Comparison

Farming Basics vs M5 Ranch School

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

Head to head
About

Farming Basics

This app provides essential information for new and small-scale farmers. It covers crop details, pest and disease management, and offers tools for calculating fertilizer and irrigation needs to optimize resource use. Users can also receive alerts and find local resources.

Highlights
  • Crop descriptions
  • Pest and disease information
  • Fertilizer calculator
  • Irrigation calculator
  • Crop and pest alerts
  • Location-based resources
  • Event calendar
Features
Read full description

The Farming Basics app from Alabama Extension is a gateway of information for small and beginning farmers. The app includes crop descriptions, information about major insect pests and diseases, and general management tactics. It features a fertilizer and an irrigation calculator to assist farmers with saving dollars on inputs. Other features include crop and pest alerts, location services including contact information for additional help, and a calendar of upcoming meetings and field days.

About

M5 Ranch School

Explore a wide range of agricultural and life skills through engaging workshops. Learn from experts in areas like animal husbandry, outdoor living, and traditional crafts. This platform offers diverse content to inspire new hobbies and businesses.

Highlights
  • Agricultural and life skills workshops
  • Expert-led lessons
  • Animal husbandry and ranch life
  • Outdoor living and traditional crafts
  • Multi-format content (video, text, facts)
  • Math and science challenges
  • Book lists and writing prompts
Features
Read full description

An Agricultural Learning Platform by Five Marys Farms. M5 Ranch School has a mission of connecting our members to the agricultural world around us, no matter what your age or where you live! Explore workshops about age-old skills, modern-day lessons, animal husbandry, ranch life, outdoor living, art, travel, and more. Topics include: - Survival Skills - Chickens - Candle Making - Fishing - Tractors and Farm Implements - Flower Arranging - Welding - Canning and Preserving - Natural Herbs and Dyes - Butchery - Working Dogs - Leatherworking - Horses - Beef Cattle … and so many more! Learn from farmers, ranchers, artists, engineers, and teachers from all over the United States and Canada as they share their knowledge and passions with you. Gain inspiration, knowledge, resources, and connections so you can get out there and start a new hobby or business yourself! Each workshop includes multiform content, including: - Entertaining Video Lesson, - Detailed Text Lesson - A-Z Fact Pages (each one is its own coloring sheet) - Variety of Math and Science Challenges, - Book Lists, - Writing Prompts … just to name a few! -- Terms of Use: mightynetworks.com/terms_of_use

Screenshots

Farming Basics4 screens
M5 Ranch School4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: M5 Ranch School at weekly against Farming Basics's every 2 months. Farming Basics's advantage is monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.0). 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Farming Basics against 5.0 for M5 Ranch School. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 9 and 6 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Farming Basics ships an update every 2 months, M5 Ranch School weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 6 level
Farming Basics versus M5 Ranch School: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFarming BasicsM5 Ranch School
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (9 ratings)5.0 (6 ratings) — better
Number of ratings9 — better6
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.6 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size93 MB142 MB
Age rating4+9+
DeveloperAlabama Cooperative Extension SystemFive Marys Farms, LLC

Customer experience

Farming Basics

All ratings9 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

M5 Ranch School

All ratings6 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Farming Basics

No in-app purchases

None

M5 Ranch School

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Farming Basics free?
Farming Basics is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is M5 Ranch School free?
M5 Ranch School is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Farming Basics or M5 Ranch School?
M5 Ranch School is rated higher. Farming Basics averages 4.9 out of 5 from 9 ratings, while M5 Ranch School averages 5.0 from 6 ratings.
Do Farming Basics or M5 Ranch School have ads?
Neither Farming Basics nor M5 Ranch School shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Farming Basics or M5 Ranch School?
Farming Basics ships an update every 2 months, and M5 Ranch School weekly. Most recently, Farming Basics was updated on November 2, 2026 and M5 Ranch School on November 7, 2026.

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