Tinker DIY vs Gather
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Tinker DIY
Instantly connect with certified automotive experts through live video chat for car repair help, pre-purchase inspections, or rideshare vehicle safety checks. Get professional guidance for buying, selling, or maintaining your vehicle.
- Live video chat with experts
- Rideshare inspection
- Turo annual safety inspection
- Used car buying/selling guidance
- Real-time car repair assistance
- ASE-certified mechanics
Read full descriptionHide full description
Access certified automotive experts instantly via live video chat. Get Uber or Lyft rideshare inspections, Turo annual safety inspections, real-time car repair help, or expert guidance when buying or selling a used car. Download Tinker, choose the plan that works best for you, and get started today! All our Expert Mechanics are carefully vetted through a multi-step process. Each Expert is ASE-certified or has at least 3 years of professional experience working in an automotive shop. They specialize in a wide range of areas, from general car care/maintenance and electrical issues to classic car restoration, all while successfully passing rigorous federal and state background checks.
Gather
This app connects families and friends through GPS location sharing, offering real-time updates on arrivals, departures, and trips. It also provides vehicle maintenance reminders, service booking, and driving insights.
- Real-time GPS location sharing
- Arrival and departure notifications
- Logged daily trips and driving insights
- Vehicle maintenance reminders and service booking
- Car service history tracking
- Real-time chat for meet-ups
- Vehicle health monitoring
Read full descriptionHide full description
Gather brings your family and friends together on the road. Gather makes everyday life easier by connecting families via GPS location sharing, with arrival and departure notifications, logged daily trips, vehicle servicing updates, driving insights, and detailed car history in one place - with privacy controls so you choose who sees your location. How does it work? Share updates while on the move: Real-time location sharing, live updates, push notifications, immediate alerts, trip history, accurate location tracking, and helpful insights. Take the guesswork out of auto care: - Receive maintenance recommendations - Book servicing and repairs with trusted local providers - Track stored service history, all in one place. Schedule and coordinate meet-ups with friends: Choose a location, share ETAs, and chat in real time. Sell your car, stress-free: List your vehicle, upload photos, message buyers, and track offers securely with help from us every step of the way. Stay connected during the daily school carpool or an elderly family member's trip to the store. Add family members and their cars to your community, so you can stay in sync and protect family members with reliable tracking and safety notifications. Get instant notifications when family members arrive or leave. Drive with confidence using real-time safety alerts and emergency notifications. Stay secure and connected while on the go. Track your trips, and enjoy location-sharing with your friends and family to let them know you arrived safely. With Gather's GPS locator features, you can see the real-time movements of your friends and family, from your kids' arrival at soccer practice to ensuring the safe return of elderly relatives from their doctor's appointments. Our easy-to-use interface makes location-sharing simple. Not sure how to fix a low battery warning? Gather instantly detects vehicle issues and automatically generates real-time alerts to help you solve them. Gather puts the power of GPS locator technology right at your fingertips, with background tracking, safe zones, and arrival and departure notifications to keep everyone informed. Gather-approved vehicle maintenance at your fingertips: Need your vehicle serviced? We've got you covered. Find, compare, and connect with trusted providers nearby. Our app seamlessly integrates with service providers to order mobile services or schedule directly with local shops for vehicle maintenance, helping keep your vehicle in top condition. Help your partner or kids manage their vehicles from the app, plus enjoy upfront service pricing estimates, easy in-app booking, and all your records in one place with secure, privacy-focused data protection. It's simple to keep your wheels running smoothly. Always on so you don't have to be: With Gather, you can instantly check a live pulse on your vehicle health. For wi-fi enabled vehicles, get in-app snapshots of your car's data so you know it's always ready for the road. And if anything pops up, we'll ensure you have what you need to handle it. Gather's vehicle updates notify you of potential issues with your vehicle health, allowing you to take proactive steps to ensure its safety and longevity. Whether it's a low tire pressure warning or an important upcoming service, Gather keeps you informed and empowered with reliable alerts and emergency support features before issues become serious problems. Premium features without the cost: Gather is here to simplify your family life and give you peace of mind. With easy location-sharing with your friends and family, vehicle health updates, secure location tracking, and vehicle maintenance services, Gather is a reliable, privacy-focused choice for modern families - built to detect issues early and automatically alert you before they become problems.
Screenshots
Verdict
Tinker DIY and Gather both sit at 4.7 stars, but that hides the real split: 74% of Gather's written reviews are positive against 44% of Tinker DIY's. Tinker DIY's advantage is monetization model (ad-supported vs free with in-app purchases). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Tinker DIY against 4.7 for Gather. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1.8K and 1.7K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 44% of Tinker DIY's written reviews are positive against 74% of Gather's.
Tinker DIY ships an update every 2 weeks, Gather every 11 days. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.
| Parameter | Tinker DIY | Gather |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (1.8K ratings) | 4.7 (1.7K ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 44.4% of reviews | 74.2% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 1.8K — better | 1.7K |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | Every 11 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Ad-supported — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 — better | 15.5 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 95 MB | 203 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Glocal development LLC | gather.life |
Customer experience
Tinker DIY
Gather
User reviews
Tinker DIY
From 1.8K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Great service
- 🚀 Quick and easy
- 💰 Saved money
- 🔧 Helpful mechanics
- 🤖 Useful for DIY
Room to improve
- 🔒 Requires personal information
- 💰 Expensive pricing
- 🐛 App doesn't work
- 🤷♂️ Unhelpful mechanics
- 🚫 Limited car support
Gather
From 1.7K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Accurate location tracking
- 🔒 Respects privacy and data security
- 💡 Consolidates vehicle management features
Room to improve
- 🔋 Battery draining issues
- 🐛 Inconsistent location updates
- 🐛 Login/sign-in problems
Bugs and requests
Tinker DIY
Reported bugs
3 issues- Login/signup issues
- App crashes or freezes
- Disconnected calls not refunded
Requested features
3 requests- Add support for motorcycles
- Allow searching for brand-specific mechanics
- Improve communication with expert applicants
Gather
Reported bugs
2 issues- App freezes or gets stuck on loading screen
- Inaccurate location reporting
Requested features
2 requests- Dark mode option
- Improved trip/journey detection
In-app purchases
Tinker DIY
No in-app purchases
Gather
No in-app purchases









