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Agriculture · head to head

Allflex Livestock Intelligence vs SMARTBOW

Allflex Livestock Intelligence logo

Allflex Livestock Intelligence

Agriculture

SenseHub cow monitoring where the collar, the software and the reader come as one per-animal monthly fee

From
3.83/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
SMARTBOW logo

SMARTBOW

Agriculture

Ear tag cow monitoring with real-time indoor location, from Zoetis

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Allflex Livestock Intelligence the subscription version never ends: at published New Zealand rates a 400-cow herd on the Premium plan pays roughly 22,700 dollars a year indefinitely, which over a ten-year collar life exceeds what an outright purchase would have cost.; SMARTBOW real-time location depends on receivers covering the whole barn plus an on-farm server, so the install is a building project and the price bears no relation to what a simple activity collar costs.
  • They diverge on capability: Allflex Livestock Intelligence covers Health monitoring, SMARTBOW covers Real-time location.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Allflex Livestock Intelligence and SMARTBOW actually diverge.

Attributes where Allflex Livestock Intelligence and SMARTBOW differ
AttributeAllflex Livestock IntelligenceSMARTBOW
Starting price3.83/monthOn request
Pricing modelPer cow per monthquote
PlatformsWeb, iOS, Android, WindowsWindows, Web, iOS, Android

Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Agriculture).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Allflex Livestock Intelligence

  • Health monitoring
  • SenseHub Beef and Feedlot
  • Transition cow monitoring
  • Group nutrition reporting
  • Sorting gate control
  • Electronic identification
  • Herd management integration

Only in SMARTBOW

  • Real-time location
  • Rumination monitoring
  • Health alerts
  • On-farm server
  • Individual baselines
  • Herd software integration

Both cover

  • Heat detection

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Allflex Livestock Intelligence

  • A 400-cow dairy replacing tail paint and a synchronisation programme with automated heat detectionnot SMARTBOW
  • A herd manager who wants fresh cow problems flagged on day two rather than found on day fivenot SMARTBOW
  • A feedlot monitoring pen-level rumination to spot a ration problem before intakes dropnot SMARTBOW
  • A farm installing a drafting gate so flagged cows are separated automatically at exit rather than by handnot SMARTBOW

SMARTBOW

  • A 1,500 cow freestall barn where finding a flagged animal by eye takes twenty minutesnot Allflex Livestock Intelligence
  • A dairy replacing visual heat detection with per-animal oestrus alerts to tighten calving intervalsnot Allflex Livestock Intelligence
  • A herd manager wanting rumination-based early warning of displaced abomasum or metritisnot Allflex Livestock Intelligence
  • A vet practice using behavioural data to audit transition cow management across client herdsnot Allflex Livestock Intelligence

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Allflex Livestock Intelligence

  • The subscription version never ends: at published New Zealand rates a 400-cow herd on the Premium plan pays roughly 22,700 dollars a year indefinitely, which over a ten-year collar life exceeds what an outright purchase would have cost.
  • The software only works with Allflex sensors, so a farm that wants to change monitoring supplier replaces every collar or tag on every animal, which is the switching cost that keeps herds in place.
  • Automated sorting requires a drafting gate that is a separate capital purchase, published in New Zealand at 38,200 to 53,500 dollars plus GST, so the alerts are only as useful as your willingness to fetch cows by hand until you buy one.
  • Pricing is published in only a few markets and varies with herd size and distributor, so a buyer in North America or Europe cannot benchmark a quote without doing the cross-market conversion themselves.
  • Integration into herd management packages is partner-dependent rather than universal, and a farm running an uncommon local herd recording system may find data has to be exported and reconciled rather than flowing across.

SMARTBOW

  • Real-time location depends on receivers covering the whole barn plus an on-farm server, so the install is a building project and the price bears no relation to what a simple activity collar costs.
  • It is an indoor system; a grazing or partly grazed herd loses the location capability that is the main reason to choose it over cheaper monitoring.
  • Ear tags are consumable and go missing with the tag, so the running cost includes replacements at a rate that depends on how rough your handling facilities are.
  • Zoetis ownership means a pharmaceutical company holds continuous behavioural data on every animal alongside your treatment records, and the integration roadmap favours other Zoetis products.
  • Nothing is published on price, and sales run through veterinary and dealer channels, so comparing it against DeLaval, Nedap or CowManager requires several quotes and there is no reference list price.

Pricing, plan by plan

Allflex Livestock Intelligence

3.83/month
  • SenseHub Collar Starter$3.83/month
    • Heat detection only
    • Per cow per month, excluding GST
    • Collar, shed setup and NFC stick reader included
  • SenseHub Collar Premium$4.73/month
    • Heat, health and rumination monitoring
    • Per cow per month, excluding GST
    • Collar, shed setup and NFC stick reader included
  • SenseHub purchased system$undefined/year
    • Capital purchase of tags, controller and licence
    • Starter, Advanced and Premium application tiers
    • Quoted regionally through distributors

SMARTBOW

On request
  • SMARTBOW$undefined/year
    • Ear tags priced per animal
    • Barn receiver infrastructure and on-farm server quoted per building
    • Installation and commissioning quoted separately

Which should you pick?

Choose Allflex Livestock Intelligence if

  • You need health monitoring.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, Windows.
  • You also want sensehub beef and feedlot.
Allflex Livestock Intelligence review

Choose SMARTBOW if

  • You need real-time location.
  • You work on Windows, Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want rumination monitoring.
SMARTBOW review

Questions people ask

Is Allflex Livestock Intelligence or SMARTBOW better?
Neither clearly leads. Allflex Livestock Intelligence starts at 3.83/month and SMARTBOW at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Allflex Livestock Intelligence or SMARTBOW?
Allflex Livestock Intelligence starts at 3.83/month and SMARTBOW at On request.
Does Allflex Livestock Intelligence or SMARTBOW run on more platforms?
Allflex Livestock Intelligence runs on Web, iOS, Android, Windows. SMARTBOW runs on Windows, Web, iOS, Android.
What is Allflex Livestock Intelligence best used for?
Allflex Livestock Intelligence is most often used for a 400-cow dairy replacing tail paint and a synchronisation programme with automated heat detection, a herd manager who wants fresh cow problems flagged on day two rather than found on day five, a feedlot monitoring pen-level rumination to spot a ration problem before intakes drop, a farm installing a drafting gate so flagged cows are separated automatically at exit rather than by hand. Of those, a 400-cow dairy replacing tail paint and a synchronisation programme with automated heat detection and a herd manager who wants fresh cow problems flagged on day two rather than found on day five are not what SMARTBOW is typically brought in for.
What can Allflex Livestock Intelligence do that SMARTBOW cannot?
Allflex Livestock Intelligence covers Health monitoring, SenseHub Beef and Feedlot, Transition cow monitoring, Group nutrition reporting. SMARTBOW covers Real-time location, Rumination monitoring, Health alerts, On-farm server. Both handle Heat detection.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Allflex Livestock Intelligence: Does the software work without Allflex tags?

No. SenseHub reads Allflex sensors only, so the software and hardware are a single purchase decision.

SMARTBOW: What does SMARTBOW do that other activity monitors do not?

Real-time indoor location. It tells you where the flagged cow physically is, not just that she is behaving abnormally.

Allflex Livestock Intelligence: What does SenseHub cost per cow?

Where published, a collar Starter plan is around 3.83 New Zealand dollars per cow per month and Premium around 4.73, both excluding GST and both varying with herd size and region.

SMARTBOW: Does it work on grazing herds?

Poorly. Location depends on barn-mounted receivers, so animals out at pasture fall outside the system's coverage.

Allflex Livestock Intelligence: Is there a way to buy it outright instead of subscribing?

Yes, the purchased system remains available with Starter, Advanced and Premium licence tiers, quoted through distributors. SenseHub GO is the subscription alternative.

SMARTBOW: Who owns it?

Zoetis, which also owns Valley Agricultural Software and DairyComp. The technology came from Smartbow GmbH in Austria.

Allflex Livestock Intelligence: Do I need a drafting gate?

Not to receive alerts, but without one you fetch flagged cows manually. Gates are a separate five-figure capital purchase.

SMARTBOW: Is it cloud based?

Analysis runs on an on-farm server rather than in the cloud, which keeps it working during an internet outage but makes the server your responsibility.

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