Abstract: Against the backdrop of digital technology empowering rural revitalization, farmers’ cooperatives, as key carriers connecting small-scale farmers with modern agriculture, their digital transformation is an important path to address development dilemmas and strengthen the effect of linking and benefiting farmers. Based on a comparative case study of a production-oriented (DH Cooperative Union) and a service-oriented (YL Cooperative Union), this paper explored the practical paths, effects and differentiated dilemmas of the digital transformation of cooperatives. The research showed that the core positioning determined the difference in transformation paths: production-oriented cooperatives formed a production digital path of “Variety research and development-planting management-quality traceability” , focusing on improving the quality and efficiency of single products; service-oriented cooperatives constructed a full-chain digital service path of “production empowerment-resource integration-interest linkage” , focusing on the coordination of multiple subjects. Both types of cooperatives had achieved economic and social benefits, with effects highly consistent with their own positioning, but faced differentiated dilemmas: production-oriented cooperatives are troubled by insufficient facility adaptability, low farmer participation and weak data value transformation, while service-oriented cooperatives faced challenges such as unbalanced network coverage, difficulty in demand adaptation and lack of trust in interest linkage. Accordingly, this paper puts forward suggestions from three aspects: scenario-based infrastructure construction, hierarchical digital literacy training and differentiated institutional guarantees, providing reference for the digital transformation of different types of cooperatives and helping small-scale farmers integrate into modern agriculture.