Comparison

Directed SmartStart vs VIPER SMARTSTART PRO

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

VIPER SMARTSTART PRO

Control and track your vehicle remotely from your smartphone. Start your car, lock/unlock doors, and monitor its location in real-time. Features include trip review, route tracking, and security alerts.

Highlights
  • Remote start, lock, and unlock
  • Real-time vehicle location tracking
  • Trip review and route tracking
  • Direct Bluetooth control
  • Security alerts for speeding/geofencing
  • Vehicle status monitoring
Read full description

Start, control, and locate your car from virtually anywhere with your iPhone! “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 the all-new VIPER SMARTSTART PRO app, connecting with and controlling your vehicles is easier and more powerful than ever. Send commands, track your vehicle's location in real time, and monitor key status updates right from the integrated control screen, complete with light and dark mode support and seamless vehicle personalization in the Garage. New Features: • Trip Review & Route Tracking: Access detailed logs of your trips and view routes directly on an interactive map to easily monitor where your vehicle has traveled. (Requires a qualifying service plan). • Direct DS4 Bluetooth (BLE) Support: Enjoy direct local control of your DS4 system over Bluetooth. Lock, unlock, remote start, and control up to two custom AUX functions without relying solely on cellular networks. - Add VIPER SMARTSTART PRO GPS to any compatible VIPER remote start or security system in your car, and 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 VIPER SMARTSTART PRO monitored car is speeding or goes where it's not supposed to go. - For the ultimate connected car experience, use your VIPER SMARTSTART PRO as part of a complete VIPER Digital System, and you’ll also get engine runtime and other real-time status info right on the app dashboard. Even if a thief opens your vehicle using a cloned factory fob, you can get alerted immediately while the VIPER security system sounds the alarm and prevents unauthorized vehicle starting. - VIPER SMARTSTART PRO comes with a free 30-day GPS trial so you can check out the cool features right away. You can have Basic 1-way service free for the first year, step up to Secure service to get 2-way control confirmations, or add GPS or Small Fleet & Family plans for the ultimate in car control and monitoring. The simple, uncluttered new control screen design for VIPER SMARTSTART PRO gives you quick, 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 - View current status, including cabin temperature, lock status, remote start runtime, and more at a single glance Follow these three simple steps to get VIPER SMARTSTART PRO: 1) Download the free VIPER SMARTSTART PRO app 2) Get a VIPER SMARTSTART PRO system installed in your vehicle 3) Set up your account and start using your VIPER SMARTSTART PRO system Key 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 vehicle data such as battery voltage, odometer, and fuel level in the extended Vehicle Status tab (requires a digital system; some features may not be supported on all vehicles) - Map page integrates GPS and SmartPark features seamlessly – locate your vehicle, or track down where you parked (live vehicle location requires GPS or Small Fleet & Family GPS plan) - Manage notifications: Each user can select how they want to receive alerts or other notifications. Select push notification, email, or SMS as desired (SMS alerts may not be available outside North America)

Screenshots

Directed SmartStart4 screens
VIPER SMARTSTART PRO4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: VIPER SMARTSTART PRO at free against Directed SmartStart's free with in-app purchases. VIPER SMARTSTART PRO also leads on review sentiment (40% vs 22%) and rating (3.0 vs 2.7). Directed SmartStart's advantage is ratings volume (127 vs 6) and update cadence (every 3 months vs every 8 months). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

VIPER SMARTSTART PRO holds the better App Store score, 3.0 against 2.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Directed SmartStart has 127 ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 22% of Directed SmartStart's written reviews are positive against 40% of VIPER SMARTSTART PRO's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Directed SmartStart ships an update every 3 months, VIPER SMARTSTART PRO every 8 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Directed SmartStart versus VIPER SMARTSTART PRO: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDirected SmartStartVIPER SMARTSTART PRO
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.7 (127 ratings)3.0 (6 ratings) — better
Positive reviews22.0% of reviews40.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings127 — better6
Update frequencyEvery 3 months — betterEvery 8 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS14.0 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size179 MB27 MB
Age rating17+12+
DeveloperDirectedVOXX Electronics Corp

Customer experience

Directed SmartStart

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

VIPER SMARTSTART PRO

All ratings6 ratings
Positive33.3%
Neutral16.7%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive40.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative40.0%

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

VIPER SMARTSTART PRO

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Directed SmartStart

No in-app purchases

None

VIPER SMARTSTART PRO

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Directed SmartStart free?
Directed SmartStart is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is VIPER SMARTSTART PRO free?
VIPER SMARTSTART PRO is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Directed SmartStart or VIPER SMARTSTART PRO?
VIPER SMARTSTART PRO is rated higher. Directed SmartStart averages 2.7 out of 5 from 127 ratings, while VIPER SMARTSTART PRO averages 3.0 from 6 ratings.
Do Directed SmartStart or VIPER SMARTSTART PRO have ads?
Neither Directed SmartStart nor VIPER SMARTSTART PRO shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Directed SmartStart or VIPER SMARTSTART PRO?
Directed SmartStart ships an update every 3 months, and VIPER SMARTSTART PRO every 8 months. Most recently, Directed SmartStart was updated on November 1, 2026 and VIPER SMARTSTART PRO on October 30, 2026.

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