Softwr

Agriculture · head to head

Davis Instruments WeatherLink vs Nedap Livestock Management

Davis Instruments WeatherLink logo

Davis Instruments WeatherLink

Agriculture

Cloud service for Davis weather stations, priced per device per month with a genuinely usable free tier

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Nedap Livestock Management logo

Nedap Livestock Management

Agriculture

CowControl and Velos sensor platform sold almost entirely through OEM partners rather than direct

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Davis Instruments WeatherLink has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Davis Instruments WeatherLink pricing is per device, so a grower with a dozen stations pays a dozen subscriptions, and at Pro+ that is over 1,200 US dollars a year in software on top of hardware that already cost several thousand.; Nedap Livestock Management nedap publishes no pricing whatsoever and sells through dealers, so two comparable farms routinely pay materially different amounts for the same sensors and there is no rate card to argue against.
  • They diverge on capability: Davis Instruments WeatherLink covers Per-station cloud dashboards, Nedap Livestock Management covers Smarttag Neck and Leg.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Davis Instruments WeatherLink and Nedap Livestock Management actually diverge.

Attributes where Davis Instruments WeatherLink and Nedap Livestock Management differ
AttributeDavis Instruments WeatherLinkNedap Livestock Management
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelPer device per monthquote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb, iOS, Android, Windows

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 Davis Instruments WeatherLink

  • Per-station cloud dashboards
  • Custom charting
  • Data export
  • Shareable public links
  • Third-party uploads
  • Mobilize agricultural views
  • Integrated pest management models
  • Network map

Only in Nedap Livestock Management

  • Smarttag Neck and Leg
  • Heat detection
  • Health monitoring
  • RealTime positioning
  • Velos sow feeding
  • Automatic sorting
  • Nedap Now
  • Open OEM platform

What people use each for

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

Davis Instruments WeatherLink

  • An orchard running frost protection that needs one-minute temperature data to decide when to start wind machinesnot Nedap Livestock Management
  • A vineyard driving disease models from on-site rather than airport weathernot Nedap Livestock Management
  • A research station exporting long historical records from several instrumentsnot Nedap Livestock Management
  • A grower sharing a public station page with neighbours and a spray contractornot Nedap Livestock Management

Nedap Livestock Management

  • A 500-cow loose-housed dairy where finding a single flagged cow by eye wastes twenty minutes a timenot Davis Instruments WeatherLink
  • A sow unit moving to group gestation housing that needs electronic feeding to comply with welfare rulesnot Davis Instruments WeatherLink
  • A farm that wants heat detection independent of the milking parlour manufacturernot Davis Instruments WeatherLink
  • An equipment maker embedding proven animal monitoring rather than developing sensors in-housenot Davis Instruments WeatherLink

Where each one falls short

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

Davis Instruments WeatherLink

  • Pricing is per device, so a grower with a dozen stations pays a dozen subscriptions, and at Pro+ that is over 1,200 US dollars a year in software on top of hardware that already cost several thousand.
  • The free tier only uploads to third parties every 15 minutes, which is too coarse for frost protection and short-interval spray decisions, so the tier that exists is not the tier a commercial grower can use.
  • Davis directs bulk device management to a sales conversation rather than publishing a volume discount, so large networks cannot budget from the public rate card.
  • Three-year commitments are the only way to reach the lower per-device rate, which locks a grower into a platform for longer than a station deployment plan often survives.
  • The hardware is durable enough to outlive several software generations, and owners of older Vantage stations have repeatedly had to buy new data loggers or gateways to stay compatible with the current cloud, turning a maintenance-free instrument into a recurring purchase.

Nedap Livestock Management

  • Nedap publishes no pricing whatsoever and sells through dealers, so two comparable farms routinely pay materially different amounts for the same sensors and there is no rate card to argue against.
  • A large share of the technology ships inside other manufacturers' branded systems, which means the support you get, the firmware version you run and whether you can access the raw data depend on the badge on the box rather than on Nedap.
  • The system needs in-barn antennas, readers and a processing unit installed and commissioned, so the sensor price per cow understates the project cost and retrofitting an existing shed adds cabling work.
  • Adding RealTime positioning generally requires more antenna infrastructure than basic heat detection, so a farm that starts cheap and wants positioning later faces a second installation rather than a software toggle.
  • Nedap N.V. is a listed company with several unrelated divisions and livestock is one segment among retail, healthcare and security, so roadmap priority for agriculture competes with businesses that have nothing to do with farming.

Pricing, plan by plan

Davis Instruments WeatherLink

Free
  • BasicFree
    • Data viewing and export
    • Custom charting and network map
    • Mobile app access
  • Pro$3.95/month
    • Per device, billed annually
    • 3.35 USD per device per month on a 3 year plan
    • 6 shareable links
  • Pro+$8.95/month
    • Per device, billed annually
    • 7.65 USD per device per month on a 3 year plan
    • 10 shareable links

Nedap Livestock Management

On request
  • Nedap CowControl$undefined/year
    • Smarttag Neck or Leg sensors per animal
    • Barn antennas, readers and processor unit
    • Heat, health and rumination applications
  • Nedap Velos$undefined/year
    • Electronic sow feeding and separation
    • Heat detection for group housing
    • Nedap Now cloud access

Which should you pick?

Choose Davis Instruments WeatherLink if

  • You need per-station cloud dashboards.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want custom charting.
Davis Instruments WeatherLink review

Choose Nedap Livestock Management if

  • You need smarttag neck and leg.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, Windows.
  • You also want heat detection.
Nedap Livestock Management review

Questions people ask

Is Davis Instruments WeatherLink or Nedap Livestock Management better?
Neither clearly leads. Davis Instruments WeatherLink starts at Free and Nedap Livestock Management at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Davis Instruments WeatherLink or Nedap Livestock Management?
Davis Instruments WeatherLink has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Davis Instruments WeatherLink and On request for Nedap Livestock Management.
Does Davis Instruments WeatherLink or Nedap Livestock Management run on more platforms?
Davis Instruments WeatherLink runs on Web, iOS, Android. Nedap Livestock Management runs on Web, iOS, Android, Windows.
Can I use Davis Instruments WeatherLink for free?
Yes. Davis Instruments WeatherLink has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Nedap Livestock Management starts at On request.
What is Davis Instruments WeatherLink best used for?
Davis Instruments WeatherLink is most often used for an orchard running frost protection that needs one-minute temperature data to decide when to start wind machines, a vineyard driving disease models from on-site rather than airport weather, a research station exporting long historical records from several instruments, a grower sharing a public station page with neighbours and a spray contractor. Of those, an orchard running frost protection that needs one-minute temperature data to decide when to start wind machines and a vineyard driving disease models from on-site rather than airport weather are not what Nedap Livestock Management is typically brought in for.
What can Davis Instruments WeatherLink do that Nedap Livestock Management cannot?
Davis Instruments WeatherLink covers Per-station cloud dashboards, Custom charting, Data export, Shareable public links. Nedap Livestock Management covers Smarttag Neck and Leg, Heat detection, Health monitoring, RealTime positioning.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Davis Instruments WeatherLink: Is WeatherLink free?

There is a permanently free Basic tier with charting and export, but third-party uploads run only every 15 minutes and there are no shareable links.

Nedap Livestock Management: Can I buy Nedap direct?

Usually not. It sells through regional dealers and through OEM partners who rebadge the technology, so your quote and your support both come from an intermediary.

Davis Instruments WeatherLink: What does the paid tier actually add?

Faster upload intervals, five minutes on Pro and one minute on Pro+, plus shareable public links. The faster cadence is what matters for frost and spray timing.

Nedap Livestock Management: Am I already using Nedap without knowing?

Possibly. Several dairy equipment manufacturers embed Nedap sensing under their own brand names, so check what the tags in your barn actually are before buying a second system.

Davis Instruments WeatherLink: Is pricing per account or per station?

Per device. Every station you own needs its own subscription.

Nedap Livestock Management: What does RealTime positioning need?

Additional in-barn antenna coverage beyond what basic heat detection requires, which is why it is cheaper to specify at installation than to add later.

Davis Instruments WeatherLink: Can I get the data out via an API?

Yes, Davis publishes a WeatherLink API, but practical use depends on your account tier and station model, so confirm before designing around it.

Nedap Livestock Management: Does it work with my milking parlour?

It integrates with several major parlour and herd management systems, but the depth varies by partner, so confirm the specific combination before ordering.

Share

Related pages

More on Davis Instruments WeatherLink

More on Nedap Livestock Management

Keep looking

Other head to heads