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AgriTerra vs AcreValue
AcreValue is one of the best known names in farmland data, and if you have searched for it you have probably already seen its own pitch. This page is the other half of the picture: a fair, specific read on what AcreValue does well, where AgriTerra is different, and, honestly, who should pick each one. They are good at different jobs.
Compared as of August 2026. Every AcreValue fact here was checked against acrevalue.com. AcreValue is a product of its owner and is named here only to compare it; AgriTerra is not affiliated with it.
What AcreValue does well
AcreValue built its reputation on land value and comparable sales, and that is still its strongest work. It offers a proprietary land valuation model, described on its site as analyzing "terabytes of data about soils, climate, crop rotations, taxes, interest rates, and corn prices," available across a set of farm states. Around that it has assembled a genuinely broad data platform:
- A nationwide GIS plat map covering more than 2,700 counties, with parcel number, acreage, and owner name.
- A comparable-sales database with sale price, date, acreage, land use, and the parties to the sale.
- Soil productivity ratings and a soil composition map for a field.
- Crop history from the Cropland Data Layer, up to five years back.
- Extra layers for lenders and investors: mortgage records and proximity to energy infrastructure.
If your main question is "what is this land worth, and what has sold nearby," or you are a lender or broker who works across many parcels, AcreValue is a strong, established tool and it is fair to say so.
Where AgriTerra is different
AgriTerra is not trying to be a better comps engine. It answers a different question: for one parcel, what are the real options, and what does each one earn. Four differences matter most.
It compares four land uses in dollars per acre on the same parcel. Row crop income, cash rent, conservation (CRP), and a solar or wind lease, side by side for your field. That trade-off, "farm it, rent it, conserve it, or lease it," is the decision a landowner actually faces, and it is the thing AgriTerra is built around rather than a value estimate.
Every figure carries its source. AgriTerra draws on six federal datasets (USDA NASS, USDA NRCS SSURGO, NREL, FEMA, USGS, and USFWS) and shows the agency and the vintage on each number. You can see exactly where a figure came from and when, which is a different posture from a single proprietary score.
It reads flood and wetlands per parcel. FEMA flood zones and the USFWS National Wetlands Inventory are part of the standard read, alongside soil and every revenue option, so drainage and flood risk are in the same picture as income.
You can buy one report without a subscription. The $89 Decision Report is a one-time full PDF land report for a single parcel, no subscription required. There is a free parcel read to start, and optional Land Scout plans from $39 a month if you want more, but you are never forced into a recurring plan to get one answer.
On solar and wind, the two tools do genuinely different things. AcreValue shows how close a parcel sits to energy infrastructure. AgriTerra models a solar or wind lease income band from NREL output and transmission proximity, written for the landowner weighing a developer's offer. For how that modeling works and its limits, see the solar leasing guide and how we get our numbers.
Feature by feature
| Feature | AcreValue | AgriTerra |
|---|---|---|
| Primary job | Estimate land value and surface comparable sales | Compare what one parcel can earn four ways, in dollars per acre |
| Comparable sales and a value estimate | Yes, a core feature, with a proprietary valuation model | No. AgriTerra does not produce a market valuation or comps, and is not an appraisal |
| Nationwide parcel and owner map | Yes, a nationwide plat map across 2,700+ counties with owner names | Parcel boundaries pre-loaded in Ohio and Indiana first; modeled data in all 50 states |
| Soil data | Yes, productivity ratings and a soil composition map | Yes, SSURGO soil turned into a 0 to 100 productivity index per parcel |
| Crop history | Yes, from the Cropland Data Layer, up to five years | Yes, top crops and rotation from the Cropland Data Layer |
| Solar and wind lease income | Shows proximity to energy infrastructure, not a lease income estimate | Modeled solar and wind lease bands from NREL output and transmission proximity |
| Conservation (CRP) income | Not among its listed features | CRP eligibility screen and FSA rate bands, alongside farm and lease income |
| Flood and wetlands per parcel | Not among the data layers it lists | FEMA flood zones and USFWS wetlands, read per parcel |
| Source on every figure | A proprietary model; underlying agencies not shown per figure | Every figure shows its agency and vintage, from six federal datasets |
| Pricing model | A free tier with a limited number of reports a month, plus paid subscriptions | Free parcel read; an $89 one-time Decision Report, no subscription required |
AcreValue's feature set is summarized from acrevalue.com as of August 2026 and specific prices are not reproduced here because tools change them; check their site for current details. AgriTerra figures follow our published methodology.
Who should pick which
Pick AcreValue if
- You want a land value estimate or comparable sales.
- You work across many parcels and need nationwide ownership and sales data.
- You are a lender or broker who lives in comps and mortgage records.
Pick AgriTerra if
- You own or are buying one parcel and want to know what to do with it.
- You want farm, rent, conserve, and lease income compared in dollars per acre.
- You want the agency and vintage on every figure, and a report without a subscription.
Plenty of people will be better served by AcreValue, and that is fine. If a value estimate is the whole job, start there. If the job is deciding what a specific parcel should become, that is what AgriTerra is for.
AgriTerra vs AcreValue: common questions
- Is AgriTerra an AcreValue alternative?
- For some jobs, yes, and for others, no. If you want a plain-language read of one parcel and a comparison of what it could earn as row crop, cash rent, conservation, or a solar or wind lease, AgriTerra is built for that. If you mainly want a land value estimate and comparable sales across many parcels, AcreValue is built for that and AgriTerra does not produce a market valuation. They overlap on soil and crop history but answer different questions.
- Does AgriTerra estimate land value like AcreValue?
- No. AgriTerra reports USDA NASS farmland value benchmarks for context, but it does not produce a parcel-level market value or comparable-sales estimate, and it is not an appraisal. AcreValue offers a proprietary land valuation model in a set of states, so if a value number is the main thing you need, AcreValue is the better fit.
- What does AgriTerra do that AcreValue does not?
- AgriTerra compares four land uses in dollars per acre on the same parcel (row crop, cash rent, conservation, and a solar or wind lease), shows the agency and vintage on every figure from six federal datasets, and reads FEMA flood and USFWS wetlands per parcel. It also sells a single $89 Decision Report with no subscription required, rather than a subscription.
- Does AgriTerra show energy or solar potential?
- Yes, and in a different way. AcreValue shows proximity to energy infrastructure such as substations and power plants. AgriTerra models a solar and wind lease income band for the parcel using NREL output and how close the land is to suitable transmission, framed for the landowner weighing an offer, not for a developer.
- How much does AgriTerra cost compared to AcreValue?
- AgriTerra has a free parcel read and an $89 one-time Decision Report that needs no subscription, plus optional Land Scout plans from $39 a month. AcreValue has a free tier with a limited number of reports a month and paid subscription tiers. Check acrevalue.com for their current prices, since pricing changes.
See your parcel compared four ways, free.
Run a free read of any U.S. parcel: soil, flood, wetlands, and the farm, rent, conservation, and lease options side by side. Go deep with the $89 Decision Report when a decision is worth it.