Hive

Hive suits teams that want project planning, collaboration and AI tools in one workspace, particularly those coordinating work across several projects. Its range is substantial, but the Free plan’s 200MB storage cap makes it better for a small, light workload than a permanent home for growing teams.

Overview

Hive brings project and task management together with approvals, billing and related team work. It combines shared planning and communication with AI assistance, so teams can organize work and coordinate around it in one product. The trade-off is that the free entry point limits both storage and workspace membership.

Key features

Project views, dashboards, goals, live reporting, templates, custom fields and portfolios give teams options for tracking work from individual tasks to broader collections of projects. That flexibility can suit teams with varied workflows; groups that only need a simple task list may have little use for the extra planning layers.

Collaborative Notes, action cards with comments and file attachments, and forms for internal and external teammates support shared work in the same environment. Hive’s AI tools can draft email replies, turn meeting transcripts into action items, build projects, proof content and create dashboard widgets. Monthly credit allowances are limited by plan, so teams expecting frequent AI use should weigh the quota against their needs.

Hive says it offers over 1,000 integrations, including Google Drive, Google Calendar, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Outlook Calendar, Jira, Slack, GitHub, Dropbox and QuickBooks. This breadth is useful when a team’s work already spans those services. Hive says workspace messages, groups, actions and files remain private to the organization, with nonmember access attempts blocked and reported. It also states that it forces 256-bit SSL at network entry points, uses ISO 27001-accredited hosting and backs up data hourly. A vulnerability disclosure program covers its web, mobile and desktop apps, with bounties based on severity.

Pricing

Hive offers a free plan and paid per-user tiers. The Free plan is billed free forever; Starter and Teams are billed per user per month. Enterprise has custom pricing.

Free is aimed at light project management. Unlimited tasks and notes make it possible to start without a software charge, but 200MB of storage and 10 members are meaningful constraints for teams sharing many files or adding people. Starter raises storage to unlimited and adds Gantt planning and calendar and cloud-storage tools, but keeps the 10-member ceiling and caps projects at 10. It fits a small team that needs those upgrades without expanding its workspace.

Teams removes the member cap and adds portfolios, time tracking and more customization, making it the clearer fit for larger or more structured groups. Its flexible add-ons cost extra. Enterprise is for organizations needing tailored AI credits, included add-ons, enhanced controls or dedicated support, with custom pricing. Hive offers a free trial, but no trial length is given. Support inquiries on weekends or after 6 PM EST may not receive a same-day reply.

Platforms

Hive is available on Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, web and Windows, with mobile apps for iOS and Android. An internet connection is required; offline access is unavailable. That rules it out for teams that need to keep working without connectivity.

Who it's for

Hive is a good match for teams that need project planning, shared notes, forms and integrations across a broad set of work tools. Free works for light use within its storage and member caps; Starter suits a small team needing unlimited storage and Gantt view. Teams is more appropriate when membership growth, time tracking or portfolio oversight matters. Hive is less suitable for offline work or for teams whose needs are limited to basic task lists.

Pros and cons

• Broad planning toolkit: dashboards, goals, reporting, templates, custom fields and portfolios cover more than task assignment alone.
• Useful free starting point: unlimited tasks and collaborative notes cost nothing, but 200MB storage and 10 members constrain expansion.
• Integration breadth: over 1,000 integrations include widely used calendar, communication, storage and development services.
• AI quotas vary by tier: monthly credits rise from 1,000 on Free to 5,000 on Teams, which may limit heavier use on lower plans.
• No offline access: an internet connection is required, so Hive does not fit teams that need to work offline.

Alternatives

Hive is a project-work platform rather than a mobile database. For a narrower tool choice, consider Mobile Databases, Image Compression Software or Video Downloaders.

For Android UI testing rather than team project management, Espresso has a free plan for Android 4.0.1/API 14+ with a single target app. If the need is a database with replication and realtime sync, RxDB has a free plan that includes those capabilities. For a mobile database with a stated free allowance of 10 cloud device connections, 2GB storage and 5GB data transfer, Ditto is another option, though its free plan has no SLA and limited support.

ObjectBox offers a no-cost core database, while its sync option may suit a different database need. Realm is another free mobile database option; its maker renamed the technology MongoDB Atlas Device SDKs in 2023. For Kotlin SQL code generation rather than project coordination, SQLDelight is free and has no paid tiers stated. Firebase Cloud Messaging is a no-cost messaging service, while Firestore is a freemium document database with stated daily read and write allowances.

Verdict

Choose Hive if your team wants planning, collaboration, integrations and AI assistance together, and can work online. Free is a sensible way to start with light project management, but its storage and member caps make Starter or Teams the more practical choices as needs grow. Look elsewhere if offline work is essential or your requirement is a specialized mobile database rather than a team workspace.