Comparison

microBIOMETER® Reader vs Heart and Soil Magazine

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

microBIOMETER® Reader

This application offers a rapid, on-site soil testing solution to assess microbial biomass and fungal-to-bacterial ratios. It helps users understand soil health, track the effectiveness of management practices, and support sustainable farming by monitoring changes in soil biology and carbon storage.

Highlights
  • On-site soil testing
  • Microbial biomass analysis
  • Fungal to bacterial ratio
  • Track management practice effectiveness
  • Monitor soil biology changes
  • Cloud portal data export
  • Custom project creation
Read full description

microBIOMETER® is a low cost, 20-minute on-site soil test for microbial biomass and fungal to bacterial ratio that allows you to quickly determine the health of your soil using smartphone technology. Frequent retesting will provide you with the data necessary to identify if your soil management practices are working. Quickly assess how amendments impact soil microbial biomass, ensuring your management practices are effective. Monitor changes in soil biology, increase carbon storage, and support sustainable
farming practices. View, edit, and export data to Excel using our Cloud Portal. Create custom projects with our Project Management feature and share soil test results with team members.

About

Heart and Soil Magazine

This app provides expert insights and practical techniques for regenerative farming and gardening. It covers soil health, food production, business strategies, and community networking. Discover tips, recipes, and expert interviews to enhance your farm, garden, and well-being.

Highlights
  • Regenerative Agriculture Best Practices
  • Farm Business Tips and Trends
  • Soil Health Improvement
  • Grow Your Own Food
  • Expert Video Interviews
  • Farm-to-Table Recipes
  • Community Networking
Features
Read full description

Heart & Soil Magazine is committed to global and planetary health through regenerative farming and gardening. Written for the expert, the activist, and the curious. With a focus on soil, plants, food, and people, the Heart & Soil community is one of experts, farmers, scientists, and gardeners from around the world. - Increase yields - Build your farm business - Improve soil health - Grow your own food - Feed the world - Network with an uplifting community - Incorporate well-being into your daily life and business Find the best tips and techniques to quickly impact your garden, your farm, your business, your health, and your community. - Regenerative Agriculture Best Practices - Business Tips and Trends - Health and Well-being Strategies - Farm to Table Success Stories - Original Video Interviews with Experts - Garden Fresh Recipes Each issue includes video interviews, farm fresh recipes, gardening hacks, health in a hurry, art, and hot harvests to share. Heart & Soil Magazine Subscriptions available: A single issue for $11.99 USD (non-subscription) Monthly subscription for $11.99 USD Quarterly subscription for $19.99 USD Yearly subscription for $39.99 USD Automatically renewed until canceled. Payment for all purchases will be charged to your iTunes account at the confirmation of your purchase. SUBSCRIBERS’ AUTOMATIC-RENEWAL FEATURE: Your subscription automatically renews unless autorenew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. Your iTunes account will automatically be charged at the same price for renewal 24-hours prior to the end of the current period (another year for annual subscribers, another month for monthly subscribers) unless you change your subscription preferences in your account settings. You can manage your subscriptions through your Account settings after purchase. No cancellation of the current subscription is allowed during active subscription period. Please go to https://www.heartandsoilmagazine.com/policy and https://www.heartandsoilmagazine.com/terms for more information.

Screenshots

microBIOMETER® Reader4 screens
Heart and Soil Magazine4 screens

Verdict

The call

microBIOMETER® Reader and Heart and Soil Magazine both sit at 5.0 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of Heart and Soil Magazine's written reviews are positive against 20% of microBIOMETER® Reader's. Heart and Soil Magazine also leads on iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). microBIOMETER® Reader's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 17) and update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 3 months). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Heart and Soil Magazine sells 17 in-app purchases, starting at $19.99 per 3 months. microBIOMETER® Reader asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for microBIOMETER® Reader against 5.0 for Heart and Soil Magazine. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 7 and 10 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 20% of microBIOMETER® Reader's written reviews are positive against 100% of Heart and Soil Magazine's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

microBIOMETER® Reader ships an update every 5 weeks, Heart and Soil Magazine every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on August 2, 2026 and September 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
microBIOMETER® Reader versus Heart and Soil Magazine: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParametermicroBIOMETER® ReaderHeart and Soil Magazine
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (7 ratings)5.0 (10 ratings)
Positive reviews20.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings710 — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeks — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterSubscription
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.012.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size106 MB17 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperProlific Earth Sciences CorporationHeart and Soil Living LTD.

Customer experience

microBIOMETER® Reader

All ratings7 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive20.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative80.0%

Heart and Soil Magazine

All ratings10 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

microBIOMETER® Reader

No in-app purchases

17 purchases

Heart and Soil Magazine

Subscriptions2
  • Quarterly subscription$19.993 Months
  • Yearly Subscription14 Days trial$39.991 Year
One-time15
  • Regenerative Conversations$9.99
  • Gardening Hacks and Tips$9.99
  • Global Health & Regeneration$9.99
Show 12 more
  • Harvesting Health$9.99
  • Power of the Pause$9.99
  • Sprouted in Regeneration$9.99
  • Nourish to Flourish$9.99
  • Soil to Table$9.99
  • Reflections$9.99
  • Emergence$9.99
  • Transformation$9.99
  • Composting$9.99
  • Strong Seeds, Healthy Food$9.99
  • Growth$9.99
  • Soil Impacts Your Health$9.99

Questions

Is microBIOMETER® Reader free?
microBIOMETER® Reader is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Heart and Soil Magazine free?
Heart and Soil Magazine is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, microBIOMETER® Reader or Heart and Soil Magazine?
microBIOMETER® Reader and Heart and Soil Magazine are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 7 and 10 ratings respectively.
Do microBIOMETER® Reader or Heart and Soil Magazine have ads?
Neither microBIOMETER® Reader nor Heart and Soil Magazine shows ads.
Which is updated more often, microBIOMETER® Reader or Heart and Soil Magazine?
microBIOMETER® Reader ships an update every 5 weeks, and Heart and Soil Magazine every 3 months. Most recently, microBIOMETER® Reader was updated on August 2, 2026 and Heart and Soil Magazine on September 9, 2026.

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