Agriculture · head to head
DairyComp vs GEA DairyNet
DairyComp
Agriculture
Command-line dairy herd management software used by large North American dairies
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
GEA DairyNet
Agriculture
Modular herd and farm management software for dairies running GEA milking equipment
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: DairyComp the command language interface takes weeks to learn and effectively ties the dairy to whichever staff member knows it, so losing a herd manager can strand the herd record until someone else is trained.; GEA DairyNet the value depends on GEA hardware, so a barn with mixed-vendor parlours, sensors or feeders loses most of the native integration that justifies the software.
- They diverge on capability: DairyComp covers Command language reporting, GEA DairyNet covers Herd module.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which DairyComp and GEA DairyNet actually diverge.
| Attribute | DairyComp | GEA DairyNet |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | Windows | Windows, Web, iOS, Android |
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 DairyComp
- Command language reporting
- Complete lactation records
- Parlour and meter integration
- Reproduction management
- Health event tracking
- Genetic evaluation import
- Benchmarking exports
Only in GEA DairyNet
- Herd module
- System monitoring
- CowScout integration
- Feeding module
- Youngstock module
- Cloud data history
- Modular subscription
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
DairyComp
- A 3,000 cow freestall dairy whose herd manager needs to build an arbitrary cull or breeding cohort in secondsnot GEA DairyNet
- A dairy consultant working across a dozen client herds who needs identical reporting on all of themnot GEA DairyNet
- A dairy integrating parlour milk weights and conductivity into the animal record for early mastitis detectionnot GEA DairyNet
- A veterinary practice running repro audits and protocol compliance checks across a client basenot GEA DairyNet
GEA DairyNet
- A dairy replacing an ageing DairyPlan C21 installation on existing GEA milking equipmentnot DairyComp
- A robot barn running DairyRobot R9500 boxes that wants robot data and herd records in one placenot DairyComp
- A dairy adding CowScout activity monitoring and needing heat alerts to land in the herd software automaticallynot DairyComp
- A herd manager who wants to pay for a youngstock module covering only the heifers rather than the whole herdnot DairyComp
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
DairyComp
- The command language interface takes weeks to learn and effectively ties the dairy to whichever staff member knows it, so losing a herd manager can strand the herd record until someone else is trained.
- It is a Windows desktop application at heart rather than a cloud service, so multi-site access, remote working and mobile data entry are bolt-ons rather than native, and back-ups are the dairy's own problem.
- Zoetis ownership puts a pharmaceutical company in control of every treatment record on the farm and biases the integration roadmap towards Zoetis sensors and services rather than the best available.
- No pricing is published anywhere, so herd-size-based quotes vary by dealer and there is no way to benchmark what you are being charged without asking neighbouring dairies.
- It assumes North American dairy conventions, so European dairies dealing with different milk recording bodies, national herd databases and statutory reporting formats find the fit poor and often need local software alongside.
GEA DairyNet
- The value depends on GEA hardware, so a barn with mixed-vendor parlours, sensors or feeders loses most of the native integration that justifies the software.
- Nothing is published: not module prices, not per-animal rates, not installation costs, so every comparison against DeLaval or Lely requires a dealer quote and there is no way to sanity check it.
- Per-module per-animal pricing is granular but also means costs climb quietly as you add modules and grow the herd, and the monthly cancellation option does not help once the barn depends on a module.
- It is a successor to DairyPlan C21 rather than a rewrite of the category, so dairies migrating carry across conventions and data structures that predate cloud software and the transition itself needs dealer time.
- GEA sells only through authorised partners, so support quality, installation competence and how quickly you get a fault fixed are determined by your regional dealer rather than by GEA.
Pricing, plan by plan
DairyComp
On request- DairyComp$undefined/year
- Licensed per dairy, priced on herd size
- Support and update contract quoted separately
- Parlour and meter interface modules quoted per system
GEA DairyNet
On request- GEA DairyNet$undefined/month
- Priced per module, by the number of animals using that module
- Modules can be cancelled monthly
- One-time cost for sensors, system technology and installation quoted separately
Which should you pick?
Choose DairyComp if
- You need command language reporting.
- You work on Windows.
- You also want complete lactation records.
Choose GEA DairyNet if
- You need herd module.
- You work on Windows, Web, iOS, Android.
- You also want system monitoring.
Questions people ask
- Is DairyComp or GEA DairyNet better?
- Neither clearly leads. DairyComp starts at On request and GEA DairyNet at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, DairyComp or GEA DairyNet?
- DairyComp starts at On request and GEA DairyNet at On request.
- Does DairyComp or GEA DairyNet run on more platforms?
- DairyComp runs on Windows. GEA DairyNet runs on Windows, Web, iOS, Android.
- What is DairyComp best used for?
- DairyComp is most often used for a 3,000 cow freestall dairy whose herd manager needs to build an arbitrary cull or breeding cohort in seconds, a dairy consultant working across a dozen client herds who needs identical reporting on all of them, a dairy integrating parlour milk weights and conductivity into the animal record for early mastitis detection, a veterinary practice running repro audits and protocol compliance checks across a client base. Of those, a 3,000 cow freestall dairy whose herd manager needs to build an arbitrary cull or breeding cohort in seconds and a dairy consultant working across a dozen client herds who needs identical reporting on all of them are not what GEA DairyNet is typically brought in for.
- What can DairyComp do that GEA DairyNet cannot?
- DairyComp covers Command language reporting, Complete lactation records, Parlour and meter integration, Reproduction management. GEA DairyNet covers Herd module, System monitoring, CowScout integration, Feeding module.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
DairyComp: Who owns DairyComp now?
Zoetis, through its acquisition of Valley Agricultural Software. It sits in the same portfolio as the Smartbow cow monitoring system.
GEA DairyNet: Does DairyNet replace DairyPlan C21?
Yes. It is the successor product, built on the same decades of DairyPlan development but restructured into cloud-connected modules.
DairyComp: Is it hard to learn?
Yes, genuinely. It is driven by a typed command language rather than menus, and most new users need weeks of practice before they are productive.
GEA DairyNet: How is it priced?
Per module, with each module priced on the number of animals actually using that module's functions. Modules can be cancelled monthly. No rates are published.
DairyComp: Does it run in the cloud?
It is fundamentally a Windows application. Hosted and multi-site arrangements exist but the software is not a browser-native cloud product.
GEA DairyNet: Will it work with non-GEA milking equipment?
Basic herd records will, but the sensor, robot and parlour integrations that make it worth buying are GEA-specific.
DairyComp: What does it cost?
Nothing is published. Pricing is quoted per dairy based on herd size, plus separate charges for support and for each parlour or meter interface.
GEA DairyNet: Is the software cost the main expense?
No. The one-time investment in sensors, system technology and installation is the larger figure, and it is quoted separately by the sales partner.
Related pages
More on GEA DairyNet
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