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Agriculture · head to head

CattleMax vs CeresAI

CattleMax logo

CattleMax

Agriculture

Cattle herd management software

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
CeresAI logo

CeresAI

Agriculture

Aerial and satellite crop imagery with per-acre pricing for permanent crops and irrigation

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: CattleMax priced by active animal count, so the bill grows with the herd rather than with usage; CeresAI per-acre pricing only pencils on high-value crops; on low-margin broadacre cereals the fee is hard to justify against free public satellite imagery.
  • They diverge on capability: CattleMax covers Individual animal records, CeresAI covers Aerial multispectral capture.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which CattleMax and CeresAI actually diverge.

Attributes where CattleMax and CeresAI differ
AttributeCattleMaxCeresAI
Pricing modelsubscriptionPer acre per season
PlatformsWeb, Windows, Ios, AndroidWeb, iOS, Android
Founded2003Unknown

Identical on both: starting price (On request), 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 CattleMax

  • Individual animal records
  • Breeding management
  • Calving records
  • Health & treatment tracking
  • Weight management
  • EPD/genetic data
  • Custom reporting
  • Photo management

Only in CeresAI

  • Aerial multispectral capture
  • Thermal water stress
  • Irrigation fault detection
  • Nitrogen and chlorophyll
  • Pest and disease hotspots
  • Yield variability
  • Third-party integrations

What people use each for

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

CattleMax

  • Cow-calf herd records and reproduction trackingnot CeresAI
  • Weights, treatments and performance history per animalnot CeresAI
  • Registered cattle records for breed association reportingnot CeresAI
  • Unlimited users on one operation's accountnot CeresAI

CeresAI

  • An almond grower finding blocked emitters across thousands of trees without walking every rownot CattleMax
  • A wine estate managing deficit irrigation block by block to hit a target fruit compositionnot CattleMax
  • A farmland investment manager verifying tenant irrigation practice on ground it ownsnot CattleMax
  • A citrus operation targeting nitrogen applications to the parts of a block that actually need itnot CattleMax

Where each one falls short

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

CattleMax

  • Priced by active animal count, so the bill grows with the herd rather than with usage
  • The Registered plan costs more than Commercial at every band, from $16 against $12 a month
  • Operations above 2,000 animals move to custom pricing
  • Support is Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm Central only
  • Cows and calves count separately toward the animal limit

CeresAI

  • Per-acre pricing only pencils on high-value crops; on low-margin broadacre cereals the fee is hard to justify against free public satellite imagery.
  • Aerial capture runs on a scheduled cadence and is weather dependent, so it will not answer a question you need settled tomorrow and gaps happen in bad seasons.
  • Geographic coverage follows where the aircraft fly, which concentrates the service in California and a handful of other regions and leaves growers elsewhere on satellite-only products.
  • The company rebranded from Ceres Imaging to CeresAI, so older contracts, integrations and search results use the previous name and buyers checking references need to know both.
  • It flags problems but does not fix them; without an agronomist or manager committed to acting on every alert, the imagery becomes an expensive subscription nobody opens.

Pricing, plan by plan

CattleMax

On request
  • Commercial Plan$15/month
    • For herds focusing on cow-calf market
    • Track reproduction and performance data
    • Unlimited users
  • Commercial Plan Annual$12/month
    • Same as Commercial Plan
    • 20% discount when billed annually
  • Registered Plan$20/month
    • For herds focusing on selling registered cattle
    • Collect data for breed association
    • Unlimited users
  • Registered Plan Annual$16/month
    • Same as Registered Plan
    • 20% discount when billed annually

CeresAI

On request
  • CeresAI$undefined/year
    • Priced per acre for a defined season of flights
    • Flight cadence and imagery types set the rate
    • Minimum acreage applies in most regions

Which should you pick?

Choose CattleMax if

  • You need individual animal records.
  • You work on Web, Windows, Ios, Android.
  • You also want breeding management.
CattleMax review

Choose CeresAI if

  • You need aerial multispectral capture.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want thermal water stress.
CeresAI review

Questions people ask

Is CattleMax or CeresAI better?
Neither clearly leads. CattleMax starts at On request and CeresAI at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, CattleMax or CeresAI?
CattleMax starts at On request and CeresAI at On request.
Does CattleMax or CeresAI run on more platforms?
CattleMax runs on Web, Windows, Ios, Android. CeresAI runs on Web, iOS, Android.
What is CattleMax best used for?
CattleMax is most often used for cow-calf herd records and reproduction tracking, weights, treatments and performance history per animal, registered cattle records for breed association reporting, unlimited users on one operation's account. Of those, cow-calf herd records and reproduction tracking and weights, treatments and performance history per animal are not what CeresAI is typically brought in for.
What can CattleMax do that CeresAI cannot?
CattleMax covers Individual animal records, Breeding management, Calving records, Health & treatment tracking. CeresAI covers Aerial multispectral capture, Thermal water stress, Irrigation fault detection, Nitrogen and chlorophyll.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

CattleMax: What are CattleMax's pricing tiers?

CattleMax offers two plan types with identical tier structures by active animals (up to 50, 100, 250, 500, 750, 1,000, 1,500, or 2,000+). Commercial Plan costs $15/month ($12/month annual). Registered Plan costs $20/month ($16/month annual). All plans include unlimited users, free support, and bank-level security.

Source
CeresAI: Is Ceres Imaging still trading?

Yes, under the name CeresAI following a rebrand in 2024. The aerial imagery service continues and the company has taken further funding since.

CattleMax: What is the difference between CattleMax Commercial and Registered plans?

Commercial Plan is for herds focusing on the cow-calf market. Registered Plan is for herds focusing on selling registered cattle and collecting breed association data. Both include unlimited users and identical security/support features.

Source
CeresAI: How is it priced?

By the acre for a season of imagery. The rate depends on crop, region and how many flights the programme includes.

CattleMax: Can I try CattleMax before paying?

Yes, CattleMax offers a 21-day free trial with no credit card required. The trial includes full access to all plan features for evaluation.

Source
CeresAI: Why pay for aircraft when satellites are free?

Resolution and thermal. Public satellite imagery cannot resolve individual trees or reliably detect a single blocked emitter; aerial thermal capture can.

CeresAI: Does it work on broadacre cereals?

Technically yes, commercially rarely. The per-acre fee is designed against permanent crop and irrigated margins.

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