# Cat® Central vs ER Buoy

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | Cat® Central | ER Buoy |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (4.2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cat-central/id1608965148/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/er-buoy/id6740493604/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **4.2K** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 43.1% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 weeks** | Every 6 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 138 MB | 60 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.4 | **15.1** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Caterpillar Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/571668770) | [Allen Institute for AI](https://appshunter.io/developer/1614005289) |

## What reviewers say

### Cat® Central

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cat-central/id1608965148)

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.

**Highlights:** 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

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Intuitive app
- 💡 Ability to order parts
- 👍 Saving equipment models
- 🚀 Fast and simple to use

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Difficult to change equipment
- 🐛 Parts diagrams hard to follow
- 🐛 Difficult to find parts
- 🐛 Never loads, asks for dealer info
- 🐛 Clunky and unreliable

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes when changing equipment
- Login issues, password expired
- Locks up after gathering personal info

**Requested features**

- Audible operation manuals
- Accommodate old models
- Dark mode option


### ER Buoy

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/er-buoy/id6740493604)

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.

**Highlights:** Real-time location sharing, Anonymized fishing gear display, Minimizes gear conflict, Reduces whale entanglements, No login required

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Cat® Central free?

Cat® Central is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is ER Buoy free?

ER Buoy is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Cat® Central or ER Buoy?

ER Buoy is rated higher. Cat® Central averages 4.6 out of 5 from 4.2K ratings, while ER Buoy averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Cat® Central or ER Buoy have ads?

Neither Cat® Central nor ER Buoy shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Cat® Central or ER Buoy?

Cat® Central ships an update every 3 weeks, and ER Buoy every 6 weeks. Most recently, Cat® Central was updated on October 20, 2026 and ER Buoy on October 1, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*