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Agriculture · head to head

Case IH AFS Connect vs Datamars Livestock

Case IH AFS Connect logo

Case IH AFS Connect

Agriculture

Telematics and farm data platform for Case IH machinery, now delivered as FieldOps

From
On request
Rated
-
Datamars Livestock logo

Datamars Livestock

Agriculture

EID tag, weigh scale and livestock data platform behind the Tru-Test brand

From
On request
Rated
-

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Case IH AFS Connect coverage of non-Case IH machinery is thin, so a mixed-colour fleet ends up running two portals and reconciling the data by hand or through a third-party platform.; Datamars Livestock the software exists to sell tags, readers and scales, so its feature depth in breeding, financials and grazing planning is well short of dedicated herd management systems.
  • They diverge on capability: Case IH AFS Connect covers Machine telemetry, Datamars Livestock covers EID and visual tag management.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Case IH AFS Connect and Datamars Livestock actually diverge.

Attributes where Case IH AFS Connect and Datamars Livestock differ
AttributeCase IH AFS ConnectDatamars Livestock
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb, iOS, Android, Windows

Identical on both: starting price (On request), pricing model (quote), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Agriculture).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Case IH AFS Connect

  • Machine telemetry
  • Remote display view
  • Two-way file transfer
  • Yield and coverage mapping
  • Fleet dashboards
  • Data sharing and APIs
  • FieldOps mobile app

Only in Datamars Livestock

  • EID and visual tag management
  • Weigh session capture
  • Average daily gain
  • Auto-drafting
  • Traceability records
  • Bluetooth reader sync
  • Treatment and animal events

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Case IH AFS Connect

  • A row-crop operation running a Case IH Magnum and Axial-Flow fleet that wants as-applied and yield data off the machines without USB sticksnot Datamars Livestock
  • A farm manager who needs to talk an inexperienced operator through a display setting during harvest without driving to the fieldnot Datamars Livestock
  • A dealer service department diagnosing an alert remotely before deciding whether to dispatch a techniciannot Datamars Livestock
  • An operation buying new Case IH iron after October 2024 that wants connected features without an annual telematics renewalnot Datamars Livestock

Datamars Livestock

  • A beef finisher drafting cattle to a target weight automatically at the crushnot Case IH AFS Connect
  • A sheep producer tracking lamb growth rates by sire to inform ram selectionnot Case IH AFS Connect
  • A New Zealand farm needing NAIT-compliant movement records generated from the same scans used for weighingnot Case IH AFS Connect
  • A grazier comparing average daily gain across mobs on different paddocks or supplementsnot Case IH AFS Connect

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Case IH AFS Connect

  • Coverage of non-Case IH machinery is thin, so a mixed-colour fleet ends up running two portals and reconciling the data by hand or through a third-party platform.
  • The agronomic side is weaker than software-first platforms: field records, input tracking and compliance reporting are shallower than Agworld or Conservis and most serious growers export to something else.
  • The entry cost is hardware, not software; a Pro 1200 display and receiver retrofit runs into five figures per machine, which is the real barrier for anyone hoping to add the platform to an older tractor.
  • Connectivity Included only applies to qualifying machines from October 2024 onward, so a farm with a five-year-old fleet still faces a per-machine dealer activation fee and older modems may not be eligible at all.
  • Dealer dependency is total: activations, subscription changes and most troubleshooting route through the dealer rather than a self-service portal, which makes response times a function of your local dealership rather than CNH.

Datamars Livestock

  • The software exists to sell tags, readers and scales, so its feature depth in breeding, financials and grazing planning is well short of dedicated herd management systems.
  • A migration to new cloud software is scheduled from January 2026 for Tru-Test indicator and reader customers, which puts historical Data Link desktop records at risk if they are not exported deliberately before support changes.
  • Hardware lock-in is real: the automatic capture that makes the platform useful depends on Datamars and Tru-Test devices, and a farm with Gallagher scales gets a much thinner experience.
  • Software being bundled with hardware means it has never been priced or sold on its own merits, so there is no published cost, no clear upgrade path and no leverage if the bundling arrangement changes.
  • Traceability support is country-specific and uneven, so a farm outside the main New Zealand, Australian, UK and North American markets may find its national scheme is not directly supported and needs manual file preparation.

Pricing, plan by plan

Case IH AFS Connect

On request
  • AFS Connect / FieldOps$undefined/year
    • Included with qualifying machines built and purchased after 1 October 2024
    • One-time dealer activation fee for older machines with a compatible modem
    • Display and receiver hardware quoted separately by the dealer

Datamars Livestock

On request
  • Datamars Livestock$undefined/year
    • Historically bundled with purchase of Datamars and Tru-Test hardware
    • Tag, reader and weigh indicator hardware is the actual cost
    • Cloud platform terms changing with the January 2026 migration

Which should you pick?

Choose Case IH AFS Connect if

  • You need machine telemetry.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want remote display view.

Choose Datamars Livestock if

  • You need eid and visual tag management.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, Windows.
  • You also want weigh session capture.

Questions people ask

Is Case IH AFS Connect or Datamars Livestock better?
Neither clearly leads. Case IH AFS Connect starts at On request and Datamars Livestock at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Case IH AFS Connect or Datamars Livestock?
Case IH AFS Connect starts at On request and Datamars Livestock at On request.
Does Case IH AFS Connect or Datamars Livestock run on more platforms?
Case IH AFS Connect runs on Web, iOS, Android. Datamars Livestock runs on Web, iOS, Android, Windows.
What is Case IH AFS Connect best used for?
Case IH AFS Connect is most often used for a row-crop operation running a case ih magnum and axial-flow fleet that wants as-applied and yield data off the machines without usb sticks, a farm manager who needs to talk an inexperienced operator through a display setting during harvest without driving to the field, a dealer service department diagnosing an alert remotely before deciding whether to dispatch a technician, an operation buying new case ih iron after october 2024 that wants connected features without an annual telematics renewal. Of those, a row-crop operation running a case ih magnum and axial-flow fleet that wants as-applied and yield data off the machines without usb sticks and a farm manager who needs to talk an inexperienced operator through a display setting during harvest without driving to the field are not what Datamars Livestock is typically brought in for.
What can Case IH AFS Connect do that Datamars Livestock cannot?
Case IH AFS Connect covers Machine telemetry, Remote display view, Two-way file transfer, Yield and coverage mapping. Datamars Livestock covers EID and visual tag management, Weigh session capture, Average daily gain, Auto-drafting.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Case IH AFS Connect: Is AFS Connect the same thing as FieldOps?

FieldOps is the rebuilt CNH portal and app that AFS Connect accounts have been migrating into. The underlying machine connectivity is the same; the branding and interface changed.

Datamars Livestock: Do I have to pay for the software?

It has historically been included with purchase of Datamars and Tru-Test hardware. The January 2026 cloud migration is the point at which to confirm what the ongoing terms are.

Case IH AFS Connect: Do I still pay an annual subscription?

Not on qualifying machines built and purchased from 1 October 2024, where connectivity is included. Older machines with a compatible modem can be activated through a dealer for a one-time fee.

Datamars Livestock: What happens to my Data Link records?

They need to be migrated to the new cloud platform. Export your historical weigh sessions before the transition rather than assuming everything carries across.

Case IH AFS Connect: Can I use it with John Deere or New Holland machines in the same fleet?

Not natively in any useful way. New Holland shares CNH infrastructure but sits in its own portal, and Deere data has to come in through API sharing or a third-party farm management platform.

Datamars Livestock: Will it work with Gallagher scales?

Not natively in the way it works with Tru-Test hardware. You lose the automatic session sync that is the main reason to use it.

Case IH AFS Connect: What does it cost to add to a used tractor?

The subscription may be cheap or free, but the display, receiver and modem retrofit are the cost, and those are quoted per machine by the dealer into five figures.

Datamars Livestock: Does it handle NAIT and NLIS?

Yes, for New Zealand and Australia respectively, generating movement and identification records from the same EID scans used for weighing.

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