Softwr

Agriculture · head to head

METER Group ZENTRA vs Netafim NetBeat

METER Group ZENTRA logo

METER Group ZENTRA

Agriculture

Research-grade soil, plant and atmosphere sensors with the ZENTRA Cloud data platform

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Netafim NetBeat logo

Netafim NetBeat

Agriculture

Irrigation and fertigation control that only runs on Netafim NetMCU controllers in the field

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: METER Group ZENTRA hardware costs several times what commodity soil probes cost, so a farm that only needs a rough irrigation trigger is paying for calibration accuracy it will never use.; Netafim NetBeat netBeat runs on Netafim NetMCU hardware, so a grower with a functioning controller from another manufacturer has to replace working equipment to adopt it rather than adding software.
  • They diverge on capability: METER Group ZENTRA covers TEROS soil sensors, Netafim NetBeat covers NetMCU controller.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which METER Group ZENTRA and Netafim NetBeat actually diverge.

Attributes where METER Group ZENTRA and Netafim NetBeat differ
AttributeMETER Group ZENTRANetafim NetBeat
Pricing modelPer device subscriptionquote

Identical on both: starting price (On request), 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 METER Group ZENTRA

  • TEROS soil sensors
  • Water potential measurement
  • ZL6 data loggers
  • ZENTRA Cloud
  • Threshold alerts
  • Open API
  • ATMOS weather stations

Only in Netafim NetBeat

  • NetMCU controller
  • NetRTU remote units
  • Irrigation model
  • Fertigation control
  • Flow and pressure monitoring
  • Soil moisture integration
  • Remote valve control
  • Alerts and reporting

What people use each for

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

METER Group ZENTRA

  • A university soil physics group that needs measurements defensible enough for peer reviewnot Netafim NetBeat
  • An irrigation district accounting for water applied and lost across a schemenot Netafim NetBeat
  • A vineyard managing deficit irrigation from water potential rather than volumetric moisture alonenot Netafim NetBeat
  • An environmental consultancy monitoring a remediation or drainage site where the data may be contestednot Netafim NetBeat

Netafim NetBeat

  • A new orchard planting Netafim drip that wants scheduling and fertigation designed in from the startnot METER Group ZENTRA
  • A grower under a water allocation who needs per-block application records for the regulatornot METER Group ZENTRA
  • A vine operation trying to reduce fertiliser cost by dosing to crop stage rather than a fixed programmenot METER Group ZENTRA
  • A block with a persistent emitter clogging problem where flow deviation alerts find it before yield dropsnot METER Group ZENTRA

Where each one falls short

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

METER Group ZENTRA

  • Hardware costs several times what commodity soil probes cost, so a farm that only needs a rough irrigation trigger is paying for calibration accuracy it will never use.
  • ZENTRA Cloud is a per-device subscription, so a large sensor network carries a recurring bill that grows linearly with every probe added and is easy to underestimate at design stage.
  • The three-year subscription bundled with the ZL6 Pro means the renewal decision arrives exactly when a typical research grant has ended, which is how long-running datasets get abandoned.
  • METER sells measurement rather than recommendations; there is no irrigation scheduling engine, so someone has to turn the numbers into decisions or buy a second platform that will.
  • Installation quality dominates results with soil sensors, and a badly installed TEROS probe produces confidently wrong data, so the accuracy you paid for depends on field technique the vendor cannot supply.

Netafim NetBeat

  • NetBeat runs on Netafim NetMCU hardware, so a grower with a functioning controller from another manufacturer has to replace working equipment to adopt it rather than adding software.
  • NetRTU units communicate over Netafim’s own LoRa implementation, which means expanding sensing later means buying Netafim radios rather than the cheapest compatible sensor on the market.
  • No pricing is published in any market and the platform is sold as part of a system design, so growers cannot compare the software cost against rivals without commissioning a design.
  • Netafim is majority owned by Orbia, a Mexican-listed polymers and infrastructure group, so the digital product competes for investment against pipe manufacturing and building materials rather than being the parent’s core business.
  • Availability and support depth vary sharply by country: strong in Israel, India, Australia and parts of Europe, much thinner in North America, so a grower’s experience depends on whether a competent local Netafim team exists.

Pricing, plan by plan

METER Group ZENTRA

On request
  • ZENTRA Cloud$undefined/year
    • Priced per activated device, pay for what you use
    • Three year subscription included with the ZL6 Pro logger
    • Cellular data included in the device subscription

Netafim NetBeat

On request
  • NetBeat$undefined/year
    • Requires NetMCU field controller
    • NetRTU remote terminal units per monitored or controlled point
    • Monitor, analyse and automate modules

Which should you pick?

Choose METER Group ZENTRA if

  • You need teros soil sensors.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want water potential measurement.
METER Group ZENTRA review

Choose Netafim NetBeat if

  • You need netmcu controller.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want netrtu remote units.
Netafim NetBeat review

Questions people ask

Is METER Group ZENTRA or Netafim NetBeat better?
Neither clearly leads. METER Group ZENTRA starts at On request and Netafim NetBeat at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, METER Group ZENTRA or Netafim NetBeat?
METER Group ZENTRA starts at On request and Netafim NetBeat at On request.
Does METER Group ZENTRA or Netafim NetBeat run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, iOS, Android, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
What is METER Group ZENTRA best used for?
METER Group ZENTRA is most often used for a university soil physics group that needs measurements defensible enough for peer review, an irrigation district accounting for water applied and lost across a scheme, a vineyard managing deficit irrigation from water potential rather than volumetric moisture alone, an environmental consultancy monitoring a remediation or drainage site where the data may be contested. Of those, a university soil physics group that needs measurements defensible enough for peer review and an irrigation district accounting for water applied and lost across a scheme are not what Netafim NetBeat is typically brought in for.
What can METER Group ZENTRA do that Netafim NetBeat cannot?
METER Group ZENTRA covers TEROS soil sensors, Water potential measurement, ZL6 data loggers, ZENTRA Cloud. Netafim NetBeat covers NetMCU controller, NetRTU remote units, Irrigation model, Fertigation control.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

METER Group ZENTRA: Is ZENTRA Cloud included with the loggers?

A three-year subscription is included with the ZL6 Pro. Other loggers require a separate per-device subscription.

Netafim NetBeat: Can I use NetBeat with a controller I already own?

No. It requires Netafim’s NetMCU controller, with NetRTU units for distributed sensing and valve control.

METER Group ZENTRA: Do I need a separate cellular data plan?

No. Cellular data is covered within the device subscription rather than billed as a separate SIM contract.

Netafim NetBeat: Is NetBeat sold as a standalone subscription?

Not in practice. It is quoted as part of an irrigation system design by a local Netafim office, with no published rate card.

METER Group ZENTRA: Will it tell me when to irrigate?

No. METER provides measurement, not scheduling recommendations. You either interpret the data yourself or feed it into a scheduling platform.

Netafim NetBeat: Who owns Netafim?

Orbia, the Mexican-listed materials and infrastructure group, holds the majority. That shapes how much investment the digital line attracts.

METER Group ZENTRA: Why is it more expensive than commodity soil probes?

Individual sensor calibration and documented measurement physics, which is what makes the data hold up in research, regulatory and legal contexts.

Netafim NetBeat: Does it handle fertigation as well as irrigation?

Yes, injection scheduling and dosing run off the same crop and soil model as water application.

Share

Related pages

More on METER Group ZENTRA

More on Netafim NetBeat

Keep looking

Other head to heads