book is a popular, mature option available on both iOS and Android, which immediately makes it the go-to for beekeepers on Android who cannot run HiveBook. The core app is free, with a one-time premium unlock around $5 — a refreshing change from annual subscriptions.

Pros: Cross-platform, a large existing user community, articles and learning content built in, and a genuinely low price to unlock the extras. The one-time premium model means you pay once and are done.

Cons: The free tier is more limited than HiveBook's, and some useful features sit behind that premium wall. The interface leans busier, and cloud features mean you are again creating an account and depending on sync. If offline-first is your priority, it is a step back from HiveBook.

3. BeeKeepPal (Free Tier + $39/year)

BeeKeepPal is a newer, polished app with a friendly design and a free tier to get started. It is worth a look if you like a modern interface and do not mind a subscription for the full feature set.

Pros: Clean, approachable design; a reasonable free tier for basic logging; and thoughtful reminders and scheduling features that help newer beekeepers stay on top of inspections and treatments.

Cons: The full experience runs about $39 per year, which puts it in the same subscription camp you may be leaving HiveTracks to escape. The most useful features cluster in the paid tier, so the free version is more of a preview than a permanent home. Like the others here, it relies on an account and online sync.

4. BeePlus Beekeeping (Free)

BeePlus is a free beekeeping app available on both major platforms that covers inspections, hive records, and basic apiary tracking. It is a solid no-cost choice, especially for Android users comparing free options.

Pros: Free to use, cross-platform, and covers the fundamentals of inspection logging and colony tracking without a paywall on the basics.

Cons: The interface and polish lag behind the leaders, updates can be less frequent, and some users report the occasional rough edge or ad. It gets the job done, but the experience is less refined than HiveBook or Apiary Book.

5. Beekeeping Lab / Spreadsheet (Free)

Rounding out the list is the pragmatic option: a free logging app like Beekeeping Lab, or a plain spreadsheet you build yourself. Plenty of long-time beekeepers still track everything in a shared sheet, and it costs nothing.

Pros: Free, fully under your control, and infinitely customizable — you decide exactly what columns matter. A spreadsheet also exports and backs up trivially, and works offline on any device.

Cons: No purpose-built inspection flow, no reminders, and no quick tap-to-log at the hive. You are doing the design and data entry work yourself, and typing into a spreadsheet with gloves on over an open hive is nobody's idea of fun. Fine as a backstop, weak as a daily tool.

What to Look for in an Alternative

Before you commit, run any candidate through this short checklist. The right app depends on how and where you keep bees, not on the longest feature list.

  • True offline access. Apiaries are rarely next to strong Wi-Fi. Test whether the app opens and saves an inspection with your phone in airplane mode. If it stalls, it will fail you in the field.
  • Real cost over time. A "free" app with a $39–$50 annual subscription is not free. Multiply the yearly price by five and ask whether the extra features justify it for your operation size.
  • Data ownership. Can you export your records? Do they live on your device or only on someone's server? If the company folds or hikes prices, what happens to years of notes?
  • Right-sized features. A hobbyist with three hives and a sideliner with fifty need different tools. Pick the app that matches your scale rather than the one with the most screens.
  • Platform fit. Confirm it runs on your phone. HiveBook is iOS only; Apiary Book and BeePlus cover Android.

This same logic applies well beyond bees. If you also manage other parts of a small farm or homestead, look for tools built the same way — focused, offline, and free. Our sister app Barnsbook does exactly this for livestock, ranching, and barn management, and CropsBook covers vegetable gardening, crop farming, and market farming. Keeping records the same way across your operation makes the whole thing easier to run.

Making the Switch

Moving off HiveTracks is easier than most people expect, and you do not have to do it all at once. A little planning keeps your history intact.

  1. Export your existing data first. Before you cancel anything, log into HiveTracks and export your inspection records. Save the file somewhere safe. This is your archive even if the new app cannot import it directly.
  2. Start fresh at the next inspection. The simplest approach is to begin logging in your new app on your next hive visit. Beekeeping is seasonal — within one cycle you will have a full, current record built naturally.
  3. Carry key notes forward manually. For each hive, enter the essentials into the new app: queen age and source, last treatment date and product, and current colony strength. That handful of facts is what you actually reference; you rarely need every historical entry.
  4. Run both briefly if nervous. If letting go feels risky, keep your HiveTracks export handy for a season while you build confidence in the new tool. Once you trust it, cancel the subscription and stop the annual bill.
  5. Set your reminders. Whatever app you land on, take five minutes to set inspection and treatment reminders so nothing slips during the busy season.

The bottom line: you do not need to pay $50 a year to keep good hive records. For most beekeepers, a free, offline, no-account app covers everything that matters — which is exactly why HiveBook tops this list. Download it, log one inspection, and see how it feels before your next trip to the apiary.