Softwr

Agriculture · head to head

Cropin vs Farmers Business Network (FBN)

Cropin logo

Cropin

Agriculture

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

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Farmers Business Network (FBN) logo

Farmers Business Network (FBN)

Agriculture

Farmer-to-farmer network and marketplace

From
$700/year
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.; Farmers Business Network (FBN) the Internet Archive's capture of Farmers Business Network's homepage on 2 January 2021 stated core FBN membership is free, with fees applying only to add-on services such as FBN Direct input purchases, crop marketing advisory, brokerage, financing and insurance, each offered by separately licensed FBN subsidiary entities.
  • They diverge on capability: Cropin covers Plot digitisation, Farmers Business Network (FBN) covers Seed performance analytics.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Cropin and Farmers Business Network (FBN) actually diverge.

Attributes where Cropin and Farmers Business Network (FBN) differ
AttributeCropinFarmers Business Network (FBN)
Starting priceOn request$700/year
Pricing modelquotesubscription
FoundedUnknown2014

Identical on both: free tier (No), platforms (Web, iOS, Android), 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 Farmers Business Network (FBN)

  • Seed performance analytics
  • Input price transparency
  • Direct input purchasing
  • Yield analytics
  • Crop marketing tools
  • Farm financing
  • Agronomic insights
  • Farmer network access

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 Farmers Business Network (FBN)
  • A bank or insurer that needs an independent view of yield and risk before lending against a harvestnot Farmers Business Network (FBN)
  • A development programme reporting outcomes to a donor across multiple countries and cropsnot Farmers Business Network (FBN)
  • A seed or input business tracking demonstration plots and field trial performance at scalenot Farmers Business Network (FBN)

Farmers Business Network (FBN)

  • Input purchasingnot Cropin
  • Seed selectionnot Cropin
  • Price comparisonnot Cropin
  • Farm financingnot Cropin
  • Market insightsnot 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.

Farmers Business Network (FBN)

  • The Internet Archive's capture of Farmers Business Network's homepage on 2 January 2021 stated core FBN membership is free, with fees applying only to add-on services such as FBN Direct input purchases, crop marketing advisory, brokerage, financing and insurance, each offered by separately licensed FBN subsidiary entities.

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

Farmers Business Network (FBN)

$700/year
  • FBN Membership$700/year
    • Access to FBN Analytics
    • Seed performance data
    • Chemical price transparency
  • FBN DirectFree
    • Transparent input pricing
    • Direct-to-farm delivery
    • Seed & crop protection

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 Farmers Business Network (FBN) if

  • You need seed performance analytics.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want input price transparency.
Farmers Business Network (FBN) review

Questions people ask

Is Cropin or Farmers Business Network (FBN) better?
Neither clearly leads. Cropin starts at On request and Farmers Business Network (FBN) at $700/year, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Cropin or Farmers Business Network (FBN)?
Cropin starts at On request and Farmers Business Network (FBN) at $700/year.
Does Cropin or Farmers Business Network (FBN) run on more platforms?
Cropin runs on Web, iOS, Android. Farmers Business Network (FBN) runs on Web, Ios, Android.
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 Farmers Business Network (FBN) is typically brought in for.
What can Cropin do that Farmers Business Network (FBN) cannot?
Cropin covers Plot digitisation, Field agent mobile app, Satellite crop monitoring, Yield prediction. Farmers Business Network (FBN) covers Seed performance analytics, Input price transparency, Direct input purchasing, Yield analytics.

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.

Cropin: Does it need field staff on the ground?

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

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.

Cropin: Is pricing published?

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

Share

Related pages

More on Cropin

More on Farmers Business Network (FBN)

Keep looking

Other head to heads