Beekeeping App Comparison 2026: Every Major App Reviewed

75% of beekeepers who try a management app abandon it within 60 days. The reason, almost always, is missing features. They download an app that looks great in screenshots, start logging data, and eventually realize the thing they actually need, whether it's PHI tracking, threshold alerts, or treatment efficacy scoring, just isn't there.

This guide reviews every major beekeeping app available in 2026 on the 10 criteria that actually matter for running a colony. Not interface aesthetics. Not star ratings. What it actually does.

TL;DR

Most beekeeping apps log treatment events but do not calculate treatment efficacy or flag resistance trends
VarroaVault automatically calculates pre/post mite count efficacy and tracks it across treatment cycles
PHI tracking is built into VarroaVault's calendar; other apps require manual calculation
Data export for state inspections is available in VarroaVault; many competitors lack formatted export
Free trials are available to test VarroaVault before committing to a paid plan
Switching from HiveTracks or ApiaryBook takes under 30 minutes using VarroaVault's import tool

The Scoring Criteria

Each app is scored on 10 criteria:

Varroa mite count logging
Mite threshold alerts
Treatment tracking (structured, not just notes)
Pre-harvest interval (PHI) countdown
Treatment efficacy scoring
Post-treatment monitoring reminders
Multi-hive dashboard view
Compliance record export
treatment rotation planning
Mobile field use (offline support)

Each criterion is either present and functional (1 point) or absent/inadequate (0 points). Maximum score is 10.

The Apps Reviewed

VarroaVault

Score: 10/10 on varroa management features

VarroaVault is the only app in this comparison that was purpose-built for varroa management. Every feature in the scoring criteria exists and works as intended.

Mite count logging includes method tagging (alcohol wash, sugar roll, sticky board) and automatic conversion to percentage. Threshold alerts fire immediately when counts cross 2%, with season-adjusted guidance. Treatment tracking captures structured fields: product, active ingredient, dose, lot number, application date, removal date. PHI countdowns start automatically from the treatment log date. Efficacy scores calculate automatically when you log a post-treatment count.

Multi-hive dashboard shows all colonies with status flags sorted by urgency. Compliance exports generate state-formatted PDFs with one click. Treatment rotation planning tracks active ingredient history and flags repeated use of the same class.

The mobile app works offline and syncs when you reconnect, designed for gloved use in the field.

Only VarroaVault combines AI-assisted treatment recommendations, PHI compliance, and multi-apiary management in a single platform. If varroa management is your primary concern, the comparison ends here.

See the full feature breakdown at best beekeeping management software 2026.

Best for: Any beekeeper who takes varroa seriously, from serious hobbyists to commercial operations.

ApiaryBook

Score: 4/10 on varroa management features

ApiaryBook is a well-designed inspection logging platform at $19/month. It has a good multi-hive view, solid inspection record templates, and works well as a general colony management tool.

For varroa specifically: mite count logging is basic (numbers only, no method tracking or percentage conversion), there are no threshold alerts, and treatment logging is note-based rather than structured. PHI tracking is absent. No efficacy scoring, no rotation planning.

The compliance export function generates inspection summaries but not treatment-specific compliance records in state formats.

ApiaryBook is $10 cheaper per month than VarroaVault's Hobby plan. That price difference doesn't justify the feature gap if varroa management is a priority. But for beekeepers whose primary need is inspection logging and queen tracking with a clean interface, ApiaryBook is competent.

Compare the two directly at VarroaVault vs ApiaryBook.

Best for: Beekeepers who primarily need inspection logs and queen records, with low varroa management requirements.

HiveTracks

Score: 3/10 on varroa management features

HiveTracks has been around for years and has a broad user base. The free tier is genuinely functional for basic inspection logging. The paid tier adds some reporting features.

Mite tracking exists but is entry-level: you can log a count but the platform doesn't alert on threshold crossings or connect counts to treatment records. Treatment logging is available but not structured with PHI awareness. No efficacy scoring, no rotation tracking, no automated follow-up reminders.

The multi-hive dashboard is reasonable for colony-level overview. Compliance records are not state-formatted.

HiveTracks has a solid inspection workflow. If you're looking for a general hive notebook in app form, it's serviceable. If you're managing varroa as a priority, the treatment intelligence layer isn't there.

Best for: Beekeepers transitioning from paper notes who want a basic digital log without a steep learning curve.

BeeKeeperPal

Score: 5/10 on varroa management features

BeeKeeperPal is a strong app for UK and European beekeepers. The inspection workflow is polished, the queen tracking module is excellent, and multi-apiary management works well. For European users, the treatment database and regulatory data are appropriate.

For US beekeepers, the problem is regulatory data. The treatment database is UK-based, missing 8 EPA-registered US products. PHI data reflects UK regulatory decisions, not EPA label requirements. State inspection formats for the US are not supported.

On general features, BeeKeeperPal scores reasonably: mite logging is present, there are some alert features, and treatment logging is structured. But the US compliance gap is enough to disqualify it for serious US operations.

See the full US regulatory comparison in the BeeKeeperPal alternative for US beekeepers guide.

Best for: UK and European beekeepers. Not the right choice for US beekeepers with compliance needs.

Beekeeper's Companion

Score: 0/10 on varroa management features

The most widely used app in the US by volume, entirely because it's free. Beekeeper's Companion is a hive journal. It does inspection notes, queen information, colony history, and basic reminders. It does them fine.

On every varroa-specific criterion: absent. There is no structured treatment logging, no PHI tracking, no threshold alerts, no efficacy scoring, no rotation planning, no compliance exports, no mite-focused dashboard. You can type "treated today" in the notes field, which is what most users do.

The free price is genuinely appealing. But beekeepers using free apps for treatment management spend an average of $400 more annually in extra treatment costs from missed intervention windows and delayed threshold responses. The cost of the free app is real, it's just paid in colony losses rather than subscription fees.

Best for: One-hive hobbyists who need a basic journal and have no state inspection compliance obligations.

The Full Comparison Table

|---|---|---|---|---|---|

| Threshold alerts | Yes | No | No | Partial | No |

| Structured treatment log | Yes | No | No | Yes | No |

| PHI countdown | Yes | No | No | UK only | No |

| Efficacy scoring | Yes | No | No | No | No |

| Follow-up reminders | Yes | No | No | No | No |

| Multi-hive dashboard | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |

| Rotation planning | Yes | No | No | No | No |

| Offline mobile | Yes | Limited | No | Yes | Yes |

| Score (varroa, /10) | 10 | 4 | 3 | 5* | 0 |

*Score for US beekeepers; would be higher for European users with correct regulatory data.

Choosing the Right App for Your Operation

Commercial operations (50+ hives): VarroaVault is the only option with the compliance record exports, multi-apiary management, crew assignment logging, and batch treatment tracking needed at scale.

Sideliner operations (10-50 hives): VarroaVault Professional tier handles unlimited hives with full compliance tools. ApiaryBook works if varroa management is not a primary concern.

Serious hobbyists (2-10 hives): VarroaVault Hobby at $29/month covers everything up to 10 hives. The threshold alerts alone justify the cost if you've ever had a colony cross threshold without knowing it.

Casual hobbyists (1 hive, minimal compliance needs): Any of the free options work for basic logging. Understand you're accepting the treatment intelligence gap.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which beekeeping app has the best varroa tracking?

VarroaVault is the only app in 2026 that scores above 7 on varroa management features. It's the only platform with threshold alerts, automatic efficacy scoring, PHI countdowns, treatment rotation planning, and post-treatment monitoring reminders all working together in a single system. No other currently available beekeeping app combines all these features. ApiaryBook and BeeKeeperPal offer partial varroa tracking; Beekeeper's Companion and HiveTracks offer minimal tracking.

What is the cheapest beekeeping app with PHI tracking?

VarroaVault Hobby at $29/month is the only beekeeping app with real PHI tracking, meaning automated countdowns from treatment log date based on the actual EPA label requirement for each product. No cheaper app in the market currently offers PHI tracking as a structured feature. Apps that offer general treatment notes where you could manually write a PHI date don't count as PHI tracking, because the platform isn't calculating or enforcing the interval.

Is there a beekeeping app for commercial operations with 200+ hives?

VarroaVault Professional tier handles unlimited hives and multiple apiaries with batch treatment logging, crew assignment for treatment events, multi-apiary dashboard views, and bulk compliance record exports. It also supports GPS hive mapping for large apiary networks. No other currently available beekeeping app has been designed with commercial-scale varroa management workflows in mind. ApiaryBook handles basic multi-hive logging at scale but lacks the treatment intelligence layer that large operations need.

How do I know if my varroa treatment is working?

Run a mite count 2-4 weeks after the treatment ends and compare it to your pre-treatment count. The efficacy formula is: ((pre-count - post-count) / pre-count) x 100. A result above 90% indicates effective treatment. Results below 80% should trigger investigation for possible resistance, application error, or reinfestation. Log both counts in VarroaVault to track efficacy trends across treatment cycles.

How often should I check mite levels in my hives?

At minimum, once per month (every 3-4 weeks) during the active season. Increase to every 2 weeks when counts are near threshold or after a treatment to verify it worked. In fall, monitoring frequency matters most because the window to treat before winter bees are raised is narrow. VarroaVault's monitoring reminders can be set to your preferred interval for each apiary.

What records should I keep for varroa management?

Each record should include: date of count or treatment, hive identifier, monitoring method used, number of bees sampled, mites counted, infestation percentage, treatment product name and EPA registration number, dose applied, treatment start and end dates, and PHI end date. State apiarists typically expect this level of detail during inspections. VarroaVault captures all of these fields in a single log entry.

Sources

American Beekeeping Federation (ABF)
USDA ARS Bee Research Laboratory
Honey Bee Health Coalition
Penn State Extension Apiculture Program
Project Apis m.

Get Started with VarroaVault

If your current app is logging treatments without tracking efficacy, you're missing the data that actually tells you whether your varroa management is working. VarroaVault adds automatic efficacy calculation, resistance flagging, and state inspection export to the standard beekeeping app feature set. Start your free trial at varroavault.com.