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Agriculture · head to head

Indigo Agriculture vs SMARTBOW

Indigo Agriculture logo

Indigo Agriculture

Agriculture

Transforming agriculture to benefit people and planet

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
SMARTBOW logo

SMARTBOW

Agriculture

Ear tag cow monitoring with real-time indoor location, from Zoetis

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Indigo Agriculture has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Indigo Agriculture indigo Ag's current offering is a carbon credit program plus physical biological seed and foliar treatments and the CLIPS application device rather than farm management software; SMARTBOW real-time location depends on receivers covering the whole barn plus an on-farm server, so the install is a building project and the price bears no relation to what a simple activity collar costs.
  • They diverge on capability: Indigo Agriculture covers Grain marketplace, SMARTBOW covers Real-time location.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Indigo Agriculture and SMARTBOW actually diverge.

Attributes where Indigo Agriculture and SMARTBOW differ
AttributeIndigo AgricultureSMARTBOW
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modeltransactionquote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Ios, AndroidWindows, Web, iOS, Android
Founded2014Unknown

Identical on both: 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 Indigo Agriculture

  • Grain marketplace
  • Carbon credit program
  • Biological seed treatments
  • Transport & logistics
  • Sustainability tracking
  • Agronomic services
  • Digital grain contracts
  • Market insights

Only in SMARTBOW

  • Real-time location
  • Heat detection
  • Rumination monitoring
  • Health alerts
  • On-farm server
  • Individual baselines
  • Herd software integration

What people use each for

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

Indigo Agriculture

  • Enrolling farmland in a measured and verified soil carbon credit programnot SMARTBOW
  • Applying microbial seed and foliar treatments on farmnot SMARTBOW
  • Estimating potential carbon program income with the Carbon Farming Calculatornot SMARTBOW

SMARTBOW

  • A 1,500 cow freestall barn where finding a flagged animal by eye takes twenty minutesnot Indigo Agriculture
  • A dairy replacing visual heat detection with per-animal oestrus alerts to tighten calving intervalsnot Indigo Agriculture
  • A herd manager wanting rumination-based early warning of displaced abomasum or metritisnot Indigo Agriculture
  • A vet practice using behavioural data to audit transition cow management across client herdsnot Indigo Agriculture

Where each one falls short

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

Indigo Agriculture

  • Indigo Ag's current offering is a carbon credit program plus physical biological seed and foliar treatments and the CLIPS application device rather than farm management software
  • No price or grower fee is published; enrolment runs through agribusiness partners
  • The site states that any projected results, payments or earnings displayed are general estimates for informational purposes only and that actual results will vary

SMARTBOW

  • Real-time location depends on receivers covering the whole barn plus an on-farm server, so the install is a building project and the price bears no relation to what a simple activity collar costs.
  • It is an indoor system; a grazing or partly grazed herd loses the location capability that is the main reason to choose it over cheaper monitoring.
  • Ear tags are consumable and go missing with the tag, so the running cost includes replacements at a rate that depends on how rough your handling facilities are.
  • Zoetis ownership means a pharmaceutical company holds continuous behavioural data on every animal alongside your treatment records, and the integration roadmap favours other Zoetis products.
  • Nothing is published on price, and sales run through veterinary and dealer channels, so comparing it against DeLaval, Nedap or CowManager requires several quotes and there is no reference list price.

Pricing, plan by plan

Indigo Agriculture

Free
  • MarketplaceFree
    • Grain listing & selling
    • Buyer access
    • Price transparency
  • CarbonFree
    • Carbon credit generation
    • Sustainability practices
    • Revenue sharing model
  • Biologicals$undefined/variable
    • Biological seed treatments
    • Microbial products
    • Agronomic support

SMARTBOW

On request
  • SMARTBOW$undefined/year
    • Ear tags priced per animal
    • Barn receiver infrastructure and on-farm server quoted per building
    • Installation and commissioning quoted separately

Which should you pick?

Choose Indigo Agriculture if

  • You need grain marketplace.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want carbon credit program.
Indigo Agriculture review

Choose SMARTBOW if

  • You need real-time location.
  • You work on Windows, Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want heat detection.
SMARTBOW review

Questions people ask

Is Indigo Agriculture or SMARTBOW better?
Neither clearly leads. Indigo Agriculture starts at Free and SMARTBOW at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Indigo Agriculture or SMARTBOW?
Indigo Agriculture has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Indigo Agriculture and On request for SMARTBOW.
Does Indigo Agriculture or SMARTBOW run on more platforms?
Indigo Agriculture runs on Web, Ios, Android. SMARTBOW runs on Windows, Web, iOS, Android.
Can I use Indigo Agriculture for free?
Yes. Indigo Agriculture has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. SMARTBOW starts at On request.
What is Indigo Agriculture best used for?
Indigo Agriculture is most often used for enrolling farmland in a measured and verified soil carbon credit program, applying microbial seed and foliar treatments on farm, estimating potential carbon program income with the carbon farming calculator. Of those, enrolling farmland in a measured and verified soil carbon credit program and applying microbial seed and foliar treatments on farm are not what SMARTBOW is typically brought in for.
What can Indigo Agriculture do that SMARTBOW cannot?
Indigo Agriculture covers Grain marketplace, Carbon credit program, Biological seed treatments, Transport & logistics. SMARTBOW covers Real-time location, Heat detection, Rumination monitoring, Health alerts.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Indigo Agriculture: What does Indigo charge for carbon farming?

Pricing is not published. Indigo directs customers to contact them directly at 844-828-0240 or via their contact form.

Source
SMARTBOW: What does SMARTBOW do that other activity monitors do not?

Real-time indoor location. It tells you where the flagged cow physically is, not just that she is behaving abnormally.

Indigo Agriculture: What payout can I expect from carbon farming?

The website states that projected results are estimates only and actual earnings vary based on conditions and variables. No specific payout amounts are disclosed.

Source
SMARTBOW: Does it work on grazing herds?

Poorly. Location depends on barn-mounted receivers, so animals out at pasture fall outside the system's coverage.

Indigo Agriculture: Is there a minimum acreage or contract term?

Minimum acreage and contract terms are not disclosed on the website. Contact Indigo directly for program requirements.

Source
SMARTBOW: Who owns it?

Zoetis, which also owns Valley Agricultural Software and DairyComp. The technology came from Smartbow GmbH in Austria.

SMARTBOW: Is it cloud based?

Analysis runs on an on-farm server rather than in the cloud, which keeps it working during an internet outage but makes the server your responsibility.

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