Cat® Central vs ER Buoy
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Cat® Central
This app provides a centralized platform for managing heavy equipment. It offers tools for finding parts, accessing manuals, diagnosing issues, and tracking machine health. Users can also connect with dealers and access support resources.
- Personalized tools and service recommendations
- Access operating manuals and maintenance schedules
- Diagnose fault codes
- Real-time machine health insights
- Scan QR codes for parts
- Order parts and request service
- Connect with local dealers
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From finding the right parts to understanding your machine’s health, Cat Central brings together the tools, insights and support you need – all in one place. EVERYTHING YOU NEED, RIGHT WHERE YOU NEED IT • Add your Cat equipment to unlock personalized tools and service recommendations. • Instantly access operating manuals and maintenance schedules. • Access and diagnose fault codes. • Stay ahead with real-time health, fuel, and usage insights. • Track orders, view purchase history and request service from your dealer. FIND PARTS. GET SUPPORT. FAST. • Scan your equipment's QR code to access parts that fit your equipment. • Check inventory and order directly from your dealer. • Watch how-to videos or follow DIY resources with step-by-step instructions you can trust. • Connect with your local dealer or chat with a support expert 24/7. POWERFUL TOOLS ON THE MOVE • Lock in parts pricing by using quotes and share your cart for quick approvals. • Take advantage of financing, customer value agreements, rewards and more. • Seamlessly access other Cat applications like VisionLink, SIS2GO and MyCatFinancial. Download Cat Central and take control of your equipment – anytime, anywhere.
ER Buoy
This application displays anonymized fishing gear locations in real-time to help fishermen deploy their gear safely and avoid conflicts. It indirectly contributes to reducing whale entanglements and mortality by minimizing gear interaction.
- Real-time location sharing
- Anonymized fishing gear display
- Minimizes gear conflict
- Reduces whale entanglements
- No login required
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This app enables users with an iOS or iPadOS device to automatically send their location to the EarthRanger platform so that anonymized on-demand fishing gear within 5 nautical miles of the user's location can be shown on the map in real-time. This app makes it easier for fishermen to deploy their ropeless gear while minimizing gear conflict with other fishermen, and indirectly reduces whale entanglements with fishing gear and reduces whale mortality There is no login required to use this app. All gear data shown is completely anonymized to ensure data privacy. Terms of use are governed by the EarthRanger End User License Agreement (EULA), which is available at https://EarthRanger/EULA. For more information about Al2's policy on location data, please visit https://www.earthranger.com/privacy-policy.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: ER Buoy at 5.0 against Cat® Central's 4.6. ER Buoy also leads on monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). Cat® Central's advantage is ratings volume (4.2K vs 1). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
ER Buoy holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Cat® Central has 4.2K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.
Cat® Central ships an update every 3 weeks, ER Buoy every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Cat® Central | ER Buoy |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (4.2K ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 43.1% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 4.2K — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks — better | Every 6 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.4 | 15.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 138 MB | 60 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Caterpillar Inc. | Allen Institute for AI |
Customer experience
Cat® Central
ER Buoy
Bugs and requests
Cat® Central
Reported bugs
3 issues- App crashes when changing equipment
- Login issues, password expired
- Locks up after gathering personal info
Requested features
3 requests- Audible operation manuals
- Accommodate old models
- Dark mode option
ER Buoy
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Cat® Central
No in-app purchases
ER Buoy
No in-app purchases








