One platform that sees what’s coming
There are plenty of platforms for sensors, weather or satellite. FairGrow brings them together into one clear piece of advice you can act on today. Below, we compare FairGrow honestly with well-known alternatives, so you can judge for yourself what matters for your crop.
“See it coming. Act in time.” That is what FairGrow stands for: you know sooner what’s happening, so you can adjust in time. Below you can read, at your own pace, what FairGrow does, how it compares with other platforms and what we deliberately leave out.
What FairGrow does for you
Three data sources, one piece of advice
Your own sensors (soil moisture, temperature, rainfall), up to seven weather sources side by side and Sentinel-2 satellite imagery, combined into predictive irrigation and crop advice using the peer-reviewed FAO-56 method. Not a pile of separate numbers, but a decision.
See disease and pests coming
A dedicated widget with scientific disease models per crop (including Hutton, Mills and Cougarblight), a risk calendar and spray-window advice, plus degree-day models for pests. You step in before things go wrong.
Fertilise without guesswork
The Nitrogen balance widget weighs the plant-available nitrogen from your organic inputs and irrigation water against what your crop needs, with a satellite cross-check. You get concrete top-up advice for growing without synthetic fertiliser.
With your whole team, in your language
Multiple fields, multiple users and a coordinator who receives tailored summaries and advice, by email, Telegram or in the app. Available in 57 languages.
FairGrow alongside the well-known alternatives
We put FairGrow next to Sencrop, Farm21, CropX and xFarm. A green tick with an ⓘ means FairGrow offers that feature; hover over it for the details. A row highlighted in light green is something only FairGrow offers in this form.
xFarm is the broadest of the four: a full farm management system (600,000+ farms, 14 million hectares) with its own sensor range, a digital field notebook and links to more than 50 machinery brands. That breadth is exactly where we differ: xFarm is built to record and manage your whole business, FairGrow is built to predict and advise from sensor, weather and satellite data together. On paper xFarm ticks more boxes, but you pay for that in modules, and the agronomic depth sits behind separate PRO subscriptions.
| Feature | FairGrow | Sencrop | Farm21 | CropX | xFarm |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soil moisture | ✓ Zigbee/ESP32iSoil moisture: your own sensors, via Zigbee within Europe and via ESP32 outside Europe (mobile weather station, in preparation). Real-time, per field. | ✓ Soilcrop (4 depths) | ✓ FS31 (3 depths) | ✓ Apex / Vertex | ✓ xSoil / xMultilevel |
| Soil temperature | ✓iSoil temperature: combined from several sources: your own sensors, current weather data (Weather now) and satellite data. That gives you a reliable picture of each field instead of one isolated reading. | ✓ | ✓ (2 depths) | ✓ | ✓ (multi-depth) |
| Air temp / humidity | ✓iAir temperature and humidity: via Open-Meteo plus your on-site weather stations (Zigbee in Europe, ESP outside Europe). | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ xAir Shield |
| Rainfall | ✓iRainfall: from several sources: your own on-site weather stations, current weather data (Weather now) and satellite data. It all feeds into the FAO-56 water balance for sharper irrigation advice. | ✓ Raincrop | via weather data | ✓ rain gauge | ✓ xSense station |
| PAR / light | ✓ distinctiveiPAR / light: your own PAR/light measurement outside Europe, via the mobile ESP weather station. Most competitors don’t offer this reading, and it helps you manage light in your crop. | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | xRad (solar radiation) |
| Wind / gusts | ✓iWind and gusts: combined from several sources: your on-site weather stations (Zigbee within Europe, mobile ESP station outside Europe), current weather data and satellite data. More than one source gives a more complete and reliable picture for your location. | ✓ Windcrop (sensor) | ✗ | ✓ (sensor) | ✓ xSense station |
| Leaf wetness | ✓ widgetiLeaf wetness: a live widget on the dashboard. We calculate leaf wetness duration from temperature, humidity and dew point, with risk advice, a chart and indicative disease thresholds. No separate sensor needed. Outside Europe you can also connect a physical ESP32 sensor (or an ESP-NOW satellite) for extra precision; there is no Zigbee version yet. | ✓ (add-on) | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ xLeaf (sensor) |
| EC / salinity | ✓ EC sensoriEC / salinity: a standard EC measurement, taken outside Europe with an EC sensor on the ESP32 hardware (also available as an ESP-NOW satellite). Used for salinity monitoring and as a basis for fertigation advice. There is no Zigbee version yet. | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ Vertex | ✓ xElectro |
| Direct ET measurement (ETa) | modelled (FAO-56) | modelled | ✗ | ✓ Evato (real-time) | modelled |
| Satellite imagery | ✓ Sentinel-2iSatellite imagery: Sentinel-2 (10 m, ~every 5 days) for NDVI/biomass, linked to the FAO-56 ET model for field-scale advice. | limited | ✓ free 10×10m | ✓ | ✓ Satellite PRO |
| Weather forecasts | ✓ 7 weather sourcesiWeather forecasts: FairGrow compares up to 7 weather sources side by side (Open-Meteo, Google, Visual Crossing, Frogcast, Meteosource, WeatherAPI and OpenWeatherMap), together with your own sensors. Several models at once give a complete, reliable forecast for your exact location, not one generic regional report. | ✓ (core) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ Agroweather PRO |
| FAO-56 irrigation advice | ✓iFAO-56 irrigation advice: predictive advice based on FAO-56 ET0, fed by sensor, weather and satellite data. A peer-reviewed method. | ✓ Penman-Monteith | limited | ✓ Smart Irrigation | irrigation forecast (method not published) |
| Disease/pest warning | ✓ modelsiDisease/pest warning: a dedicated widget with 11 scientific disease models per crop (including Hutton, Mills, 3-10, Cougarblight with flowering window), a risk calendar and action/spray-window advice; 6 pest degree-day models that count from your biofix; and a spray log with protection status. Plus the observation widget and AI photo diagnosis (Plant Scan). Built for decision support. | ✓ (rust, mildew…) | ✗ | ✓ disease model | ✓ 50+ crops, xTrap |
| Fertigation/nutrition advice | ✓ N balanceiFertigation/nutrition advice: the Nitrogen balance widget (for growing without synthetic fertiliser) models the plant-available nitrogen: mineralisation from your organic inputs (driven by soil temperature and moisture) plus nitrate from your irrigation water, weighed against crop demand at each growth stage. It gives concrete top-up advice (amount and timing), a satellite cross-check (NDRE) and a SoilGrids soil baseline. Focused on nitrogen; full NPK fertigation per zone is a possible extension. | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ + N leaching | ✓ nutrient plan |
| Machine integration | ✗iMachine integration: task maps for John Deere/ISOBUS, machine telemetry and FMIS links are deliberately not our focus. FairGrow concentrates on advice driven by sensors, weather and satellites. Still need a connection? Get in touch with us. | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ (including CLAAS) | ✓ 50+ brands |
| Compliance/emissions reporting | ✓ FSI-readinessiCompliance/emissions reporting: FairGrow offers the FSI-readiness module: a guided route to Royal FloraHolland certification via the three FSI pillars (GAP, Environment, Social; also MPS and GLOBALG.A.P), with a readiness dashboard, self-scan, deadlines and costs. A data-coverage overview links every FSI requirement to what you already log in the platform; your logs (spray applications, organic inputs, observations) form the audit trail. Automatic emissions/CO2 reporting is a possible extension. View FSI-readiness. | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ audit-ready | ✓ field notebook |
| Multi-field / multi-location | ✓iMulti-field / multi-location: multiple fields and locations in one account, each with its own sensors, weather and advice. | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Multi-user & coordinator advice | ✓ teamiMulti-user and coordinator advice: work with your whole team in one place. Every grower keeps their own log, and together those observations give a sharper assessment. The coordinator receives the summaries and tailored advice by email, Telegram or in the app. As a team, you know sooner what’s happening and can adjust in time. The logs also help you, as a grower, to become FSI-compliant (Floriculture Sustainability Initiative, the route to export via Royal FloraHolland). | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | team & advisor roles |
| Mobile app | ✓iMobile: real-time advice, charts and alerts to check on the go. | ✓ | ✓ scouting | ✓ | ✓ (core) |
| No-cost entry plan | ✓ yesiNo-cost entry plan: start without a quote, which is rare in this market (CropX and Sencrop don’t offer it). The paid Grower and Estate plans give you more. | ✗ | ✓ €0 (incl. satellite) | ✗ trial only | ✓ Start version |
| Workflow builder | ✓ uniqueiWorkflow builder: drag sensors, weather and FairGrow ML into an autonomous irrigation workflow that drives your pump, with a test mode, volume limits, an automatic rain stop and a daily cap. As far as we know, none of the platforms compared offers a builder like this; xFarm comes closest with xIdro, which lets you schedule and switch irrigation remotely but doesn’t let you build your own decision logic. | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | xIdro (remote scheduling) |
| Drone crop scouting | ✓iDrone crop scouting: a built-in flight planner: draw a field, pick your drone, and the flight becomes a vegetation map on the same platform. | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Tip: hover over the ⓘ icon next to each green FairGrow tick to see how FairGrow delivers that feature (sensors via Zigbee within Europe and the mobile ESP weather station outside Europe, plus up to 7 weather sources and Sentinel-2).
Pricing and getting started
| Player | Hardware | Subscription | Start at no cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| FairGrow | own Zigbee/ESP32 | plans: Starter / Grower / Estate | ✓ yesiStart at no cost: Starter costs nothing and needs no quote. After that, the paid Grower and Estate plans add more features and locations. |
| Sencrop | per weather station | 3 tiers (Weather Standard → Météo Pro → agro/Irricrop) | ✗ |
| Farm21 | FS31 €375 one-off + €89/sensor/year | free tier (€0) / Premium €250/year + €10/ha above 20ha | ✓ yes |
| CropX | ~$600-899/sensor | quote-based, ~$275/year/sensor | ✗ trial only |
| xFarm | own sensor range; on loan with connectivity in the Decision/Professional packages, otherwise bought through their sales team | Start €0 / packages €99–€249 per year / PRO modules €30–€350 per year | ✓ yes (Start) |
Sources: sencrop.com/eu/subscription-price, farm21.com/pricing-plans, farm21.com FS31, cropx.com/hardware, xfarm.ag/versions-and-prices. Prices checked in 2026 and subject to change.
The wider market, honestly side by side
Beyond the four above we looked at six other players: Pessl/Metos, Sentek, AquaSpy, Semios, OneSoil and Arable. Some excel at one part; FairGrow brings the whole picture together, from sensors to weather and satellite, in one place.
| Player | What makes them strong | Stronger than FairGrow on | Where FairGrow leads |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pessl / Metos iMETOS + FieldClimate | Broadest hardware+platform; 600+ sensor types, solar + cellular, real-time cloud | 80+ disease models / 45+ crops, iSCOUT AI pest cameras, machine/ERP integration (John Deere, FieldNET, Azure FarmBeats, xarvio) | No free tier; disease/pest is a paid add-on |
| Sentek EnviroSCAN / Drill & Drop | Multi-depth soil profile, 16 sensors per 10 cm | EC/salinity (TriSCAN), depth granularity | Pure hardware: no free tier, no weather/satellite/disease/advice |
| AquaSpy Crophesy | 12 zones to 48″, daily analytics | Fertigation/nutrient timing (when & where), EC/nitrate per zone | No free tier; NA-focused; no independent validation |
| Semios | All-in-one for fruit/nuts, proprietary in-orchard IoT | Pest (mating disruption) + disease + frost | Specialty crops only, North America focus, hardware-heavy |
| OneSoil | Satellite freemium scouting + VRA, AI Agronomist (2026) | John Deere VRA export; does have a free tier (partly) | No sensors of its own / no real-time ground layer |
| Arable Mark 3 | All-in-one weather + ET in one device | Image-derived ETo + ETc (FAO Penman-Monteith + ML) | Soil moisture/EC requires a separate Sentek sensor (FairGrow has that built in) |
Compared down to the technical detail
| Feature | FairGrow | Pessl | Sentek | AquaSpy | Semios | OneSoil | Arable |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soil moisture | ✓iSoil moisture: your own sensors, via Zigbee within Europe and via ESP32 outside Europe (mobile weather station, in preparation). Real-time, per field. | ✓ | ✓ multi-depth | ✓ 12 zones | ✓ | ✗ | via aux |
| PAR / light | ✓ distinctiveiPAR / light: your own PAR/light measurement outside Europe, via the mobile ESP weather station. Most competitors don’t offer this reading, and it helps you manage light in your crop. | option | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | spectral |
| EC / salinity | ✓ sensoriEC / salinity: EC measurement with an EC sensor on the ESP32 hardware (outside Europe, also as an ESP-NOW satellite). For salinity and fertigation; no Zigbee version yet. | ✓ water | ✓ TriSCAN | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | via aux |
| Satellite | ✓ Sentinel-2iSatellite: Sentinel-2 (10 m, ~every 5 days) for NDVI/biomass, linked to the FAO-56 ET model. | via integration | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ NDVI | ✗ |
| FAO-56 / ET advice | ✓iFAO-56 / ET advice: predictive irrigation advice via FAO-56 ET0, fed by sensor + weather + satellite. Peer-reviewed method. | ✓ crop-ET | ✗ | ✗ | irrigation | ✗ | ✓ ETo+ETc |
| Disease/pest | ✓ modelsiDisease/pest: a dedicated widget with 11 disease models (Hutton / Mills / 3-10 / TomCast / Cougarblight-with-flowering etc.) + risk calendar + action advice, 6 pest degree-day models (from biofix) and a spray log with protection status. Plus the observation widget and AI photo diagnosis (Plant Scan). | ✓ 80+ models | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ core | AI flags | ✗ |
| Fertigation advice | ✓ N balanceiFertigation/nutrition advice: Nitrogen balance widget (for growing without synthetic fertiliser): N mineralisation from organic inputs plus nitrate in irrigation water, weighed against crop demand, with top-up advice (amount and timing) and an NDRE cross-check. Focused on nitrogen; full NPK fertigation per zone is a possible extension. | partly | ✗ | ✓ USP | ✗ | VRA | ✗ |
| Machine/ERP integration | ✗iMachine/ERP integration: deliberately not our focus (FairGrow is about advice driven by sensors, weather and satellites). Still need a connection? Get in touch. | ✓ John Deere etc. | standards | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ John Deere | partly |
| No-cost entry plan | ✓iNo-cost entry plan: start without a quote, which is rare in this market. The paid Grower and Estate plans give you more. | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ partly | ✗ |
Sources: metos.global/fieldclimate, metos.global/disease-models, sentektechnologies.com, aquaspy.com, semios.com, onesoil.ai, arable.com/mark3.
Supporting evidence: Bouras et al., MDPI Agriculture 2022 and ScienceDirect (FAO-56 dual + Sentinel-2).
What we deliberately don’t do (yet)
To be honest, FairGrow doesn’t do everything, and that’s a choice. We focus on advice driven by sensors, weather and satellites, because that is what we’re good at. Machine integration (task maps to tractors, FMIS connections) and fully automated emissions reporting are deliberately not part of our core. If a digital field notebook with tractor and ERP connections is what you’re after, a farm management system such as xFarm or Pessl is a better fit; FairGrow is built to tell you what is about to happen in your crop. For compliance, we do get you started with the FSI-readiness module and logs that serve as an audit trail. Still need a connection or report that isn’t covered here? Get in touch with us and we’ll look at what’s possible together.
Why growers choose FairGrow
- Everything in one environment. Sensors, weather, satellite, disease and pest forecasts and fertilisation advice in one place, without juggling separate tools.
- Start with no obligation. Starter costs nothing and needs no quote, which is rare in this market. Move up to Grower or Estate when you’re ready.
- More than one source per measurement. Up to seven weather sources alongside your own sensors and satellite, for a picture that’s right for your location instead of a generic regional report.
- European data sovereignty and our own algorithms. Your data stays under your own control and the models are developed in-house.
- Work together as a team. Logs per grower, with tailored summaries and advice for the coordinator by email, Telegram or in the app.
How is FairGrow different from other growing platforms?
It combines your own sensors, weather data and satellite imagery into one piece of advice, so you see disease and pests coming and fertilise without guesswork, instead of reading separate dashboards.
Do I have to replace the tools I already use?
No. FairGrow works alongside the well-known alternatives and focuses on turning data into clear advice, so you can adopt it without tearing out what already works.
What does FairGrow do that the bigger platforms do not?
It turns sensor, weather and satellite data into one clear recommendation, for your whole team and in your language, instead of just showing numbers.
How does FairGrow compare to xFarm?
xFarm is a full farm management system: field notebook, machinery, costs and admin for the whole business, with its own sensors and paid PRO modules on top. FairGrow is narrower on purpose and deeper where it counts: sensors, up to seven weather sources and Sentinel-2 satellite imagery combined into one predictive irrigation, disease and fertilisation recommendation, plus a workflow builder that can drive your pump. Growers who mainly need record-keeping and machine links are better off with xFarm; growers who want to see problems coming choose FairGrow. Both let you start at no cost.
Is FairGrow cheaper to get started with?
Start with the Starter plan at no cost and see the value before you spend anything. See pricing for what each plan includes.
What is FairGrow not built for?
We are open about what we deliberately leave out, so you know exactly what FairGrow is and is not for, set out honestly alongside the alternatives.
Why do growers choose FairGrow?
Because it sees problems coming and tells you in time to act, in plain language and without the price tag of industrial smart farming. See how it works.
See it coming. Act in time.
Want to see how FairGrow turns sensor, weather and satellite data into advice you can act on today? Book a no-obligation intro and we’ll gladly show you.
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