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Agriculture · head to head

Reinke ReinCloud vs SMARTBOW

Reinke ReinCloud logo

Reinke ReinCloud

Agriculture

Remote centre pivot control that is priced by the data device on the pivot, not by the acre

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: Reinke ReinCloud subscriptions are charged per data collection device, so cost scales linearly with pivot count and a fifteen-machine operation pays fifteen subscriptions for one farm.; 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: Reinke ReinCloud covers Remote pivot control, SMARTBOW covers Real-time location.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Reinke ReinCloud and SMARTBOW actually diverge.

Attributes where Reinke ReinCloud and SMARTBOW differ
AttributeReinke ReinCloudSMARTBOW
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWindows, 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 Reinke ReinCloud

  • Remote pivot control
  • Position and status monitoring
  • Fault alerts
  • Variable rate irrigation
  • Water application records
  • Multi-machine dashboard
  • Scheduling
  • Dealer diagnostics

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.

Reinke ReinCloud

  • A farm with pivots spread across thirty miles of ground that currently drives to each panel after a stormnot SMARTBOW
  • An operator who needs to shut a pivot down at 2am when pressure drops rather than losing a night of waternot SMARTBOW
  • A grower under a water allocation who needs applied depth records per passnot SMARTBOW
  • A dealer diagnosing a fault remotely before deciding whether to send a trucknot SMARTBOW

SMARTBOW

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

Where each one falls short

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

Reinke ReinCloud

  • Subscriptions are charged per data collection device, so cost scales linearly with pivot count and a fifteen-machine operation pays fifteen subscriptions for one farm.
  • What ReinCloud can do is dictated by the RPM panel generation on each pivot, and variable rate needs an RPM Preferred or AnnexPF panel, so unlocking features on older machines means a field electrical upgrade rather than a software purchase.
  • It manages Reinke equipment only, so a farm that has bought pivots from more than one manufacturer over the years runs a separate app per brand with no combined water record.
  • No pricing is published; subscriptions are quoted through dealers, which means neighbouring farms can be paying different rates for identical hardware with no way to check.
  • Reinke is a privately held family manufacturer competing on software against Lindsay and Valmont, both listed companies with far larger digital budgets, so feature pace in the app lags what the bigger two ship.

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

Reinke ReinCloud

On request
  • ReinCloud$undefined/year
    • Priced per data collection device on each machine
    • Annual and period-based subscription options
    • Capability depends on the RPM panel generation fitted

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 Reinke ReinCloud if

  • You need remote pivot control.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want position and status monitoring.
Reinke ReinCloud 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 Reinke ReinCloud or SMARTBOW better?
Neither clearly leads. Reinke ReinCloud 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, Reinke ReinCloud or SMARTBOW?
Reinke ReinCloud starts at On request and SMARTBOW at On request.
Does Reinke ReinCloud or SMARTBOW run on more platforms?
Reinke ReinCloud runs on Web, iOS, Android. SMARTBOW runs on Windows, Web, iOS, Android.
What is Reinke ReinCloud best used for?
Reinke ReinCloud is most often used for a farm with pivots spread across thirty miles of ground that currently drives to each panel after a storm, an operator who needs to shut a pivot down at 2am when pressure drops rather than losing a night of water, a grower under a water allocation who needs applied depth records per pass, a dealer diagnosing a fault remotely before deciding whether to send a truck. Of those, a farm with pivots spread across thirty miles of ground that currently drives to each panel after a storm and an operator who needs to shut a pivot down at 2am when pressure drops rather than losing a night of water are not what SMARTBOW is typically brought in for.
What can Reinke ReinCloud do that SMARTBOW cannot?
Reinke ReinCloud covers Remote pivot control, Position and status monitoring, Fault alerts, Variable rate irrigation. SMARTBOW covers Real-time location, Heat detection, Rumination monitoring, Health alerts.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Reinke ReinCloud: How is ReinCloud priced?

Per data collection device on each machine, with annual and period-based subscription options quoted through dealers. Reinke publishes no rates.

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.

Reinke ReinCloud: Can I run variable rate irrigation?

Only with an RPM Preferred or RPM AnnexPF panel. The Advanced Plus panel supports ReinCloud remote access but not the same variable rate capability.

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.

Reinke ReinCloud: Does it control non-Reinke pivots?

No. It is tied to Reinke RPM panels.

SMARTBOW: Who owns it?

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

Reinke ReinCloud: What happens if the subscription lapses?

The pivot keeps irrigating from its panel, but remote monitoring and control stop, which is the function you bought it for.

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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