# Carmin vs BimmerRefs

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.

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. Both last shipped on October 16, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Carmin | BimmerRefs |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $3.99 |
| Rating | **[4.3 (223 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/carmin/id1527982107/reviews)** | [3.9 (7 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bimmerrefs/id1602258173/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **223** | 7 |
| Positive reviews | 55.4% of reviews | **56.5% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Paid |
| Size | 18 MB | 18 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12** | 18.6 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Chuan Nguyen Van](https://appshunter.io/developer/1527982109) | [Manuel Rodriguez](https://appshunter.io/developer/1602210682) |

## What reviewers say

### Carmin

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/carmin/id1527982107)

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.

**Highlights:** Electrical wiring diagrams, Regularly updated diagrams, Videos library, Technical documents, Car repair reference, Study purposes

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| Annual | $49.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 📚 Comprehensive vehicle diagram database
- 💰 Free version available with good content
- 🎯 Helpful for car diagnostics and repairs
- ⚡ Quick access to wiring information
- 🌍 Supports multiple vehicle brands and models

**What reviewers complain about**

- 📺 Excessive advertisements in free version
- 🐛 Frequent app crashes and instability on iOS
- 🚫 Limited vehicle coverage (missing years and models)
- 🔤 Diagrams display as code/symbols instead of images
- 🌐 Language limitations (primarily English)

**Reported bugs**

- 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

**Requested features**

- 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


### BimmerRefs

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bimmerrefs/id1602258173)

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.

**Highlights:** BMW parts catalog, Part number lookup, Compatibility checker, Assembly diagrams, VIN code search, Favorite cars list, Wheel specifications, Genuine color catalog

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Carmin free?

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

### Is BimmerRefs free?

BimmerRefs costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Carmin or BimmerRefs?

Carmin is rated higher. Carmin averages 4.3 out of 5 from 223 ratings, while BimmerRefs averages 3.9 from 7 ratings.

### Do Carmin or BimmerRefs have ads?

Carmin shows ads; BimmerRefs does not.

### Which is updated more often, Carmin or BimmerRefs?

Carmin ships an update every 5 weeks, and BimmerRefs every 2 weeks. Most recently, Carmin was updated on October 16, 2026 and BimmerRefs on October 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.*