Yes. BroodBook's itch.io page lists it as "Free to try (pay what you want)," and it doesn't set a minimum, so you can use it for nothing or tip the developer. Coop Companion also has a free tier that stays free: 1 pen, 1 active hatch with day-7/14/18 reminder emails, a flock roster, an egg log, and 4-H export.

Does BroodBook sync between my phone and computer?

No. BroodBook runs in your browser and keeps your data on that device, with manual backup and restore. To move records to another device, you restore a backup there by hand. Coop Companion keeps records in your account, so the same flock shows up on any device you sign in on.

What happens to my BroodBook records if I lose my phone?

They're only as safe as your last backup. Because BroodBook keeps data on the device, a lost phone, a reset, or cleared browser data can take the records with it unless you saved a backup somewhere else. Back up often and keep the copy off the device.

Does BroodBook track poultry shows?

Yes. It lists show history and judging notes among its features. Coop Companion's Show plan keeps a show log of every show, class, variety, and placing and totals the points you enter for each bird. You enter the points yourself because point rules vary by organization and show.

Does Coop Companion warn about inbreeding like BroodBook?

Not right now. BroodBook's breeding records include inbreeding warnings, and Coop Companion doesn't have that yet. Coop Companion's Breeder plan records each bird's sire and dam and shows its pedigree, so you can check two birds' parents and grandparents yourself before you pair them. It won't flag a close match for you.

Can I move from BroodBook to Coop Companion?

Yes, through a spreadsheet. Coop Companion's importer at /app/import takes an .xlsx or .csv of birds or egg logs, and you match your columns before anything saves. BroodBook's listing doesn't say what format its backup file uses. If you can't get your records out as a spreadsheet, you can download Coop Companion's CSV template, fill it in with your birds, and import that.

Coop Companion vs BroodBook

Verified October 2026

The short version

BroodBook is a free, pay-what-you-want breeder app that runs in your web browser with no account. It keeps everything on that one device, and you back it up by hand. It covers a lot: pedigrees, inbreeding warnings, family trees, health records, a money ledger, and show history with judging notes. Coop Companion is an account-based web app. Your records live on our servers, so they sync between your phone and your computer and survive a lost or wiped phone. It also adds things a device-only app can't do: day 7/14/18 hatch reminder emails (free), public pedigree links you can send to buyers, an NPIP-friendly sales ledger export, and, on the Show plan, a show log that totals the points you enter for each bird. Pick BroodBook if privacy, no account, and paying nothing matter most. Pick Coop Companion if you work from more than one device, can't afford to lose a season of records, or sell and show birds.

Attribute	Coop Companion	BroodBook
Price	Free tier for good; Breeder $6/mo or $49/yr; Show $8/mo or $69/yr	Free to try, pay what you want (no minimum listed)
Account required	Yes, email sign-in	No
Where your data lives	Your account, stored on our servers	Only in the browser on the device you use
Backup	Automatic. Nothing to remember	Manual backup and restore, done by you
Phone + desktop on the same records	Yes. Sign in anywhere and see the same flock	No sync. Each device has its own copy
Works with no signal	No. Shows an offline notice; viewing and logging records need a connection	Not stated. It runs locally in the browser, but the listing doesn't say whether it works offline
Hatch reminders	Day 7/14/18 candling and lockdown emails, free	Fertility-window reminders inside the app
Pedigrees and family trees	Yes, lineage and pedigrees (Breeder plan)	Yes, pedigree tracking and interactive family trees
Inbreeding warnings	No	Yes, on breeding records
Show records	Show log of shows, classes, varieties, and placings; points you enter are totaled per bird (Show plan)	Show history and judging notes
Public pedigree links for buyers	Yes, a shareable page per bird	Not listed. Records stay on your device
Sales records	NPIP-friendly sales ledger with PDF/CSV export (Breeder plan)	Financial ledger for purchases, sales, expenses, and losses
Health and treatment records	Not a dedicated feature	Yes, with treatment reminders
4-H record book export	Yes, PDF, free	Not listed
Spreadsheet import	Yes, .xlsx or .csv for birds and egg logs	Not listed
Maturity	New (launched 2026)	Independent project by one developer (TruXtoK), listed as Released on itch.io

The verdict

Choose **BroodBook** if you keep your records on one device, want them to stay there, or simply don't want to make an account or pay anything. Its inbreeding warnings and health records are real advantages for a small closed flock. Just make backups part of your routine and keep the backup file somewhere other than the device itself. Choose **Coop Companion** if you switch between a phone at the coop and a computer at the kitchen table, if losing a phone would mean losing your pedigrees, or if your records need to reach other people: buyers who want to see a bird's parents, an NPIP-friendly sales record, a 4-H leader, or a points total at the end of show season.

What BroodBook does well

BroodBook's listing says it was "built by a breeder for breeders," and the feature list backs that up. It has bird profiles, breeding records with inbreeding warnings, fertility-window reminders, egg collection, broody hen and incubator management, chicks that link to their parents automatically at hatch, interactive family trees, health records with treatment reminders, pen and feed management, and a ledger for purchases, sales, expenses, and losses. It also keeps show history and judging notes, which puts it on the short list for exhibitors.

The way it's built is a real choice, not a flaw. It runs entirely in your browser, needs no account, and keeps your data on your device. You pay what you want, and that can be nothing. If you don't want your flock records on anyone's server, that's the whole appeal, and Coop Companion can't match it.

Where Coop Companion is different: your records outlive the device

Local-only storage means the device is the record. A new phone, a cleared browser, or a device that dies with three seasons of pedigrees on it can take everything with it, and that risk sits entirely with you. A BroodBook backup protects you only if you made one recently and kept it somewhere other than the device that broke. Clearing site data in your browser can wipe a browser app's storage the same way losing the phone can.

Coop Companion keeps your records in your account. Log a hatch on your phone in the barn, and it's there when you open your laptop. Lose the phone and nothing is gone; you sign in on the new one. There's no backup to remember. If you're coming from notebooks or a spreadsheet, the importer takes an .xlsx or .csv of your birds or egg logs and lets you match the columns before anything is saved.

Where Coop Companion is different: records other people can see

A device-only app is private, but your records can't leave that screen except by hand. Because Coop Companion is online, it can do work for you outside the app. It sends day 7, 14, and 18 emails so you remember to candle and lock down even when you haven't opened anything, and those emails are free for good. It gives each bird a public pedigree page you can link in a sale listing, so a buyer can see the sire and dam without you retyping them. It keeps a sales ledger with an NPIP-friendly PDF/CSV export for breeders who sell hatching eggs and chicks. And it exports a 4-H record book PDF.

For exhibitors, the two apps take different approaches. BroodBook keeps show history and the judge's notes. Coop Companion's Show plan keeps a show log of every show, class, variety, and placing, adds up the points you enter for each bird across the season, and shows placings on the bird's public pedigree page. It doesn't calculate points for you; rules differ between the APA, the ABA, and each show, so you enter what the show awarded. If what you mainly want is the judge's comments next to each bird, BroodBook's notes may be all you need. If you want season totals in one place, Coop Companion does that.

Who should pick which

Pick BroodBook if you have one flock, use one device, want no account and no server, or value its inbreeding warnings and health records. It costs as little as nothing, so you have little to lose by trying it.

Pick Coop Companion if you keep records on more than one device, can't afford to lose them, or your records need to reach other people: buyers, NPIP sales paperwork, a 4-H leader, or a season's show points. Its free tier (1 pen, 1 active hatch, reminder emails, roster, egg log, 4-H export) costs nothing either. You'd pay only when you add a second pen or want pedigrees, public pedigree pages, and the sales ledger.

Frequently asked questions

Is BroodBook free?: Yes. BroodBook's itch.io page lists it as "Free to try (pay what you want)," and it doesn't set a minimum, so you can use it for nothing or tip the developer. Coop Companion also has a free tier that stays free: 1 pen, 1 active hatch with day-7/14/18 reminder emails, a flock roster, an egg log, and 4-H export.
Does BroodBook sync between my phone and computer?: No. BroodBook runs in your browser and keeps your data on that device, with manual backup and restore. To move records to another device, you restore a backup there by hand. Coop Companion keeps records in your account, so the same flock shows up on any device you sign in on.
What happens to my BroodBook records if I lose my phone?: They're only as safe as your last backup. Because BroodBook keeps data on the device, a lost phone, a reset, or cleared browser data can take the records with it unless you saved a backup somewhere else. Back up often and keep the copy off the device.
Does BroodBook track poultry shows?: Yes. It lists show history and judging notes among its features. Coop Companion's Show plan keeps a show log of every show, class, variety, and placing and totals the points you enter for each bird. You enter the points yourself because point rules vary by organization and show.
Does Coop Companion warn about inbreeding like BroodBook?: Not right now. BroodBook's breeding records include inbreeding warnings, and Coop Companion doesn't have that yet. Coop Companion's Breeder plan records each bird's sire and dam and shows its pedigree, so you can check two birds' parents and grandparents yourself before you pair them. It won't flag a close match for you.
Can I move from BroodBook to Coop Companion?: Yes, through a spreadsheet. Coop Companion's importer at /app/import takes an .xlsx or .csv of birds or egg logs, and you match your columns before anything saves. BroodBook's listing doesn't say what format its backup file uses. If you can't get your records out as a spreadsheet, you can download Coop Companion's CSV template, fill it in with your birds, and import that.

Sources

BroodBook by TruXtoK — itch.io (Marketplace listing)