Software · head to head
Farmers Business Network (FBN) vs Arable

Farmers Business Network (FBN)
Software
Farmer-to-farmer network and marketplace
- From
- $700/year
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: 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.; Arable requires the Mark 3 field sensor, so it is a hardware deployment rather than a software subscription
- They diverge on capability: Farmers Business Network (FBN) covers Seed performance analytics, Arable covers Weather monitoring.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Farmers Business Network (FBN) and Arable actually diverge.
| Attribute | Farmers Business Network (FBN) | Arable |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $700/year | $29/month |
| Platforms | Web, Ios, Android | Web, Ios, Android, Hardware |
Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown), founded (2014).
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 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
Only in Arable
- Weather monitoring
- Evapotranspiration
- Chlorophyll index
- Disease risk models
- Growth stage tracking
- John Deere
- Trimble
- GDPR
Both cover
- Climate FieldView
- SSL
- Web support
- Ios support
- Android support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Farmers Business Network (FBN)
- Input purchasingnot Arable
- Seed selectionnot Arable
- Price comparisonnot Arable
- Farm financingnot Arable
- Market insightsnot Arable
Arable
- In-field weather and crop monitoring from a single sensornot Farmers Business Network (FBN)
- Irrigation scheduling based on measured conditionsnot Farmers Business Network (FBN)
- Water sustainability reporting for enterprise growersnot Farmers Business Network (FBN)
- Weather risk management across dispersed fieldsnot Farmers Business Network (FBN)
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
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.
Arable
- Requires the Mark 3 field sensor, so it is a hardware deployment rather than a software subscription
- Pricing is not published and goes through a sales conversation
- Aimed at enterprise growers and advisors rather than smallholders
Pricing, plan by plan
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
Arable
$29/month- Standard$1200/device/year
- Weather data
- Crop stress
- Basic analytics
- Premium$2400/device/year
- Full analytics
- Disease models
- API access
Which should you pick?
Choose Farmers Business Network (FBN) if
- You need seed performance analytics.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android.
- You also want input price transparency.
Choose Arable if
- You need weather monitoring.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android, Hardware.
- You also want evapotranspiration.
Questions people ask
- Is Farmers Business Network (FBN) or Arable better?
- Neither clearly leads. Farmers Business Network (FBN) starts at $700/year and Arable at $29/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Farmers Business Network (FBN) or Arable?
- Farmers Business Network (FBN) starts at $700/year and Arable at $29/month.
- Does Farmers Business Network (FBN) or Arable run on more platforms?
- Farmers Business Network (FBN) runs on Web, Ios, Android. Arable runs on Web, Ios, Android, Hardware.
- What is Farmers Business Network (FBN) best used for?
- Farmers Business Network (FBN) is most often used for input purchasing, seed selection, price comparison, farm financing. Of those, input purchasing and seed selection are not what Arable is typically brought in for.
- What can Farmers Business Network (FBN) do that Arable cannot?
- Farmers Business Network (FBN) covers Seed performance analytics, Input price transparency, Direct input purchasing, Yield analytics. Arable covers Weather monitoring, Evapotranspiration, Chlorophyll index, Disease risk models. Both handle Climate FieldView, SSL, Web support, Ios support.

