# OBD Mate vs CAR OBD

The clearest difference is rating: CAR OBD at 5.0 against OBD Mate's 1.8. OBD Mate's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 5) and ratings volume (115 vs 1). On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. CAR OBD sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. OBD Mate asks for nothing beyond the download.

CAR OBD holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 1.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: OBD Mate has 115 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 9% of OBD Mate's written reviews are positive against 0% of CAR OBD's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

OBD Mate ships an update every 5 weeks, CAR OBD every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and September 16, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | OBD Mate | CAR OBD |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [1.8 (115 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/obd-mate/id1405374762/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/car-obd/id6470771313/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **115** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | **9.4% of reviews** | 0.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 5 weeks** | Every 6 weeks |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 365 MB | 15 MB |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | 13 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Autophix Tech Co., Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/650288249) | [Dongguan Shendu Research Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1827187525) |

## What reviewers say

### OBD Mate

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/obd-mate/id1405374762)

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.

**Highlights:** Fault diagnosis, Driving assistance, Read and clear codes, Freeze frame data, O2 sensor monitoring, Customizable dashboard

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### CAR OBD

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/car-obd/id6470771313)

This utility app helps users manage car keys by facilitating the matching of existing keys and the addition of new ones. It supports both single key additions and batch processing for multiple keys.

**Highlights:** Match car keys, Add single car key, Batch add multiple keys, Supports iPhone and iPad

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| OBD number recharge One | $3.00 | one-time |
| OBD number recharge Two | $6.00 | one-time |
| OBD number recharge three | $9.00 | one-time |
| OBD number recharge four | $12.00 | one-time |
| OBD number recharge five | $15.00 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is OBD Mate free?

OBD Mate is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is CAR OBD free?

CAR OBD is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, OBD Mate or CAR OBD?

CAR OBD is rated higher. OBD Mate averages 1.8 out of 5 from 115 ratings, while CAR OBD averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do OBD Mate or CAR OBD have ads?

Neither OBD Mate nor CAR OBD shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, OBD Mate or CAR OBD?

OBD Mate ships an update every 5 weeks, and CAR OBD every 6 weeks. Most recently, OBD Mate was updated on October 16, 2026 and CAR OBD on September 16, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*