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PurpleAir vs SMARTBOW

PurpleAir logo

PurpleAir

Weather

Real-time air quality monitoring for communities

From
$229/one-time
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: PurpleAir purpleAir sensors are one-time hardware purchases rather than a subscription, priced $199 to $279 USD per unit for named models (PA-I-Indoor, PA-II, PA-II-SD), per the vendor's own store (archived, 2021).; 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: PurpleAir covers PM2.5 monitoring, SMARTBOW covers Real-time location.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which PurpleAir and SMARTBOW actually diverge.

Attributes where PurpleAir and SMARTBOW differ
AttributePurpleAirSMARTBOW
Starting price$229/one-timeOn request
Pricing modelone-timequote
PlatformsWeb, Api, HardwareWindows, Web, iOS, Android
CategoryWeatherAgriculture
Founded2015Unknown

Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated).

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 PurpleAir

  • PM2.5 monitoring
  • Real-time map
  • Historical data
  • Community network
  • API access
  • API access
  • Home Assistant
  • Data downloads

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.

PurpleAir

  • Professional Worknot SMARTBOW
  • Content Creationnot SMARTBOW

SMARTBOW

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

Where each one falls short

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

PurpleAir

  • PurpleAir sensors are one-time hardware purchases rather than a subscription, priced $199 to $279 USD per unit for named models (PA-I-Indoor, PA-II, PA-II-SD), per the vendor's own store (archived, 2021).

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

PurpleAir

$229/one-time
  • Outdoor Sensor$229/one-time
    • PM2.5 monitoring
    • Cloud connectivity
    • Map access
  • Indoor Sensor$199/one-time
    • Indoor monitoring
    • WiFi enabled
    • Real-time data

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 PurpleAir if

  • You need pm2.5 monitoring.
  • You work on Web, Api, Hardware.
  • You also want real-time map.
PurpleAir 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 PurpleAir or SMARTBOW better?
Neither clearly leads. PurpleAir starts at $229/one-time and SMARTBOW at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, PurpleAir or SMARTBOW?
PurpleAir starts at $229/one-time and SMARTBOW at On request.
Does PurpleAir or SMARTBOW run on more platforms?
PurpleAir runs on Web, Api, Hardware. SMARTBOW runs on Windows, Web, iOS, Android.
What is PurpleAir best used for?
PurpleAir is most often used for professional work, content creation. Of those, professional work and content creation are not what SMARTBOW is typically brought in for.
What can PurpleAir do that SMARTBOW cannot?
PurpleAir covers PM2.5 monitoring, Real-time map, Historical data, Community network. SMARTBOW covers Real-time location, Heat detection, Rumination monitoring, Health alerts.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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.

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.

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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