Caterpillar Inc. vs John Deere: Field & outdoor compared

November 2026 edition · assessment by Frontier Tech Intelligence

Caterpillar Inc. ranks 3 on the Robotics 100 with a score of 96; John Deere ranks 28 with 86. Caterpillar Inc. is ahead on deployment, progress, technology and leverage. Level on production, commercials, positioning and firepower. Caterpillar Inc. is based in Irving, United States, John Deere in Moline, United States. John Deere: Established. Caterpillar Inc. is named in 34 signals and John Deere in 25.

Caterpillar Inc. →

Irving, Texas, United States · Robotics · Systems / Field & outdoor · caterpillar.com

Caterpillar develops and deploys autonomous construction and mining equipment for jobsites, factories, and other outdoor worksites, including CivNav-guided machines and physical-AI systems.

Robotics 100 · rank 3 · score 96AI Core · prospect · score 33

Scores, Robotics (of 10)

Deployment10
Production8
Commercials8
Progress9
Technology10
Positioning10
Firepower10
Leverage10

Darker bar: ahead of the other company on that measure.

Latest signals

  • Caterpillar and FieldAI partner to advance physical AI and robotics for industrial safety and efficiencyRobot News
  • Caterpillar and FieldAI are applying digital twins and NVIDIA technologies to industrial autonomy.RoboticsTomorrow
  • Caterpillar and FieldAI are collaborating on autonomous physical AI for jobsites and factories.RoboticsTomorrow

34 signals name Caterpillar Inc..

Facts, with sources

  • Caterpillar and FieldAI partner to advance physical AI and robotics for industrial safety and efficiencywww.irobotnews.com — 2026-09-14
  • Caterpillar and FieldAI are collaborating on autonomous physical AI for jobsites and factoriesRoboticsTomorrow
  • Caterpillar and FieldAI are using NVIDIA accelerated computing and Omniverse to build operational digital twinsThe AI Insider

10 facts on file.

John Deere →

Moline, Illinois, United States · Robotics · Systems / Field & outdoor · Established · deere.com

Through Bear Flag Robotics, GUSS Automation, and autonomous tractor initiatives, John Deere builds and deploys autonomous agricultural machinery for field and orchard operations.

Robotics 100 · rank 28 · score 86AI Core · discarded · score 43

Scores, Robotics (of 10)

Deployment8
Production8
Commercials8
Progress8
Technology8
Positioning10
Firepower10
Leverage8

Darker bar: ahead of the other company on that measure.

Positioning

John Deere is a US agricultural-machinery giant (FY26 net-income guidance $4.75-5B) putting autonomy kits on 8R/9R tractors and running See & Spray on ~1/3 of North American sprayer orders (~2x YoY), with 520M engaged acres in its Operations Center. It acquired GUSS Automation (August 2025), launched See & Scout, and raised FY26 guidance despite a large-ag downturn. It is scaling autonomy across an existing installed base.

Latest signals

  • John Deere updated its 500 R sprayer range with sensor-based boom-height control.L'Usine Nouvelle
  • John Deere updated its combine harvester ranges with expanded automation and harvesting capabilities.L'Usine Nouvelle
  • ASI equipped U.S. Sugar’s John Deere tractors with the Mobius autonomous fleet-orchestration platform.The Robot Report

25 signals name John Deere.

Facts, with sources

  • [object Object]The Robot Report
  • ASI equipped U.S. Sugar’s John Deere tractors with the Mobius autonomous fleet-orchestration platform.The Robot Report
  • John Deere is moving FurrowVision and ExactEmerge planter upgrades into full production.The Robot Report

17 facts on file.

More comparisons

Questions this page answers

Caterpillar Inc. or John Deere: which is ahead in robotics?

Caterpillar Inc. ranks 3 on the Robotics 100 with a score of 96; John Deere ranks 28 with 86. Caterpillar Inc. is ahead on deployment, progress, technology and leverage. Level on production, commercials, positioning and firepower. Caterpillar Inc. is based in Irving, United States, John Deere in Moline, United States. John Deere: Established. Caterpillar Inc. is named in 34 signals and John Deere in 25.

How do Caterpillar Inc. and John Deere compare?

Caterpillar Inc. ranks 3 on the Robotics 100 with a score of 96; John Deere ranks 28 with 86. Caterpillar Inc. is ahead on deployment, progress, technology and leverage. Level on production, commercials, positioning and firepower. Caterpillar Inc. is based in Irving, United States, John Deere in Moline, United States. John Deere: Established. Caterpillar Inc. is named in 34 signals and John Deere in 25. Both company files carry the scores on eight measures, the facts with sources and the latest signals.

Every comparison here comes from the same files members use every day.

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