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Agriculture · head to head

Case IH AFS Connect vs SMARTBOW

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
-
Full reviewWebsite
SMARTBOW logo

SMARTBOW

Agriculture

Ear tag cow monitoring with real-time indoor location, from Zoetis

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

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.; SMARTBOW real-time location depends on receivers covering the whole barn plus an on-farm server, so the install is a building project and the price bears no relation to what a simple activity collar costs.
  • They diverge on capability: Case IH AFS Connect covers Machine telemetry, SMARTBOW covers Real-time location.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Case IH AFS Connect and SMARTBOW differ
AttributeCase IH AFS ConnectSMARTBOW
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWindows, Web, iOS, Android

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 SMARTBOW

  • Real-time location
  • Heat detection
  • Rumination monitoring
  • Health alerts
  • On-farm server
  • Individual baselines
  • Herd software integration

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 SMARTBOW
  • A farm manager who needs to talk an inexperienced operator through a display setting during harvest without driving to the fieldnot SMARTBOW
  • A dealer service department diagnosing an alert remotely before deciding whether to dispatch a techniciannot SMARTBOW
  • An operation buying new Case IH iron after October 2024 that wants connected features without an annual telematics renewalnot SMARTBOW

SMARTBOW

  • A 1,500 cow freestall barn where finding a flagged animal by eye takes twenty minutesnot Case IH AFS Connect
  • A dairy replacing visual heat detection with per-animal oestrus alerts to tighten calving intervalsnot Case IH AFS Connect
  • A herd manager wanting rumination-based early warning of displaced abomasum or metritisnot Case IH AFS Connect
  • A vet practice using behavioural data to audit transition cow management across client herdsnot 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.

SMARTBOW

  • Real-time location depends on receivers covering the whole barn plus an on-farm server, so the install is a building project and the price bears no relation to what a simple activity collar costs.
  • It is an indoor system; a grazing or partly grazed herd loses the location capability that is the main reason to choose it over cheaper monitoring.
  • Ear tags are consumable and go missing with the tag, so the running cost includes replacements at a rate that depends on how rough your handling facilities are.
  • Zoetis ownership means a pharmaceutical company holds continuous behavioural data on every animal alongside your treatment records, and the integration roadmap favours other Zoetis products.
  • Nothing is published on price, and sales run through veterinary and dealer channels, so comparing it against DeLaval, Nedap or CowManager requires several quotes and there is no reference list price.

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

SMARTBOW

On request
  • SMARTBOW$undefined/year
    • Ear tags priced per animal
    • Barn receiver infrastructure and on-farm server quoted per building
    • Installation and commissioning quoted separately

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.
Case IH AFS Connect review

Choose SMARTBOW if

  • You need real-time location.
  • You work on Windows, Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want heat detection.
SMARTBOW review

Questions people ask

Is Case IH AFS Connect or SMARTBOW better?
Neither clearly leads. Case IH AFS Connect starts at On request and SMARTBOW 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 SMARTBOW?
Case IH AFS Connect starts at On request and SMARTBOW at On request.
Does Case IH AFS Connect or SMARTBOW run on more platforms?
Case IH AFS Connect runs on Web, iOS, Android. SMARTBOW runs on Windows, Web, iOS, Android.
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 SMARTBOW is typically brought in for.
What can Case IH AFS Connect do that SMARTBOW cannot?
Case IH AFS Connect covers Machine telemetry, Remote display view, Two-way file transfer, Yield and coverage mapping. SMARTBOW covers Real-time location, Heat detection, Rumination monitoring, Health alerts.

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.

SMARTBOW: What does SMARTBOW do that other activity monitors do not?

Real-time indoor location. It tells you where the flagged cow physically is, not just that she is behaving abnormally.

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.

SMARTBOW: Does it work on grazing herds?

Poorly. Location depends on barn-mounted receivers, so animals out at pasture fall outside the system's coverage.

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.

SMARTBOW: Who owns it?

Zoetis, which also owns Valley Agricultural Software and DairyComp. The technology came from Smartbow GmbH in Austria.

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.

SMARTBOW: Is it cloud based?

Analysis runs on an on-farm server rather than in the cloud, which keeps it working during an internet outage but makes the server your responsibility.

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