Omnia alternatives: the problems users raise, and a cheaper independent option
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Omnia alternatives: the problems users raise, and a cheaper independent option

Omnia is a slick system, but users raise the same problems: the per-hectare price, ownership by input supplier Hutchinsons, and fiddly data entry. How Soil Benchmark answers each one, and where Omnia is still stronger.

Omnia, from the agronomy and input business Hutchinsons, has been the main winner as farms move off Gatekeeper. It is a slick system, strong on mapping, reporting and compliance, and its users rate it. But the same complaints come up again and again: the cost, especially on bigger farms, the fact that it belongs to a company that also sells you inputs, and how fiddly some of the data entry is.

This page sets out those problems, how Soil Benchmark answers each one, and where Omnia is still stronger. We make Soil Benchmark, so we have tried to be straight about both.

The problems Omnia users raise most

The problemWhat Omnia users sayHow Soil Benchmark answers it
The price"Nothing is cheap but it does seem quite expensive. (£6k in my case annually)"
Omnia user, The Farming Forum, 2024		£475 +VAT per farm per year for everything, whatever the farm size. Planning is free.
Owned by an input supplierBuying groups and independent agronomists tell us they are uneasy putting the prices they have negotiated into a system owned by a supplier they compete with on priceIndependent. We don't sell inputs or data, and we aren't a competitor to our users.
Fiddly data entry"Data entry is a total ballache. For example if I want to create a drill plan including Avadex and fertiliser to be applied in the same operation I need to create 3 separate plans."
Omnia user, The Farming Forum, January 2025		Built around how farmers and agronomists actually work, from their feedback. The Farmers Weekly reviewer rated our usability "top notch".
Expensive for agronomists with many farmsPriced per hectare on every farmSB Agronomist is £500 a year across every farm you advise, and drops each per-farm product to £150.

Quotes are from public threads on The Farming Forum. For all eight main systems side by side, see our full UK farm management software comparison.

How Soil Benchmark answers them

A flat price, whatever the size

Omnia is priced by area, so the bill grows with the farm. Soil Benchmark is £475 +VAT per farm per year for all four products, whether the farm is 50ha or 2,000ha. At 1,000ha that is about a tenth of Omnia's published price.

Independent of any input supplier

Omnia is owned by Hutchinsons, which sells agronomy and inputs. Hutchinsons says farmers control their data, and the industry Farm Data Principles help. Even so, the worry we hear most, especially from buying groups, is about prices. A buying group's whole value is the prices it negotiates, and many are uncomfortable recording those prices, and what their members buy, in a system owned by a business that sells the same products. It is worth asking exactly who at the parent company can see that data. Soil Benchmark doesn't sell inputs or data, and is backed by farmers, agronomists, Defra and Ordnance Survey rather than a supplier.

Quick to use

Almost everything we have built came from what farmers and agronomists asked for, and it shows in how quickly people pick it up. Add a farm from its SBI number and the fields, soils, risk layers and designations are already there. Plans are checked against RB209, NVZ, Farming Rules for Water and the Fera Liaison spray data as you build them, rather than afterwards.

Built for agronomists with lots of farms

One SB Agronomist licence covers every farm you advise, and your farmers can log in to the same plans. It works for any agronomist, independent or not.

You speak to the people who build it

We deliberately don't have a sales team. Apart from our two co-founders, everyone on the team is a developer, so there are no reps, resellers or call centre between you and the people writing the software. Ring, WhatsApp or use the live chat and you speak to the team who build it, who can usually fix a problem the same week.

What it costs

Published prices from Farmers Weekly (April 2026), with our current price.

Software100ha400ha1,000ha
Omnia (full system)£600/yr£2,325/yr£4,875/yr
Omnia Field Manager£315/yr£1,210/yr£2,510/yr
Soil Benchmark (SB Farm, all four products)£475/yr£475/yr£475/yr
  • On a small farm Omnia Field Manager is cheaper. At 100ha it is £315 a year against our £475. From around 150ha up, Soil Benchmark costs less, and the gap widens with every hectare.
  • Agronomists pay once. SB Agronomist is £500 a year and covers every farm you advise.
  • Most of it is free. Add farms, build plans and run compliance checks without paying. You pay when you export a report or send a plan out.

Where Omnia is still stronger

Omnia is a good system, and Hutchinsons is quick to ship improvements. There are things it does that we don't yet:

  • In the field. Omnia has a mobile app now, including crop walking notes with photos shared with the whole team. Our phone app is due this winter.
  • Machinery. Omnia sends work to machinery and handles variable rate today. Our variable rate for nutrients is due before Christmas, and two-way machinery integration in summer 2027.
  • SFI evidence. Omnia users rate how it pulls together SFI records. SFI Shepherd plans SFI26 applications now, and a field diary with photo evidence for each action is due in spring 2027.
  • Local specialists. Omnia has local digital specialists backed by a central UK team.
What is still to come
  • Before Christmas: stock module, costings reports, and variable rate for nutrients
  • This winter: phone app for recording applications in the field, and variable rate for sprays
  • Spring 2027: more SFI compliance, with a field diary and photo evidence for each action
  • Summer 2027: two-way machinery integration

We will keep this page and our full comparison updated as each of these goes live.

Before you switch

  • Can you bring your fields and records across, and in what format?
  • Does it handle your grassland as well as your arable for NVZ purposes?
  • If your agronomist works across lots of farms, how is their licence charged?
  • What will it cost at your farm size, including extra users and contractors?
  • Who owns it, and who in the parent company can see your data?
Moving to Soil Benchmark

Set up a free account and add your farms from their SBI numbers. You can build plans and run compliance checks straight away, and only pay when you send a plan out. Get in touch if you want help bringing records across, or join one of our free webinars for new users.

Where Soil Benchmark fits

If you want strong compliance planning at a fraction of the price, from a company that doesn't sell inputs, we think it is worth a look. If machinery integration and an app in the field matter most to you today, Omnia may still suit you better.

Common questions

How much does Omnia cost?

Farmers Weekly put the full Omnia system at £600 a year at 100ha, £2,325 at 400ha and £4,875 at 1,000ha, with Omnia Field Manager at £315, £1,210 and £2,510. Omnia is priced by area, so the cost rises with farm size.

Who owns Omnia?

Omnia is owned by Hutchinsons, the agronomy and crop input business.

Is there a cheaper alternative to Omnia?

Yes. Soil Benchmark is £475 +VAT per farm per year for soil, nutrient, spray and SFI planning, whatever the farm size, and planning is free. On farms under about 150ha, Omnia Field Manager is cheaper.

Can an independent agronomist use Soil Benchmark?

Yes. Soil Benchmark is independent of any input supplier, and one SB Agronomist licence at £500 a year covers every farm an agronomist advises.

What does Omnia do that Soil Benchmark doesn't?

Today Omnia has a mobile app, machinery integration and variable rate. Our phone app is due this winter, variable rate for nutrients before Christmas, and two-way machinery integration in summer 2027.

Sources

Writing spray recommendations

Plan sprays against the label, and keep the records with them

Crop Rex builds spray plans against the label conditions, so the total dose position for each crop is worked out as you plan rather than discovered afterwards. It produces linked job sheets for whoever's spraying, captures the record at the point of application, and exports the season as a document you can show inspectors or the supply chain.
See Crop Rex

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