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Agriculture · head to head

Nedap Livestock Management vs SMARTBOW

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
SMARTBOW logo

SMARTBOW

Agriculture

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

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: 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.; 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: Nedap Livestock Management covers Smarttag Neck and Leg, SMARTBOW covers Real-time location.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Nedap Livestock Management and SMARTBOW actually diverge.

Attributes where Nedap Livestock Management and SMARTBOW differ
AttributeNedap Livestock ManagementSMARTBOW
PlatformsWeb, iOS, Android, WindowsWindows, Web, iOS, Android

Identical on both: starting price (On request), pricing model (quote), 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 Nedap Livestock Management

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

Only in SMARTBOW

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

Both cover

  • Heat detection

What people use each for

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

Nedap Livestock Management

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

SMARTBOW

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

Where each one falls short

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

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.

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

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

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 Nedap Livestock Management if

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

Choose SMARTBOW if

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

Questions people ask

Is Nedap Livestock Management or SMARTBOW better?
Neither clearly leads. Nedap Livestock Management starts at On request and SMARTBOW at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Nedap Livestock Management or SMARTBOW?
Nedap Livestock Management starts at On request and SMARTBOW at On request.
Does Nedap Livestock Management or SMARTBOW run on more platforms?
Nedap Livestock Management runs on Web, iOS, Android, Windows. SMARTBOW runs on Windows, Web, iOS, Android.
What is Nedap Livestock Management best used for?
Nedap Livestock Management is most often used for a 500-cow loose-housed dairy where finding a single flagged cow by eye wastes twenty minutes a time, a sow unit moving to group gestation housing that needs electronic feeding to comply with welfare rules, a farm that wants heat detection independent of the milking parlour manufacturer, an equipment maker embedding proven animal monitoring rather than developing sensors in-house. Of those, a 500-cow loose-housed dairy where finding a single flagged cow by eye wastes twenty minutes a time and a sow unit moving to group gestation housing that needs electronic feeding to comply with welfare rules are not what SMARTBOW is typically brought in for.
What can Nedap Livestock Management do that SMARTBOW cannot?
Nedap Livestock Management covers Smarttag Neck and Leg, Health monitoring, RealTime positioning, Velos sow feeding. SMARTBOW covers Real-time location, Rumination monitoring, Health alerts, On-farm server. Both handle Heat detection.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

SMARTBOW: Who owns it?

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

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.

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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