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Agriculture · head to head

SMARTBOW vs Trimble Ag Software

SMARTBOW logo

SMARTBOW

Agriculture

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

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Trimble Ag Software logo

Trimble Ag Software

Agriculture

Connected farm solutions for precision agriculture

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: 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.; Trimble Ag Software no pricing information published on the website or dealer locator
  • They diverge on capability: SMARTBOW covers Real-time location, Trimble Ag Software covers GPS guidance.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which SMARTBOW and Trimble Ag Software actually diverge.

Attributes where SMARTBOW and Trimble Ag Software differ
AttributeSMARTBOWTrimble Ag Software
Starting priceOn request$29/month
Pricing modelquotesubscription
PlatformsWindows, Web, iOS, AndroidWeb, Ios, Android, Hardware
FoundedUnknown1978

Identical on both: 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 SMARTBOW

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

Only in Trimble Ag Software

  • GPS guidance
  • Variable rate prescriptions
  • Field mapping
  • Data management
  • Equipment connectivity
  • John Deere
  • CNH
  • AGCO

What people use each for

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

SMARTBOW

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

Trimble Ag Software

  • Guidance, steering and machine control on farm equipment through Precision-IQnot SMARTBOW
  • Digital farm management and agronomic record keeping through FarmENGAGEnot SMARTBOW
  • Retrofitting autonomy to existing tractors with the OutRun kitnot SMARTBOW

Where each one falls short

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

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.

Trimble Ag Software

  • No pricing information published on the website or dealer locator
  • Pricing requires contacting dealers or PTx directly
  • Customized quoting model based on equipment configuration and regional factors

Pricing, plan by plan

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

Trimble Ag Software

$29/month
  • Farmer Core$800/year
    • Field records
    • Basic mapping
    • Reports
  • Farmer Pro$2500/year
    • Variable rate
    • Full analytics
    • Connected equipment

Which should you pick?

Choose SMARTBOW if

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

Choose Trimble Ag Software if

  • You need gps guidance.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android, Hardware.
  • You also want variable rate prescriptions.
Trimble Ag Software review

Questions people ask

Is SMARTBOW or Trimble Ag Software better?
Neither clearly leads. SMARTBOW starts at On request and Trimble Ag Software at $29/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, SMARTBOW or Trimble Ag Software?
SMARTBOW starts at On request and Trimble Ag Software at $29/month.
Does SMARTBOW or Trimble Ag Software run on more platforms?
SMARTBOW runs on Windows, Web, iOS, Android. Trimble Ag Software runs on Web, Ios, Android, Hardware.
What is SMARTBOW best used for?
SMARTBOW is most often used for a 1,500 cow freestall barn where finding a flagged animal by eye takes twenty minutes, a dairy replacing visual heat detection with per-animal oestrus alerts to tighten calving intervals, a herd manager wanting rumination-based early warning of displaced abomasum or metritis, a vet practice using behavioural data to audit transition cow management across client herds. Of those, a 1,500 cow freestall barn where finding a flagged animal by eye takes twenty minutes and a dairy replacing visual heat detection with per-animal oestrus alerts to tighten calving intervals are not what Trimble Ag Software is typically brought in for.
What can SMARTBOW do that Trimble Ag Software cannot?
SMARTBOW covers Real-time location, Heat detection, Rumination monitoring, Health alerts. Trimble Ag Software covers GPS guidance, Variable rate prescriptions, Field mapping, Data management.

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.

Trimble Ag Software: How much does Trimble agricultural software cost?

Trimble does not publish pricing for its agricultural software online. Pricing is quote-based and customized per implementation. Contact PTx directly or locate a regional dealer through their website to request a quote.

Source
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.

Trimble Ag Software: How do I get pricing information?

Visit the PTx website to use their dealer locator to find a regional dealer, or contact PTx directly through their contact form. Pricing varies based on specific equipment configurations and regional factors.

Source
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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