CropX Review (2026): Pricing, Features, Pros & Cons
Our verdict
CropX measures the soil directly rather than inferring it from satellite imagery, which is the whole case for it: root-zone moisture is invisible from orbit. Founded 2013, operating in 70+ countries. No pricing is published, and sensors need installing and maintaining.
- Rating
- 4.04.0 out of 5 stars
- Best for
- Irrigated operations where water scheduling is the main cost
- Starting at
- Contact sales
- Free tier
- No
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Quick facts
| Pricing | Contact for pricingContact sales |
|---|---|
| Free tier | No |
| Platforms |
|
| Launched | 2013 |
| Company | CropX |
How CropX scores
Editor scores out of 5. Overall rating: 4.0.
| Output quality | 4.2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Features | 4.3 | |
| Ease of use | 3.5 | |
| Value for money | 3.7 |
About CropX
CropX takes the opposite approach to the satellite platforms in this category. Instead of inferring field conditions from orbit, it puts sensors in the soil and builds its models on what they measure directly.
The hardware is the distinguishing part. CropX makes soil sensors that read moisture, temperature, electroconductivity and salinity; evapotranspiration sensors that track actual ET, canopy growth and water stress; weather stations and rain gauges; and cellular telemetry gateways to get the readings off the farm. The company says a real-time in-field nitrate sensor is in development for 2025/26. Satellites cannot see any of this — root-zone moisture at depth is simply not visible from space — which is the real argument for buying sensors rather than a subscription to imagery.
On top of the readings sit agronomic models that track phenological stages, canopy size and root depth, and predict water use, crop stress, disease risk, nitrate leaching, salinity and vegetative growth. The software side is a farm management system covering irrigation scheduling, disease risk, nutrition, crop rotation and effluent management. CropX describes itself as operating in more than 70 countries across more than 100 crop types.
The company was founded in 2013 in New Zealand and now has offices in the United States, the Netherlands, Israel and New Zealand. It has grown partly by acquisition, most recently buying SCIO in August 2026, which is a reasonable signal that the business is active rather than coasting.
No pricing is published. For a product with a hardware component that is less objectionable than it is for pure software — the cost genuinely depends on how many sensors you need and how big the fields are — but it still means you cannot work out whether this fits your budget without a conversation.
The honest limitation is the installation itself. Sensors have to be placed, maintained, and powered, and their value depends entirely on whether they are in representative spots. A platform you can sign up for in a browser has no equivalent failure mode. This is infrastructure, and it should be judged as infrastructure: higher commitment, better data.
Key features
- Soil sensors reading moisture, temperature, EC and salinity
- Evapotranspiration sensors tracking canopy growth and water stress
- Agronomic models for irrigation, disease, nutrition and salinity
- Cellular telemetry gateways and weather stations
Pros & cons
Pros
- Measures root-zone conditions directly instead of inferring them from orbit
- Sensors cover moisture, temperature, electroconductivity and salinity
- Models predict irrigation need, disease risk, nitrate leaching and salinity
- Vendor states operation in 70+ countries across 100+ crop types
Cons
- No published pricing for hardware or the software subscription
- Requires physical installation and ongoing maintenance of sensors
- Data quality depends entirely on whether sensors sit in representative spots
- A heavier commitment than a platform you can simply sign up for
Who should use CropX
- Irrigated operations where water scheduling is the main cost
- Growers who need root-zone data that satellite imagery cannot see
- Farms ready to treat field monitoring as installed infrastructure
Frequently asked questions
How much does CropX cost?+
CropX does not publish pricing. Cost depends on how many sensors a farm needs and the area covered, so expect a quote rather than a plan list.
Why use soil sensors when satellite monitoring is cheaper?+
Satellites read the canopy, not the root zone. Moisture at depth, soil salinity and electroconductivity cannot be seen from orbit, so if irrigation scheduling is the decision you care about, sensors measure the thing itself rather than a proxy.
Is CropX still active?+
Yes. The company was founded in 2013, has offices on four continents, and acquired SCIO in August 2026.
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