In short
- For a cow-calf herd, CattleMax, Herdwatch and Cattlytics cover calving, treatments and grazing at a modest price.
- Withdrawal dates with reminders are stated by CattleMax, Farmbrite and Cattlytics; for beef quality assurance that is the record that protects you.
- Prices run from free to $195 a month; most are priced by how many animals you keep, not per user.
What a treatment record has to hold
University of Florida Extension's beef quality assurance guide lists what every treatment record should capture: the date, the animal or group, its approximate weight, the product and lot number, the dose, route and injection site, who gave it, and the earliest date the animal clears withdrawal. Keep it at least two years after the animal is sold and give the buyer a copy. University of Idaho Extension adds that the identification has to outlast the withdrawal period, and its program keeps records for three years. Our guide Herd records your crew will keep covers the rest of the year.
The seven, side by side
| Product | Price as listed | Calving | Treatments and withdrawal | Grazing | Offline | Trial |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CattleMax | $24 or $33 a month for up to 250 head, billed yearly | Yes, in the field | Yes, with withdrawal dates | Pasture maps and moves | Printed worksheets | 21 days |
| Herdwatch | Free calving book; cattle page lists $49 for 6 months, then $199 a year | Yes, digital calving book | Treatments and medicine stock; withdrawal not mentioned | Pasture module | Yes | Free plan and trial |
| Ranchr | Free; Premium $10.83 a month as listed | Calf tracker | Treatments; withdrawal not mentioned | Not mentioned | Premium | Free plan; 14 days |
| AgriWebb | Per animal, by calculator | Not mentioned | Treatments; withdrawal not mentioned | Map-based moves | Mentioned by a customer | Free trial |
| Farmbrite | $29, $49 or $79 a month by number of animals | Not mentioned | Yes, withdrawal reminders | Middle plan and up | Yes | 14 days |
| Performance Beef | $195 a month; EID extra | Not mentioned | Treatments; withdrawal not mentioned | Pens only | Yes, iPhone and iPad | Interactive demo |
| Cattlytics | From $7.99 a month for up to 99 animals | Not mentioned | Yes, withdrawal alerts | Grazing zones | Yes | 15 days |
Notes on each
CattleMax
Deep cow-calf and registered herd records: calving in the field, group weaning, treatments with dose, route, site and lot, withdrawal dates, pasture maps, breeding and a treatment format that fits beef quality assurance. One account price set by your number of active animals, with unlimited users.
Herdwatch
A phone-first app that works offline at the chute and syncs later, with Bluetooth EID readers and scale heads, a digital calving book, medicine inventory and a pasture module. A free calving book; full plans are quoted, with an introductory annual price on its cattle page.
Ranchr
Simple, low-cost records for small herds: cattle history, a calf tracker, a pregnancy tracker and treatments. The free plan is one user on the phone; the web app, offline mode and reports are on Premium.
AgriWebb
Map-based grazing and compliance for larger, multi-pasture operations: drag-and-drop moves, weights, treatments and audit reports. Priced per animal through a calculator.
Farmbrite
An all-in-one farm platform with records, withdrawal reminders, certification reporting, full accounting and sales. EID and grazing start on its middle plan; plans are capped by number of animals.
Performance Beef
Built for feedlots and backgrounders: feeding, weights at the chute, cost of gain, closeouts and invoices with QuickBooks. iPhone and iPad only, with a POINT scale indicator, for herds from 200 head up.
Cattlytics
Full records priced by herd-size band, from a few dollars a month: treatments with withdrawal alerts, grazing-zone mapping, breeding and offline use, with unlimited team seats.
How to choose
- Record one working day in the trial. Twenty head through the chute with a tag, a weight and a shot each. Time it, with gloves on and no signal.
- Check the withdrawal date. Does the record show the date the animal clears, and does anything warn you before a sale?
- Count animals the way they do. Most price by active animals; sold and archived animals usually do not count.
- Keep it as simple as your herd. One rancher on Ranchers.net put it plainly: beyond calving dates and ID numbers, a commercial herd may gain little from detailed records. Record what you will use.
Where Kavalo fits
Herd software keeps the cattle side. The buyers who call about calves, the neighbor who wants a bull, the half-beef customer waiting for a date: that side lives in your phone. Kavalo Front Office handles it: your website, a customer list that follows up every inquiry, reminders by text and email, invoices with text-to-pay, and a text back to every missed call; AI Ranch Hand answers the phone. Herd records with tags, calving and grazing records, working days at the chute and feed and hay stock are not part of Front Office; White Glove sets those up in one system with the customer side. If you sell beef direct, see our comparison of beef share software.
Questions people ask
Is a spreadsheet enough?
For 40 cows it can be. Ranchers move on when records happen at the chute and get typed in later, or when a buyer asks for treatment records.
Will it work in the pens with no signal?
Herdwatch, Farmbrite, Performance Beef and Cattlytics describe offline use with sync; Ranchr does on Premium; CattleMax offers printed worksheets.
Can I upload my whole herd at once?
Most take a spreadsheet import; Performance Beef describes importing IDs. Ask before you type a herd in by hand.
Does it read EID tags?
Herdwatch connects Bluetooth EID readers and scale heads; Farmbrite supports EID from its middle plan; Performance Beef reads EID at extra cost.
How long do I keep treatment records?
Two to three years after sale, depending on your state's beef quality assurance program; the extension guides above give the details.
Sources
Every price and feature above is as listed on each company's own pages, checked October 26, 2026. A feature marked "not mentioned" may still exist; ask the company.
