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Agriculture · head to head

Halter vs Trimble Ag Software

Halter logo

Halter

Agriculture

Solar collar virtual fencing and cow monitoring for dairy and beef grazing

From
9.9/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Trimble Ag Software logo

Trimble Ag Software

Agriculture

Connected farm solutions for precision agriculture

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Halter the subscription is permanent and per head, so a 500 cow dairy carries a five-figure annual bill indefinitely and the collars become inert if it lapses; there is no owned-outright end state.; Trimble Ag Software no pricing information published on the website or dealer locator
  • They diverge on capability: Halter covers Virtual fencing, Trimble Ag Software covers GPS guidance.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Halter and Trimble Ag Software actually diverge.

Attributes where Halter and Trimble Ag Software differ
AttributeHalterTrimble Ag Software
Starting price9.9/month$29/month
Pricing modelPer cow per month plus one-time installsubscription
PlatformsiOS, Android, WebWeb, Ios, Android, Hardware
FoundedUnknown1978

Identical on both: 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 Halter

  • Virtual fencing
  • Remote shifting
  • Heat detection
  • Health alerts
  • Pasture management
  • Solar collars
  • Exclusion zones

Only in Trimble Ag Software

  • GPS guidance
  • Variable rate prescriptions
  • Field mapping
  • Data management
  • Equipment connectivity
  • John Deere
  • CNH
  • AGCO

What people use each for

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

Halter

  • A 600 cow grazing dairy that shifts breaks twice daily and cannot recruit enough staff to do itnot Trimble Ag Software
  • A beef ranch fencing off riparian margins and wetlands without building physical fencenot Trimble Ag Software
  • A dairy replacing a separate heat detection collar system with one collar that also does fencingnot Trimble Ag Software
  • An operation running cell grazing on country where the cost of internal fencing exceeds the collar subscriptionnot Trimble Ag Software

Trimble Ag Software

  • Guidance, steering and machine control on farm equipment through Precision-IQnot Halter
  • Digital farm management and agronomic record keeping through FarmENGAGEnot Halter
  • Retrofitting autonomy to existing tractors with the OutRun kitnot Halter

Where each one falls short

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

Halter

  • The subscription is permanent and per head, so a 500 cow dairy carries a five-figure annual bill indefinitely and the collars become inert if it lapses; there is no owned-outright end state.
  • On-farm tower infrastructure is a separate up-front install cost that is not in the headline per-cow price, and terrain with hills or bush can require more towers than the initial quote assumed.
  • Coverage is concentrated in New Zealand, Australia and parts of the United States; buyers elsewhere face no local support, no local install crew and uncertain regulatory acceptance of virtual fencing.
  • Virtual fencing is not universally legal or accepted: some jurisdictions and some organic or welfare certification schemes restrict aversive stimulus devices, which can decide eligibility before price is even discussed.
  • Total vendor lock-in on collar, towers, app and animal data means there is no second source for a replacement collar and no way to keep the fencing working if the commercial relationship ends.

Trimble Ag Software

  • No pricing information published on the website or dealer locator
  • Pricing requires contacting dealers or PTx directly
  • Customized quoting model based on equipment configuration and regional factors

Pricing, plan by plan

Halter

9.9/month
  • Core$9.9/month
    • Virtual fencing and remote shifting
    • Per cow per month
    • On-farm tower infrastructure charged separately
  • Pro$undefined/month
    • Everything in Core
    • Heat detection and reproduction tools
    • Health and behaviour alerts
  • Unlimited$undefined/month
    • Everything in Pro
    • Full feature set for larger operations
    • Pasture and residual management

Trimble Ag Software

$29/month
  • Farmer Core$800/year
    • Field records
    • Basic mapping
    • Reports
  • Farmer Pro$2500/year
    • Variable rate
    • Full analytics
    • Connected equipment

Which should you pick?

Choose Halter if

  • You need virtual fencing.
  • You work on iOS, Android, Web.
  • You also want remote shifting.
Halter review

Choose Trimble Ag Software if

  • You need gps guidance.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android, Hardware.
  • You also want variable rate prescriptions.
Trimble Ag Software review

Questions people ask

Is Halter or Trimble Ag Software better?
Neither clearly leads. Halter starts at 9.9/month and Trimble Ag Software at $29/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Halter or Trimble Ag Software?
Halter starts at 9.9/month and Trimble Ag Software at $29/month.
Does Halter or Trimble Ag Software run on more platforms?
Halter runs on iOS, Android, Web. Trimble Ag Software runs on Web, Ios, Android, Hardware.
What is Halter best used for?
Halter is most often used for a 600 cow grazing dairy that shifts breaks twice daily and cannot recruit enough staff to do it, a beef ranch fencing off riparian margins and wetlands without building physical fence, a dairy replacing a separate heat detection collar system with one collar that also does fencing, an operation running cell grazing on country where the cost of internal fencing exceeds the collar subscription. Of those, a 600 cow grazing dairy that shifts breaks twice daily and cannot recruit enough staff to do it and a beef ranch fencing off riparian margins and wetlands without building physical fence are not what Trimble Ag Software is typically brought in for.
What can Halter do that Trimble Ag Software cannot?
Halter covers Virtual fencing, Remote shifting, Heat detection, Health alerts. Trimble Ag Software covers GPS guidance, Variable rate prescriptions, Field mapping, Data management.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Halter: Do I buy the collars or rent them?

In practice you are buying into a per-cow monthly subscription plus a one-time install for the towers. The collars are not useful without an active subscription.

Trimble Ag Software: How much does Trimble agricultural software cost?

Trimble does not publish pricing for its agricultural software online. Pricing is quote-based and customized per implementation. Contact PTx directly or locate a regional dealer through their website to request a quote.

Source
Halter: What does it actually cost for 500 cows?

Starting from around NZ$9.90 per cow per month, that is roughly NZ$59,000 a year before the one-time tower infrastructure cost, and it recurs every year.

Trimble Ag Software: How do I get pricing information?

Visit the PTx website to use their dealer locator to find a regional dealer, or contact PTx directly through their contact form. Pricing varies based on specific equipment configurations and regional factors.

Source
Halter: Can I finance it?

New Zealand dairy farmers can finance the install through ANZ, ASB, BNZ or Westpac over two years, and paying the subscription up front attracts a discount.

Halter: Does it replace heat detection collars?

Yes on the higher tiers. That is the main reason dairies justify the cost, because it removes a second per-cow system.

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