Mercury Diagnostic App vs SureShade Bimini Control
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Mercury Diagnostic App
This app allows Mercury dealer technicians to perform basic diagnostics on SmartCraft® engines. It provides live engine data, fault information, runtime history, and custom data lists. Full functionality requires a license key and a VesselView Mobile module.
- View live SmartCraft® engine data
- Create custom data lists
- Obtain active faults
- View runtime history
- Enter maintenance records
- Wireless communication via Bluetooth
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Mercury Marine’s Diagnostic App (MDA) enables Mercury dealer technicians to easily switch between VesselView Mobile rigged boats (or a module carried with them) throughout the day to do basic diagnostics on SmartCraft® engines with the phone in their pockets. MDA provides the ability to create custom data lists to view live engine data, obtain active faults, view runtime history, create reports, and more. The full functionality of the app is enabled with a license key obtained from Mercury Marine and works in conjunction with the Bluetooth Low Energy VesselView Mobile module. When the app is open and connected to your vessel it requires a continuous connection and therefore may impact the battery life of your device. Features: • View live SmartCraft® engine data and create custom data lists with: RPM, Battery Voltage, Engine Temperature, Engine Hours, Oil Temperature, Oil Pressure, Coolant Temperature, Sea Temperature and more! • View active fault and corresponding descriptive fault information • View engine hours and runtime history • Enter Maintenance records • Communicate wirelessly to SmartCraft® engines through a Bluetooth Low Energy connection and a connected VesselView Mobile module • Allows for normal phone operation – call, text, streaming music, search the web, etc. while connected to a Mercury Marine SmartCraft® engine ************ IMPORTANT INFORMATION ************************* • MDA is limited to use by Mercury Marine Dealers. A software license key is required to use this app. • MDA is designed to work with the VesselView Mobile module that may already be rigged on a boat, or may be purchased through your dealership or through a link inside the app. A firmware update to the VesselView Mobile module may be required to use MDA. *Requires version 1.0.3 firmware or later. • The VesselView Mobile module works with SmartCraft® capable engines built since 2003 (40HP and up). One to four engines can be viewed simultaneously. • The VesselView Mobile module simply connects to a SmartCraft® connector located either at the helm or on the engine. • Continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life.
SureShade Bimini Control
Control your Bluetooth-enabled SureShade system remotely from your smartphone. Effortlessly raise and lower your shade without needing to interact with the physical controller.
- Bluetooth connectivity
- Remote shade control
- Raise and lower functionality
- Smartphone integration
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Connect to and control your bluetooth enabled SureShade from your smartphone. SureShade Connect enables you to raise and lower your SureShade without needing to touch the controller.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: SureShade Bimini Control at 5.0 against Mercury Diagnostic App's 3.0. SureShade Bimini Control also leads on update cadence (every 2 months vs every 11 months) and ratings volume (3 vs 1). Mercury Diagnostic App's advantage is iOS requirement (10.0 vs 13.0). 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.
SureShade Bimini Control holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 3 respectively.
Mercury Diagnostic App ships an update every 11 months, SureShade Bimini Control every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Mercury Diagnostic App | SureShade Bimini Control |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.0 (1 ratings) | 5.0 (3 ratings) — better |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 3 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 11 months | Every 2 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 10.0 — better | 13.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 73 MB | 4 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Mercury Marine LLC | onceLabs LLC |
Customer experience
Mercury Diagnostic App
SureShade Bimini Control
In-app purchases
Mercury Diagnostic App
No in-app purchases
SureShade Bimini Control
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Mercury Diagnostic App free?
Is SureShade Bimini Control free?
Which has better reviews, Mercury Diagnostic App or SureShade Bimini Control?
Do Mercury Diagnostic App or SureShade Bimini Control have ads?
Which is updated more often, Mercury Diagnostic App or SureShade Bimini Control?
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