Kicker U vs Carmin
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Kicker U
Access a mobile-audio installation toolbox with this app. Design and build custom enclosures, assist with subwoofer wiring, and utilize various calculators for port conversion and tuning frequency. Save Thiele-Small parameters to create custom boxes for any driver.
- Mobile audio installation knowledge
- Custom enclosure design
- Subwoofer wiring assistance
- Port conversion calculator
- Tuning frequency calculator
- Thiele-Small parameter saving
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Subwoofer school’s in session! You’ve now enrolled into KICKER U, where you have instant access to a toolbox of mobile-audio installation knowledge. Let KICKER U help you design and build custom enclosures and assist with wiring subwoofers. This version contains calculators for converting your port from round to slot or vice versa, calculate the tuning frequency of your existing enclosure as well as the ability to enter and save Thiele-Small parameters to create boxes for any driver you own along with many other features.
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
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Carmin at Free against Kicker U's $3.99. Carmin also leads on rating (4.3 vs 2.3) and review sentiment (55% vs 43%). Kicker U's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and ads (none vs shown). On update cadence 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; Kicker U costs $3.99 up front. Carmin sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Kicker U asks for nothing beyond the download.
Carmin holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 2.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 50 and 223 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 43% of Kicker U's written reviews are positive against 55% of Carmin's.
Kicker U ships an update every 3 weeks, Carmin every 5 weeks. Both last shipped on October 16, 2026.
| Parameter | Kicker U | Carmin |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $3.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 2.3 (50 ratings) | 4.3 (223 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 42.7% of reviews | 55.4% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 50 | 223 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks — better | Every 5 weeks |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #33 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 9.0 — better | 12 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 87 MB | 18 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Kicker | Chuan Nguyen Van |
Customer experience
Kicker U
Carmin
User reviews
Kicker U
From 50 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Useful for box building
- 👍 Handy for tuning amps
- 👍 Good for Kicker product specs
- 👍 Time saver for installers
- 👍 Provides cut lists
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent crashes
- 🐛 No back button
- 🐛 Poor color contrast
- 🐛 Missing newer sub models
- 🐛 Inconsistent calculations
Carmin
From 223 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 📚 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
Room to improve
- 📺 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)
Bugs and requests
Kicker U
Reported bugs
32 issues- App crashes on opening driver manages and box building
- App crashes on iOS 18.6
- App consistently freezes
- Sine sweep quit working
- App shuts down when selecting box builder
Show 27 moreShow fewer
- App kicks user out when trying to manage drives
- App force closes when trying to save a box
- App force closes when entering specs
- App keeps closing out when opened
- App crashes when loading saved enclosures
- Tone generator crashes the app
- Saved box builds crash the app
- Custom subwoofer specs not working
- App doesn't show ports in box template
- White text on light grey screen is unreadable
- Colors make numbers unreadable
- Airspace calculator hard to understand
- Frequency generator issues
- Saved boxes crash the app
- Tone generator not working
- App crashes when trying to use tone generator
- App shuts down when trying to save an enclosure
- App doesn't work with custom speakers
- App doesn't calculate real boxes
- App doesn't give order for measurements in custom box builder
- App doesn't show cut list for ports
- App doesn't allow customization of box dimensions
- App doesn't show what to put in each box field
- App doesn't have BL or MMS for Kicker products
- App not compatible with iPhone OS
- App doesn't work with iPhone 5
- App doesn't work with iPhone 6/6+
Requested features
12 requests- Add back button
- Include newer sub models (L7T, L7S, Solo X)
- Improve color contrast/readability
- Add port and vent visualization in box builder
- Generate more box templates
Show 7 moreShow fewer
- Allow adjustment of specs for recommendations
- Add downfiring enclosure option
- Add amp specs
- Support for more than 2 woofers
- Support for different material thicknesses (5/8, 1/2)
- Allow customization of box dimensions
- Add a mini forum for help
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
Show 9 moreShow fewer
- 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
Show 10 moreShow fewer
- 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
In-app purchases
Kicker U
No in-app purchases
Carmin
- Monthly$4.991 Month
- Annual$49.991 Year
Questions
Is Kicker U free?
Is Carmin free?
Which has better reviews, Kicker U or Carmin?
Do Kicker U or Carmin have ads?
Which is updated more often, Kicker U or Carmin?
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