Carmin vs BimmerRefs
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Carmin
Access a comprehensive library of regularly updated automotive electrical wiring diagrams for car repair and study. Includes videos and technical documents for research and reference.
- Electrical wiring diagrams
- Regularly updated diagrams
- Videos library
- Technical documents
- Car repair reference
- Study purposes
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Regularly update for trustful Electrical Wiring Diagrams and can be used to refer when you do repairing car or study purpose. Videos and technical documents library for research, reference just by some clicks. Terms of Service: http://carmin-backend.appspot.com/tos
BimmerRefs
Access comprehensive BMW parts catalogs and diagrams. Find part numbers, check compatibility, and view assembly details for BMW, Mini, Rolls Royce, and Zinoro vehicles. Save favorite cars and explore wheel specs and genuine colors.
- BMW parts catalog
- Part number lookup
- Compatibility checker
- Assembly diagrams
- VIN code search
- Favorite cars list
- Wheel specifications
- Genuine color catalog
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The first and only app in the store compiling data from every single part of BMW and associated brands (Mini, Rolls Royce, Zinoro...). - Find the part number your car needs. - Check the compatibility of a part and see which other cars are using it. - Understand how parts are assembled by looking up the diagrams. - Input car VIN code or part number for a direct access to parts. - Save your favorite cars into a list. - Check up all the BMW Styling wheels and consult its specs. - Consult a large list of genuine colours.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Carmin at Free against BimmerRefs's $3.99. Carmin also leads on rating (4.3 vs 3.9) and ratings volume (223 vs 7). BimmerRefs's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and ads (none vs shown). On review sentiment and device support 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
Carmin is free to download; BimmerRefs costs $3.99 up front. Carmin sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. BimmerRefs asks for nothing beyond the download.
Carmin holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 3.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Carmin has 223 ratings behind it against 7, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 55% of Carmin's written reviews are positive against 57% of BimmerRefs's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Carmin ships an update every 5 weeks, BimmerRefs every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Carmin | BimmerRefs |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $3.99 |
| Rating | 4.3 (223 ratings) — better | 3.9 (7 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 55.4% of reviews | 56.5% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 223 — better | 7 |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases — better | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 12 — better | 18.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 18 MB | 18 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Chuan Nguyen Van | Manuel Rodriguez |
Customer experience
Carmin
BimmerRefs
Bugs and requests
Carmin
Reported bugs
14 issues- App crashes when opening diagrams on iOS
- App only opens one diagram per session before crashing
- Requires reinstallation to function properly
- Diagrams display as code/hieroglyphics instead of images
- Crashes on iOS 15, 16, and 17
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- Startup errors and loading hangs
- iPad display issues (missing diagrams on tablets)
- Incorrect diagram rendering (e.g., Ford Mustang displays crooked)
- Save and print functions not working
- Malicious ad redirects to fake TEMU website
- Ad close buttons unreachable or hidden behind timers
- App incompatible with certain iOS versions
- Crashes when selecting vehicle brands
- Performance degradation after multiple uses
Requested features
15 requests- Search functionality by make/model/year
- Alphabetical sorting of vehicles
- Favorites/bookmarks for frequently used diagrams
- Wiring color codes display
- Ability to isolate specific wiring for clarity
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- Support for older vehicle years (pre-2000)
- Multilingual support (Russian, Spanish, Arabic, German)
- Text entry box for quick vehicle lookup
- Reduce ads in free version
- Support for right-hand drive vehicles
- iPad/tablet optimization
- Add missing vehicle models (Hyundai Elantra, Chevy Malibu 2016-2022, Toyota Veloz, Raize, Wigo)
- iOS 13+ compatibility
- Save and print PDF functionality
- Offline access to diagrams
BimmerRefs
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Carmin
- Monthly$4.991 Month
- Annual$49.991 Year
BimmerRefs
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Carmin free?
Is BimmerRefs free?
Which has better reviews, Carmin or BimmerRefs?
Do Carmin or BimmerRefs have ads?
Which is updated more often, Carmin or BimmerRefs?
Other comparisons
