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Agriculture · head to head

Cropin vs Datamars Livestock

Cropin logo

Cropin

Agriculture

Agri-intelligence platform for organisations running programmes across thousands of smallholder farms

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Datamars Livestock logo

Datamars Livestock

Agriculture

EID tag, weigh scale and livestock data platform behind the Tru-Test brand

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Cropin data quality depends on field agents entering records honestly and consistently, so an organisation without an existing extension network has to build one before the software returns anything useful.; Datamars Livestock the software exists to sell tags, readers and scales, so its feature depth in breeding, financials and grazing planning is well short of dedicated herd management systems.
  • They diverge on capability: Cropin covers Plot digitisation, Datamars Livestock covers EID and visual tag management.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Cropin and Datamars Livestock actually diverge.

Attributes where Cropin and Datamars Livestock differ
AttributeCropinDatamars Livestock
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb, iOS, Android, Windows

Identical on both: starting price (On request), pricing model (quote), 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 Cropin

  • Plot digitisation
  • Field agent mobile app
  • Satellite crop monitoring
  • Yield prediction
  • Traceability
  • Farmer advisory
  • Risk scoring
  • Data hub

Only in Datamars Livestock

  • EID and visual tag management
  • Weigh session capture
  • Average daily gain
  • Auto-drafting
  • Traceability records
  • Bluetooth reader sync
  • Treatment and animal events

What people use each for

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

Cropin

  • A food company that must demonstrate where a crop was grown and under what practices, across thousands of contract growersnot Datamars Livestock
  • A bank or insurer that needs an independent view of yield and risk before lending against a harvestnot Datamars Livestock
  • A development programme reporting outcomes to a donor across multiple countries and cropsnot Datamars Livestock
  • A seed or input business tracking demonstration plots and field trial performance at scalenot Datamars Livestock

Datamars Livestock

  • A beef finisher drafting cattle to a target weight automatically at the crushnot Cropin
  • A sheep producer tracking lamb growth rates by sire to inform ram selectionnot Cropin
  • A New Zealand farm needing NAIT-compliant movement records generated from the same scans used for weighingnot Cropin
  • A grazier comparing average daily gain across mobs on different paddocks or supplementsnot Cropin

Where each one falls short

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

Cropin

  • Data quality depends on field agents entering records honestly and consistently, so an organisation without an existing extension network has to build one before the software returns anything useful.
  • Satellite-derived yield and health estimates degrade on small fragmented plots and during monsoon cloud cover, which is precisely where much of the customer base operates.
  • It is not a tool for running a single farm, so an individual grower or estate evaluating it will find an enterprise programme platform with no meaningful single-farm workflow.
  • Contracts are typically project shaped and tied to programme or donor funding, so the software can be switched off when a funding round ends rather than renewed on its merits.
  • There is no equipment telemetry or machinery integration of consequence, so any customer that also runs a mechanised operation needs a second platform for that side of the business.

Datamars Livestock

  • The software exists to sell tags, readers and scales, so its feature depth in breeding, financials and grazing planning is well short of dedicated herd management systems.
  • A migration to new cloud software is scheduled from January 2026 for Tru-Test indicator and reader customers, which puts historical Data Link desktop records at risk if they are not exported deliberately before support changes.
  • Hardware lock-in is real: the automatic capture that makes the platform useful depends on Datamars and Tru-Test devices, and a farm with Gallagher scales gets a much thinner experience.
  • Software being bundled with hardware means it has never been priced or sold on its own merits, so there is no published cost, no clear upgrade path and no leverage if the bundling arrangement changes.
  • Traceability support is country-specific and uneven, so a farm outside the main New Zealand, Australian, UK and North American markets may find its national scheme is not directly supported and needs manual file preparation.

Pricing, plan by plan

Cropin

On request
  • Cropin Cloud$undefined/year
    • Quoted per programme, by grower count and geography
    • Field agent licences and implementation services quoted separately
    • Satellite and imagery layers often priced by area monitored

Datamars Livestock

On request
  • Datamars Livestock$undefined/year
    • Historically bundled with purchase of Datamars and Tru-Test hardware
    • Tag, reader and weigh indicator hardware is the actual cost
    • Cloud platform terms changing with the January 2026 migration

Which should you pick?

Choose Cropin if

  • You need plot digitisation.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want field agent mobile app.
Cropin review

Choose Datamars Livestock if

  • You need eid and visual tag management.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, Windows.
  • You also want weigh session capture.
Datamars Livestock review

Questions people ask

Is Cropin or Datamars Livestock better?
Neither clearly leads. Cropin starts at On request and Datamars Livestock at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Cropin or Datamars Livestock?
Cropin starts at On request and Datamars Livestock at On request.
Does Cropin or Datamars Livestock run on more platforms?
Cropin runs on Web, iOS, Android. Datamars Livestock runs on Web, iOS, Android, Windows.
What is Cropin best used for?
Cropin is most often used for a food company that must demonstrate where a crop was grown and under what practices, across thousands of contract growers, a bank or insurer that needs an independent view of yield and risk before lending against a harvest, a development programme reporting outcomes to a donor across multiple countries and crops, a seed or input business tracking demonstration plots and field trial performance at scale. Of those, a food company that must demonstrate where a crop was grown and under what practices, across thousands of contract growers and a bank or insurer that needs an independent view of yield and risk before lending against a harvest are not what Datamars Livestock is typically brought in for.
What can Cropin do that Datamars Livestock cannot?
Cropin covers Plot digitisation, Field agent mobile app, Satellite crop monitoring, Yield prediction. Datamars Livestock covers EID and visual tag management, Weigh session capture, Average daily gain, Auto-drafting.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Cropin: Can an individual farm buy Cropin?

In practice no. It is sold to organisations managing many growers, and the pricing and implementation model assume programme scale.

Datamars Livestock: Do I have to pay for the software?

It has historically been included with purchase of Datamars and Tru-Test hardware. The January 2026 cloud migration is the point at which to confirm what the ongoing terms are.

Cropin: Does it need field staff on the ground?

Yes for most deployments. Satellite layers supplement agent-collected data, they do not replace it.

Datamars Livestock: What happens to my Data Link records?

They need to be migrated to the new cloud platform. Export your historical weigh sessions before the transition rather than assuming everything carries across.

Cropin: Which regions is it strongest in?

India, South East Asia and Africa, where smallholder programmes are the dominant structure. Coverage in North America and Europe exists but the reference base is thinner.

Datamars Livestock: Will it work with Gallagher scales?

Not natively in the way it works with Tru-Test hardware. You lose the automatic session sync that is the main reason to use it.

Cropin: Is pricing published?

No. Everything is quoted by grower count, geography and the modules taken.

Datamars Livestock: Does it handle NAIT and NLIS?

Yes, for New Zealand and Australia respectively, generating movement and identification records from the same EID scans used for weighing.

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