AirDrive System vs OBD Mate
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
AirDrive System
Configure and customize your vehicle's performance instrumentation system. This app pairs with a hardware module to wirelessly transmit vehicle data to gauges, allowing for custom backlighting, alarms, and data visualization.
- OBDII based plug-n-play instrumentation
- Wireless data transmission to gauges
- View available vehicle data (PIDs)
- Pair data with AirDrive gauges
- Customize gauge backlighting
- Set visual alarms and warning points
- View minimum and maximum recorded values
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The AutoMeter AirDrive System Configuration App puts you in control of your AirDrive Instrumentation System. The AutoMeter AirDrive System is the most advanced OBDII based plug-n-play perfromance instrumentation solution in the market. This highly engineered system delivers the best in instrumentation accuracy, ease of installation, and user configuration. The AirDrive System eliminates the need to install sensors by repurposing sender data that is already present on your vehicle by wirelessly transmitting this data from your vehicle (through the OBDII port) to AutoMeter's Award Winning AirDrive gauges. The free AirDrive System Configuration App enables you to easily see what vehicle data (PID's) is available from your vehicle, and then it helps you effortlessly pair that data with the appropriate AutoMeter AirDrive gauge. The app then lets you fully customize the look and functionality of your AirDrive gauges. You can select custom backlighting colors, visual alarms and warning points, and see minimum and maximum values recorded for each gauge on your system. Each AirDrive Control Module (which plugs into our vehicles OBD II Port) interfaces with your AirDrive System Configuration App and can drive up to three separate gauges. Because all vehicles are different and utilize different communication protocols, we High Recommend that you verify your vehicle’s compatibility with this advanced technology system by downloading the app and using the integrated compatibility tool to verify that your vehicle is covered and which gauges will function in the plug-n-play mode. The thousands of vehicles we’ve interacted with (this list keeps growing!) are displayed in the configuration utility in the preview mode along with the available PIDs for those vehicles so you can easily se if your vehicle and gauge are covered. The availability of a PID from your vehicle for a gauge that you would like to add your system is an excellent indicator that this system should work in plug-n-play mode on your vehicle. The full application is unlocked as soon as it is paired with the AutoMeter AirDrive Module. The AutoMeter AirDrive Configuration App puts you in control of your system.
OBD Mate
Diagnose vehicle faults and receive driving assistance using your smartphone or tablet. Connect via Bluetooth to read and clear error codes, monitor sensor data, and view custom dashboards for a better driving experience.
- Fault diagnosis
- Driving assistance
- Read and clear codes
- Freeze frame data
- O2 sensor monitoring
- Customizable dashboard
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The OBD assistant is a driving companion that can communicate with the vehicle terminal through Bluetooth using smartphones and tablets to complete functions such as fault diagnosis and driving assistance. It not only has rich and comprehensive vehicle detection and diagnosis functions such as fault code reading and clearing, freeze frames, battery voltage, gearbox, and performance testing, but also has a cool instrument panel and driving assistance functions, making driving more fun.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: AirDrive System at 3.6 against OBD Mate's 1.8. AirDrive System also leads on iOS requirement (8.0 vs 13.0). OBD Mate's advantage is update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 6 months) and ratings volume (115 vs 5). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
AirDrive System holds the better App Store score, 3.6 against 1.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: OBD Mate has 115 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 0% of AirDrive System's written reviews are positive against 9% of OBD Mate's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
AirDrive System ships an update every 6 months, OBD Mate every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 10, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | AirDrive System | OBD Mate |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.6 (5 ratings) — better | 1.8 (115 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | 9.4% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 5 | 115 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | Every 5 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 8.0 — better | 13.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 131 MB | 365 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Auto Meter Products, Inc. | Autophix Tech Co., Ltd |
Customer experience
AirDrive System
OBD Mate
In-app purchases
AirDrive System
No in-app purchases
OBD Mate
No in-app purchases







