Comparison

Directed SmartStart vs Smart Car Key

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Directed SmartStart

Control your car remotely from your smartphone or smartwatch. Start, lock, unlock, and locate your vehicle, with advanced features like real-time status and safety notifications. Includes roadside assistance access.

Highlights
  • Remote start, lock, unlock
  • Vehicle location tracking
  • Real-time vehicle status
  • Safety notifications (speeding, geofencing)
  • Trunk release and panic button
  • Roadside assistance access
  • Apple Watch control
Features
Read full description

Start, locate and control your car from virtually anywhere with your iPhone or Apple watch! "Making the cloud-connected car a reality" - Edmunds.com "Without a doubt, one of the coolest apps I've ever seen" - GIZMODO With the release of its all-new 5th generation Directed SmartStart app, connecting with and controlling your vehicle is easier than ever – including real time status via the updated dashboards, and control via your Apple watch! - Add a Directed SmartStart GPS module to the Directed remote start or security system in your car so you can start, lock and unlock your car from virtually anywhere. You can also locate your car, share its location with your friends or family, and get safety notifications if your Directed SmartStart-protected car is speeding or goes where it's not supposed to go. - For the ultimate connected car experience, install a complete Directed SmartStart Digital System and you’ll also get engine runtime and real time status on your choice of app dashboard. Get notified if your vehicle sets a diagnostic code, or check your fuel, battery, or odometer right in the app! - All 4G LTE GPS modules come with a free 30-day GPS trial so you can check out the cool features right away, and there’s even an option for a year of free Basic service. Step up to Secure service to get 2-way control confirmations or add GPS or Small Fleet & Family for the ultimate in car control and monitoring along with extended warranty and theft protection. The sleek, modern dashboards of Directed SmartStart 5.3 mobile app give you fingertip control over the following features of your installed Viper remote start or security/remote start system: - Lock/arm - Unlock/disarm - Remote car starter - Trunk release - Panic - Aux channels Follow these three simple steps to get Directed SmartStart: 1) Download the free Directed SmartStart app 2) Get a SmartStart system installed in your vehicle 3) Set up your account, and start using your SmartStart system Directed SmartStart also includes Directed Motor Club, providing convenient 24/7 access to our nationwide roadside assistance network. Just press a button in the app to get connected for towing due to breakdown or accidents, or assistance with a dead battery or flat tire. Member roadside assistance is free with Secure or higher level service plans and pre-registration. Even if you don’t sign up, you can use the guest program for the same great service at a fixed cost. Latest features: - Real time status on your favorite dashboard! Check the remote start runtime or whether your doors are locked and more instantly just by opening the app! (digital systems only) - Monitor the battery, odometer, and fuel level in the extended Status page (requires a digital system, some features may not be supported on all vehicles) - Convenient widget for one-touch command execution without needing to open the app first - Start, lock, unlock or locate your car using your Apple watch, or send other commands - Receive alert notifications on your phone and Apple watch - Four user-selectable dashboards and launch page settings – now you can customize the app for the way you use it - Modern dashboard "swipe up to start" feature eliminates accidental remote start commands - Map page integrates GPS and SmartPark features seamlessly – locate your vehicle, or track down where you parked - Manage notifications: Each user can select how they want to receive alerts or other notifications. Choose from push alerts with custom sound effects, email, or SMS (SMS alerts may not be available outside North America)

About

Smart Car Key

Control your car remotely via your smartphone. Track its location, lock/unlock doors, and manage maintenance schedules. This app helps you stay connected to your vehicle.

Highlights
  • Remote lock and unlock
  • Vehicle status monitoring
  • Car location tracking
  • Maintenance scheduling
  • Saved place pins
Features
Read full description

Smart Car Key is a mobile app that allows you to track, monitor, and unlock your car from your phone, car location utilities, car maintenance and much more. REMOTE CONNECT: - Monitor and track vehicle status. - Lock and unlock your car. LOCATION UTILITIES: - Allows to create pins on chosen coordinates of your car position, see and edit a list of the saved places. CAR MAINTENANCE: - Create your vehicle and add maintenance items associated with that vehicle. - Add or update a description for the maintenance item (event). NOTICE: - Product, logos and brand names are for identification purpose only and do not indicate endorsement of or affiliation with our application. Information about the auto-renewal of subscription - The pricing are from $6.99 monthly, $19.99 yearly - Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase - Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period - Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period. The cost depends on the selected plan - Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase - Any unused portion of the free trial will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription Visit our website: https://sunny.automotive.vina.ltd-company-vn.com Privacy Policy: https://sunny.automotive.vina.ltd-company-vn.com/pp Term of Use: https://sunny.automotive.vina.ltd-company-vn.com/tos

Screenshots

Directed SmartStart4 screens
Smart Car Key4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Smart Car Key at 3.7 against Directed SmartStart's 2.7. Smart Car Key also leads on update cadence (daily vs every 3 months). Directed SmartStart's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and review sentiment (22% vs 0%). On price, ratings volume, ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Smart Car Key sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. Directed SmartStart asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Smart Car Key holds the better App Store score, 3.7 against 2.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 123 and 46 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 22% of Directed SmartStart's written reviews are positive against 0% of Smart Car Key's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Directed SmartStart ships an update every 3 months, Smart Car Key daily. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Directed SmartStart versus Smart Car Key: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDirected SmartStartSmart Car Key
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.7 (123 ratings)3.7 (46 ratings) — better
Positive reviews22.0% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings123 — better46
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsDaily — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterSubscription
DevicesiPhone, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS14.0 — better14.2
Further details — not scored
Size179 MB31 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperDirectedSUNNY AUTOMOTIVE VINA COMPANY LIMITED

Customer experience

Directed SmartStart

All ratings123 ratings
Positive39.0%
Neutral10.6%
Negative50.4%
Written reviews132 reviews
Positive22.0%
Neutral11.4%
Negative66.7%

Smart Car Key

All ratings46 ratings
Positive63.0%
Neutral6.5%
Negative30.4%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

Bugs and requests

Directed SmartStart

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App crashes on launch
  • Geofencing not working
  • Remote start failures
  • Incorrect vehicle status

Requested features

4 requests
  • Siri/Shortcuts integration
  • Improved status indicators
  • Scheduled remote start
  • Multilingual support

Smart Car Key

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Directed SmartStart

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Smart Car Key

Subscriptions2
  • Premium Car Key Monthly$6.991 Month
  • Premium Car Key Yearly$19.991 Year

Questions

Is Directed SmartStart free?
Directed SmartStart is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Smart Car Key free?
Smart Car Key is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Directed SmartStart or Smart Car Key?
Smart Car Key is rated higher. Directed SmartStart averages 2.7 out of 5 from 123 ratings, while Smart Car Key averages 3.7 from 46 ratings.
Do Directed SmartStart or Smart Car Key have ads?
Neither Directed SmartStart nor Smart Car Key shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Directed SmartStart or Smart Car Key?
Directed SmartStart ships an update every 3 months, and Smart Car Key daily. Most recently, Directed SmartStart was updated on October 15, 2026 and Smart Car Key on September 30, 2026.

Other comparisons