Report updated Jun 19, 2026
ICBF HerdPlus
For dairy farmers and agricultural professionals requiring mobile access to the ICBF cattle breeding database for herd management.
ICBF HerdPlus is an established business app that is completely free.
What is ICBF HerdPlus?
ICBF HerdPlus is a business utility for Irish dairy farmers to record herd health and breeding events, syncing directly with the national cattle database on iOS and Android.
Farmers hire this app to ensure accurate genetic and health record-keeping for regulatory compliance and profitability, using the database link to avoid manual reporting errors.
Current Momentum
v1.26 · 2mo ago
Maintenance- Climbed 74 spots in Business category.
- Maintains database sync for genetic gain.
Active Nemesis
Herdwatch Livestock Management
By Herdwatch
Other Rivals
7-Day Rank Pulse 🇺🇸
BusinessNo ranking data
Rating Pulse 🇺🇸
Gathering signals...
What makes this app unique?
What Does It Look Like?
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What Are The Key Features?
Filter herd data to identify cows with Somatic Cell Count issues for targeted antibiotic treatment
Automatic upload of recorded events to the central ICBF cattle breeding database
Log animal health events directly into the database via mobile interface
How much does it cost?
- Free to all users
The app is provided as a free utility to support the ICBF cattle breeding database and promote genetic gain across the agri-food industry.
Who Built It?
Enrichment in progress
Publisher profile available very soon
What other apps does ICBF make?
What do users think recently?
Analysis in progress, available soon
What is the competitive landscape for ICBF HerdPlus?
Where is it available?
Localized markets (1)
How's The Business Market?
How does it evolve in the Business market?
ICBF HerdPlus sits at #80 in the Irish Business category, having climbed 74 spots in recent rankings. The lack of a paid tier signals its primary role as a data-collection utility rather than a direct revenue-generating product.
Rank progression
1 active ranking tracked — 30-day window
Which niche is ICBF HerdPlus in?
to record cattle health and breeding data
Explore the full Agriculture Loggers niche
Every app in this space — 11 tracked, the niche's live rankings, and Marlvel's editorial take on the job-to-be-done.
The rivals identified
Nemeses(2)
Farmable competes directly for the farmer's daily operational workflow, focusing on field-level management and task tracking that overlaps with HerdPlus's administrative requirements.
Differentiators
- Offers integrated team timesheets and partner portals for collaborative farm management workflows.
- Includes a specialized tank mix calculator for precise chemical application and compliance logging.
- Provides robust field mapping tools that visualize spatial data better than standard database entries.
Head to head
ICBF should leverage its unique genetic data advantage to build a 'breeding-first' dashboard that makes Farmable's generalist tools feel insufficient for serious cattle producers.
Herdwatch is the primary direct competitor, targeting the same Irish and UK livestock farmers with comprehensive herd management, EID integration, and compliance reporting.
Differentiators
- Advanced satellite farm mapping provides visual herd oversight that ICBF currently lacks in its mobile interface.
- Robust offline mode ensures continuous data entry in remote rural areas with poor cellular network coverage.
- Direct EID reader integration streamlines livestock identification and movement recording, reducing manual data entry errors significantly.
Head to head
ICBF must prioritize mobile UX modernization and offline capabilities to prevent churn to Herdwatch's more agile, field-ready platform.
Contenders(6)
This app targets the same livestock-focused demographic by providing essential record-keeping and market price integration.
Differentiators
- Integrates real-time USDA market pricing to help farmers make immediate financial decisions.
- Supports offline GPS mapping functionality for managing large-scale grazing land without cellular connectivity.
Gallagher competes by bridging the gap between physical hardware and digital record-keeping for livestock producers.
Differentiators
- Direct hardware integration with weighing and EID tag readers automates data collection processes.
- Focuses heavily on compliance reporting, which is a critical pain point for livestock exporters.
SmartCow serves as a regional competitor, focusing on Swiss-specific breeding and regulatory requirements for dairy and cattle farmers.
Differentiators
- Native Agate-Login integration provides secure, localized access to Swiss national agricultural databases for streamlined regulatory reporting.
- Specialized Brunstkalender (heat calendar) features cater specifically to the breeding management needs of European dairy farmers.
FarmIQ competes by providing a comprehensive business and compliance dashboard, particularly strong in regulatory reporting and hardware integration.
Differentiators
- Dedicated NZFAP and NZFAP Plus dashboards automate complex compliance reporting, saving farmers significant administrative time annually.
- Extensive third-party hardware integration ecosystem allows for broader connectivity with scales, sensors, and automated drafting equipment.
Mobble targets the same livestock management demographic with a focus on simplified, geolocated task tracking and record keeping.
Differentiators
- Geolocated task management provides a unique way to assign and track work based on specific farm locations.
- Mobble Connect feature enables seamless data sharing between farmers and their advisors, simplifying external consultation workflows.
AgriWebb competes by offering a sophisticated, map-centric farm management platform that appeals to larger-scale livestock operations.
Differentiators
- Interactive farm mapping allows for precise paddock-level management and grazing rotation planning not found in ICBF.
- Unlimited user access model facilitates better team collaboration for larger farming enterprises with multiple staff members.
Compare ICBF HerdPlus against every rival
All rivals in one side-by-side table — identity, store metrics, ratings & sentiment, and strategic intel — plus a head-to-head page for each.
The outtake for ICBF HerdPlus
Strengths to defend, gaps to attack
Core Strengths
- National cattle breeding database integration provides genetic insights unavailable to generalist competitors
- Alignment with national agricultural policy ensures long-term utility for Irish farmers
Critical Frictions
- Lack of offline mode prevents data entry in rural areas with poor connectivity
- Legacy mobile interface creates friction compared to modern field-first apps
Growth Levers
- Develop EID reader integration to automate data collection
- Expand offline capabilities to match competitor field-ready performance
Market Threats
- Herdwatch’s aggressive feature deployment cadence erodes the utility gap
- Generalist farm management apps with superior mapping tools siphon users seeking all-in-one solutions
What are the next best moves?
Ship offline data entry mode because rural connectivity is the primary churn risk to Herdwatch → retain field-active users
Competitor analysis identifies offline mode as the key differentiator for Herdwatch in rural markets.
Trade-off: Push the farm software export update to Q3 — offline capability has higher retention impact than third-party sync.
Build a breeding-first dashboard because genetic insights are the unique differentiator against generalist apps → increase user stickiness
Generalist apps like Farmable lack the national genetic database integration that is the core value of HerdPlus.
Trade-off: Pause the UI refresh for the health-event module — dashboard differentiation is a higher-value strategic pivot.
A counter-intuitive read
The app's lack of monetization is its greatest asset, as it allows ICBF to prioritize data integrity over subscription-driven feature bloat, creating a barrier that paid competitors cannot easily replicate.
Feature Gaps vs Competitors
- Offline mode (available in Herdwatch but missing here)
- Satellite farm mapping (available in Herdwatch and AgriWebb but missing here)
- EID reader integration (available in Herdwatch and Gallagher but missing here)
Key Takeaways
ICBF HerdPlus holds a unique position through its national database integration, but the lack of offline field capabilities invites churn to more agile competitors, so the team must prioritize offline sync to defend the user base.
Where Is It Heading?
Mixed Signals
The agricultural management market is consolidating around field-first tools that prioritize offline reliability and spatial mapping. ICBF HerdPlus remains advantaged by its genetic data, but this advantage is insufficient if the mobile interface cannot support daily field workflows, so the team must bridge the offline gap to prevent further churn.
Lack of offline functionality in rural areas forces farmers to use competitors, accelerating churn to field-ready apps like Herdwatch.
Recent ranking surge to #80 in the Irish Business category indicates strong organic interest in the latest database-linked features.