Hive runs on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. With Pro, all three open the same library.
The three apps aren't one interface stretched to fit three screens, because the devices get used at different moments. A phone is what you have with you when you find something. An iPad is where you look through what you saved and show it to someone. A Mac is where a large library gets long, careful attention.
So each version of Hive leans towards the work its device is used for, and the library underneath stays the same.
You don't have to own all three. Hive works on any one of them, and you can add another device later without starting over.
iPhone: Saving
On a phone, Hive has one main job. It keeps a reference while the page it came from is still open.
You save through the share sheet from Safari, Instagram, Pinterest, and other apps with a Share button, and the link is stored with the image or video. Auto Save stores the item right away. Add Details lets you set the folder, tags, a star, and a note first, for the times you already know where something belongs.
If a post has several images, they come in together. A long import carries on in the background, so you can go back to what you were reading.
Careful organizing can wait. A phone screen is small and typing on it is slow, so Hive doesn't ask for a filing decision at the moment of saving.
Widgets keep the library close between saves. One shows what you imported most recently, and another shows items from folders you choose.
iPad: Choosing
On iPad, a saved batch becomes the set a project will use. The screen is large enough to compare images, and the device is easy to hand across a table.
You can open a project folder, star the references worth keeping, and remove the ones that aren't. Hive can also sit beside the app you're working in, with Split View or an image in its own window. A selected group plays as a Slideshow without being exported first.
The iPad is also where Apple Pencil comes in. You can mark up an image, and when you're drawing from a reference you can lock the canvas, so an accidental touch doesn't pan or zoom it.
The links and notes saved on the phone are still attached, so each choice can be explained when someone asks.
Mac: Keeping Order
A Mac suits the slow work: adjusting folder structures, cleaning up tags, and keeping a large collection consistent over the years.
Hive for Mac is a native macOS app for Macs with Apple Silicon, which means an M1 chip or newer. Intel Macs aren't supported. It comes from the App Store and opens with the free version.
It has extensions for Safari and Chrome, so you can save while browsing at the desk. With the Chrome extension, you can drag media into the Hive panel, save the page's address, or capture part of the page.
If your long-term archive is in Eagle, the Hive library folder can be copied to the computer and opened there as a library.
The Library Underneath
A Hive library is a folder in a place you choose. It can be on the device, in iCloud Drive, or on an external SSD formatted as APFS, which needs Pro. Hive reads and writes that folder directly, and nothing goes to a Hive server.
With Pro, the library syncs between iPhone, iPad, and Mac, and one purchase covers all three on the same Apple Account. Without Pro, each device keeps its own library.
If the library is in iCloud Drive, turn on Keep Downloaded for its folder in Files. By default, iCloud may remove a file from the device to save space and fetch it again later. For a library you work in, that means waiting.
Browsing, searching, and organizing work without a connection. Syncing and importing links need one.
Less to Manage
None of the three apps tries to do everything. The phone saves, the iPad is where you choose, and the Mac keeps the library in order.
That leaves less to manage on each screen. A reference saved on the phone on Monday is on the iPad when you sit down to choose, with the link and the note it was saved with.