Machinery planner vs BioTag+
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Machinery planner
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With just a glance at your smartphone, you can keep track of all the machinery syndicates associated with your farm! Which machines are currently in use, and where? Can I pick up a specific machine this evening for a last-minute job tomorrow morning? Where is the machine actually located right now? Has it been recently greased and maintained? The newly developed app *Maschinenplaner*—created by the Austrian-German startup smarterhof—answers these questions and more. This free app addresses the growing demand for transparency within machinery syndicates, as well as the need for greater flexibility regarding machine usage and booking schedules. Whether it is 5:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m., or 9:00 p.m., users can make reservations at any time—without having to wait for the machinery manager to be available. Farms can set up and manage all their machinery syndicates, even those shared with different partner farms. Multiple users per farm—such as a father and son, an administrator and a tractor operator, etc.—can be granted access and added to the specific "machinery syndicate group." The app was developed out of personal necessity by a duo of creators: Christian Karrer from Lower Austria (AT)—himself a farmer, a member of 12 machinery syndicates, a long-time sales manager in agricultural technology, and now an instructor at an agricultural college—and Frederic Schmaljohann from Hamburg (DE)—a professional IT software developer with a strong passion for agriculture. They now wish to make this tool available to other forward-thinking agricultural businesses. "The app delivers significant, tangible benefits for farms of all sizes; it proves useful from the very first shared machine—whether that’s a round baler, a forestry trailer, a Cambridge roller, or simply a moisture meter," the Karrer/Schmaljohann duo asserts. "We intend to continue developing the app and integrate even more features, such as hour tracking, a cashbook, and similar tools!" The service tool is already complete; it allows you to log maintenance tasks or damage—documentation via photos is also supported.
BioTag+
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BioTag+ turns your barn into a smart farm. Powered by wearable BioTag ear sensors and BioNode gateway hardware, BioTag+ continuously monitors the health and behavior of your pigs — and alerts you when something needs attention. KEY FEATURES • Heat detection — never miss a breeding opportunity • Birth prediction — know 24 hours in advance when a sow will farrow • Lameness detection — catch mobility problems early • Nest-building detection — optimize farrowing pen assignments • Farm management — animals, groups, events, daily reports • Real-time sensor data — temperature and activity per animal • Push notifications — heat, birth, lameness, and hardware offline alerts REQUIRES BIOCV HARDWARE BioTag+ is designed to work with BioCV BioTag ear sensors and BioNode gateways. For access, contact your BioCV sales representative or visit biocv.info. Made in Germany. Trusted by pig farmers across Europe.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is iOS requirement: BioTag+ at 15.1 against Machinery planner's 17.0. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Machinery planner ships an update every 8 days, BioTag+ every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Machinery planner | BioTag+ |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 8 days — better | Every 10 days |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 15.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 38 MB | 57 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Frederic Schmaljohann | BioCV |
In-app purchases
Machinery planner
No in-app purchases
BioTag+
No in-app purchases









