The Ranch StackRanchr vs CattleMax: Which Cattle Record App Fits Your Herd?
Updated Oct 18, 2026 · Independent guide · Not sponsored
When ranchers ask on forums what to use for cattle records, two names keep coming up: CattleMax, the long-running choice, and Ranchr, a phone-first app with a free plan. On threads like CattleToday's "Has anyone tried apps for keeping records," people mention both, along with Livestocked and plain Excel. This page compares the two using what each company publishes on its own website, checked on October 18, 2026. We have not run either product through a controlled test, so treat this as a map of the differences, not a verdict. Start a free trial of both before you decide.
The short version
- Choose Ranchr if you want to start free, mostly work from a phone, and keep records simple: tags, health, pregnancies, calves and weights.
- Choose CattleMax if you want a fuller ranch record system with pasture maps, income and expenses, unlimited users, and, for registered herds, breed association interfaces, pedigrees and EPDs.
Pricing, as published
| Ranchr | CattleMax | |
|---|---|---|
| Free option | Free Plan, $0 | 21-day free trial |
| Main paid plan | Premium, $10.83/month (billed yearly; the page says yearly saves 17%) | Commercial, $30/month billed yearly for up to 250 active animals |
| Higher tier | Custom plan (contact sales) | Registered, $41/month billed yearly for up to 250 active animals |
| How price scales | By plan (users, images, features) | By number of active animals; "per CattleMax account, not per animal" |
| Users | Free: 1 user. Premium: 5 users. Custom: 25 users | Unlimited users on every plan |
Sources: ranchr.com/pricing and cattlemax.com/pricing. Prices change; confirm before you buy.
What Ranchr includes
Ranchr's free plan covers the mobile app with what it calls unlimited records (with a soft cap), one user, one image per record, notes, treatment records, measurement records, and health, pregnancy and calf trackers, plus cattle history and filtered searches. That is a genuinely usable free tier for a small cow-calf herd.
The Premium plan adds the web app, removes the record cap, allows five users and three images per record, and adds offline mode, herd management and sorting, downloadable reports, importing from other sources, and bulk actions. Ranchr offers a 14-day Premium trial with no credit card required. One forum user on CattleToday said they used the free app and liked that records export easily to Excel as a backup.
Offline mode is worth weighing. Many pastures and working pens have weak cell service. On Ranchr, offline mode is listed as a Premium feature, so if you plan to enter records at the chute without signal, test that on the trial.
What CattleMax includes
CattleMax's Commercial plan lists complete cattle records, pasture maps and records, an equipment maintenance log, income and expense tracking, and a calendar with tasks. The Registered plan adds breed association interfaces, three-generation pedigrees, embryo flushes and inventory, EPDs and EBVs, multiple-ownership tracking, and cattle and customer marketing.
Every CattleMax plan includes unlimited users, access from phone, tablet or computer, and what the company calls rancher-led support and free training classes. CattleMax says it has been helping ranchers for more than 25 years. On forums, longtime users describe it as reliable and like the reporting; at least one user commented that it is "getting more expensive," and another noted they only use part of its features.
Side-by-side on the jobs that matter
Entering records at the chute
Both run on phones. Ranchr is built around the phone; CattleMax works across phone, tablet and computer. If signal is spotty, check offline behavior on each during your trial. As one CattleToday member put it, "putting in the data is always the hardest part." Pick the one that's fastest for you with gloves on.
Treatment and withdrawal records
Both list treatment or health records. Before you choose, enter one real treatment and see how each shows when an animal is clear to sell. That's the record that protects you on sale day.
More than one person entering data
If a spouse, kids or hired help will enter records, CattleMax's unlimited users is a real advantage. Ranchr's free plan is one user; Premium allows five.
Registered or seedstock herds
If you register cattle, CattleMax's Registered plan lists breed association interfaces, pedigrees and EPDs. Ranchr's pricing page lists calf and cattle history tracking but does not list breed association interfaces. Seedstock producers should check whether their association is supported.
Money and the rest of the ranch
CattleMax includes income and expense tracking, pasture maps and an equipment log. With Ranchr you'd likely pair it with separate bookkeeping, such as a free tool like Wave or a spreadsheet.
Moving your data
Ranchr Premium lists "Import from other sources." CattleMax says larger operations can get help with historical data migration. Either way, clean up your spreadsheet first: tag, birth date, dam, sire, and the last few years of calving and treatment data. Our free cattle record template is laid out with those columns, which makes a good staging file.
A fair way to decide in one weekend
- Start the Ranchr Premium trial (14 days) and the CattleMax trial (21 days) the same day.
- Enter the same 10 cows in each, plus one calving, one treatment and one weight.
- Do one entry outside at the pens on your phone.
- Run the report you care about most and try exporting your data.
- Ask yourself which one you'd actually open next week.
Bottom line
For a small commercial herd that wants to start at no cost, Ranchr's free plan is an easy first step, and Premium is inexpensive. For an operation that wants pasture, money and equipment records in one place, multiple people entering data, or registered-cattle tools, CattleMax is built for that, at a higher price that scales with herd size. Both offer trials, so let your own herd decide. See also: CattleMax alternatives and best cattle record-keeping software.