Comparison

Engine Link vs ActiveOBD

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

Head to head
About

Engine Link

Transform your iPhone into a powerful vehicle diagnostics tool. Monitor real-time performance, read and clear fault codes, and customize your dashboard with detailed sensor data. Supports emission testing and offers a HUD mode for night driving.

Highlights
  • Real-time vehicle monitoring
  • Read and clear OBD fault codes
  • Customizable gauges and dashboards
  • MPG widget and fuel efficiency plotting
  • Heads up display (HUD) mode
  • Horsepower, torque, and acceleration metrics
  • Custom PID support
Features
Read full description

EngineLink will turn your iPhone/iPod into vehicle / car performance / diagnostics tool and scanner that uses an OBD II WIFI adapter or a low Energy Bluetooth adapter (LELink, LELink2, Carista, Viecar) to connect to your OBD2 engine management / ECU. The only iPhone app does custom PID, now supports Torque custom PID file. BENEFITS: * Emission Test. * See what your car is doing in real-time. * Read and clear OBD fault codes. * Display car performance and sensor data. * Customizable gauges, showing only the data you were interested in * Top Ranked Car App * No in-app purchase and No subscription fees! __________________ FEATURES: + Show and reset a DTC / CEL / fault code (current, pending and history) like a scan tool + Graph data + MPG widget to plot real time fuel efficiency + Heads up display / HUD mode for night time driving (mirror the display on your vehicle's windshield) + Can read Transmission Temperatures (vehicle dependant) + Horsepower/HP & Torque / acceleration + Boost / vacuum gauge + Engine speed / Engine RPM / Engine Load /Coolant / Fuel Tank + Customizable dashboard + Full configurable GUI with user choice of dial gauge, bar gauge, plot gauge, digital gauge, and on-off gauge as display elements + Full custom PID support. + Formula support. + Preloaded GM and Ford PID libraries + Preloaded standard PID library and Prius PID libraries . + User can add more libraries within the app or by using iTunes File Sharing + Multiple ECU support. Non-CAN, 11-bit CAN, and 29-bit CAN ECU bus types + Multiframe data support + Background color option + Email user log function (access by long pressing custom PID screen) + Multiple PID formula support + 0 to 60mph timer and quarter mile timer __________________ EngineLink supports all OBD-II and EOBD compliant vehicles sold worldwide. If in doubt check with your manufacturer first or look for 'OBD2' on written on a big white label in your engine bay. The app needs an ELM compatible Bluetooth Low Energy (for iPhone4s and later) or Wi-Fi adapter to work. You can check Developer WebSite for Adapter Guide: http://www.outdoor-apps.com/enginelink.html *** If you have Bluetooth OBD adaptor, please contact support@ksolution.org for instruction before you purchase this app. Drop us an email for any suggestions/questions you may have at support@ksolution.org. We will answer.

About

ActiveOBD

This app functions as an OBDII scanner, offering specialized support for Subaru vehicles (MY2012+). It provides basic parameter readings for free, with a subscription unlocking advanced features like trouble code reading and data logging.

Highlights
  • OBDII scanning
  • Subaru-specific support (MY2012+)
  • CVT Oil Temperature reading
  • AWD duty (%) parameter reading
  • Trouble code reading (full version)
  • Data logging (full version)
  • Graphs building (full version)
Features
Read full description

The OBDII scanner app with a special support of Subaru (MY2012+) make. It's the next-generation product based on our well-known "ActiveOBD for Subaru" app bringing its best features to iOS users. A compatible OBD adapter is required. Premium-level adapters supported (best speed and stability): - OBDLink MX+; - OBDLink CX; - vLinker MC+. Entry-level adapters supported (moderate speed, good stability): - Vgate iCar Pro Bluetooth 4.0 (BLE). Other adapters supported: - Viecar Bluetooth 4.0 (BLE), Vgate iCar Pro WiFi, Veepeak OBDCheck BLE+, KONNWEI. We do NOT support the majority of cheap ELM327 v2.1 clones. The basic free version already includes CVT Oil Temperature, CVT ratio and AWD duty (%) parameter readings and nice gauge screen ! Note: some of these parameters are inaccessible on some model ranges. The full version (subscription) includes extra parameters reading and features, such as graphs building, logging ("premium-level adapter" required), trouble codes reading. Note: for resource consumption optimization reason the data collection for graphs/logging activates upon accessing these functions and terminates with the current app session. Terms of Use (standard Apple Terms of Use / EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Engine Link4 screens
ActiveOBD4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: ActiveOBD at Free against Engine Link's $5.99. ActiveOBD also leads on rating (3.6 vs 2.9). Engine Link's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1). On review sentiment, ratings volume, update cadence and ads 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

ActiveOBD is free to download; Engine Link costs $5.99 up front. ActiveOBD sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $4.99 per month. Engine Link asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

ActiveOBD holds the better App Store score, 3.6 against 2.9. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 62 and 39 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 38% of Engine Link's written reviews are positive against 45% of ActiveOBD's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Engine Link ships an update every 2 months, ActiveOBD every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Engine Link versus ActiveOBD: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterEngine LinkActiveOBD
Price$5.99Free — better
Rating2.9 (62 ratings)3.6 (39 ratings) — better
Positive reviews38.2% of reviews45.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings62 — better39
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS12.0 — better13.0
Further details — not scored
Size10 MB24 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperK SOLUTION LLCMykhailo Zolotarov

Customer experience

Engine Link

All ratings62 ratings
Positive45.2%
Neutral6.5%
Negative48.4%
Written reviews204 reviews
Positive38.2%
Neutral9.8%
Negative52.0%

ActiveOBD

All ratings39 ratings
Positive61.5%
Neutral10.3%
Negative28.2%
Written reviews22 reviews
Positive45.5%
Neutral13.6%
Negative40.9%

Bugs and requests

Engine Link

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App crashes on connection
  • Fails to read/clear error codes
  • Inaccurate sensor readings
  • Compatibility issues with certain OBD dongles

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add support for more vehicle types
  • Improve user interface and customization options
  • Add more PID support, especially for EVs
  • Implement language localization
  • Improve data logging and export capabilities

ActiveOBD

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Engine Link

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

ActiveOBD

Subscriptions1
  • Full Version Subscription1 Month trial$4.991 Month

Questions

Is Engine Link free?
Engine Link costs $5.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is ActiveOBD free?
ActiveOBD is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Engine Link or ActiveOBD?
ActiveOBD is rated higher. Engine Link averages 2.9 out of 5 from 62 ratings, while ActiveOBD averages 3.6 from 39 ratings.
Do Engine Link or ActiveOBD have ads?
Neither Engine Link nor ActiveOBD shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Engine Link or ActiveOBD?
Engine Link ships an update every 2 months, and ActiveOBD every 3 months. Most recently, Engine Link was updated on October 20, 2026 and ActiveOBD on October 15, 2026.

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