Comparison

CarPulse vs OpenOBD

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

Head to head
About

CarPulse

Features
Read full description

CarPulse is an OBD2 diagnostic app that helps car owners read check engine codes, understand what is wrong, and manage vehicle maintenance — using any Bluetooth ELM327 adapter and an iPhone. WHAT DOES CARPULSE DO? CarPulse reads diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) from your car's onboard computer and translates each code into a plain-English explanation: what the problem is, what caused it, how serious it is, and whether it is safe to keep driving. It covers over 100,000 DTCs across all vehicle makes from 1996 onward. WHO IS CARPULSE FOR? CarPulse is built for everyday drivers, not professional mechanics. If you have ever been told your car needs an expensive repair and had no way to verify it, CarPulse gives you the information to understand the problem yourself before visiting the shop. WHAT CAN I DO FOR FREE? Read and clear check engine codes. Get plain-English explanations with severity ratings. View live sensor data from 20+ engine parameters (RPM, coolant temperature, fuel pressure, throttle position, engine load, and more). Look up any DTC in the offline database. No account, no email, no trial period. WHAT DOES PREMIUM ADD? Repair cost estimates so you know fair prices before the mechanic quotes you. Smart maintenance schedules based on your vehicle, mileage, and driving habits — with reminders for oil changes, brake inspections, tire rotations. Issue forecasting that flags developing problems before they become breakdowns. Freeze frame data, sensor logging, emissions readiness pre-check, unlimited vehicle profiles, and vehicle health reports. WHAT ADAPTER DO I NEED? Any Bluetooth Low Energy ELM327 adapter works — Vgate, Veepeak, BAFX, OBDLink, Konnwei, LELink, and dozens more. Adapters cost $10-25 and plug into the OBD2 port under your dashboard. Every car sold in the United States since 1996 has this port. VEHICLE HEALTH SCORE A single 0-100 score summarizing your car's overall condition, calculated from active fault codes and overdue maintenance items. Track your score over time across multiple vehicles in one garage. CARPLAY SUPPORT CarPulse works with Apple CarPlay, showing live engine data and vehicle health on your car's built-in display while you drive. SUBSCRIPTION OPTIONS Premium: $9.99/year with 7-day trial, or $1.99/month. Premium+: $14.99/year with 7-day trial, or $2.99/month. Adds health reports, data export, extended history, priority support. Payment is charged to your iTunes account at confirmation. Subscriptions auto-renew unless turned off at least 24 hours before the current period ends. Manage subscriptions in your account settings. Privacy Policy: https://www.mobilealchemy.co/privacy-policy.html Terms of Service: https://www.mobilealchemy.co/terms-of-service.html

About

OpenOBD

Transform your iPhone into a real-time car dashboard. Connect an OBD2 adapter to monitor live engine data, track your trips with GPS, and diagnose fault codes with clear explanations. Explore all features in demo mode without hardware.

Highlights
  • Live engine data monitoring
  • Real-time speed, RPM, temperature gauges
  • Trip logging with GPS mapping
  • Read and clear diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs)
  • Vehicle information display
  • Demo mode for exploration
Features
Read full description

OpenOBD turns your iPhone into a real-time car dashboard. Connect any ELM327 OBD2 adapter (Bluetooth or Wi-Fi) and see what your car is really doing — live. LIVE ENGINE DATA • Speed, RPM, coolant temperature, intake, throttle, engine load, battery voltage and more • 50+ sensors with gauges you pick and reorder yourself • Instant and average fuel consumption • Tap any gauge for a live 60-second chart CARPLAY • A live 8-tile dashboard on your car's built-in screen • Start and stop trip recording without touching your phone DIAGNOSTICS • Read and clear fault codes (DTCs) with plain-language explanations • For common codes: what it means, how urgent it is, what to do next • Emissions readiness monitors before an inspection • Freeze frame — the sensor values from the moment the fault occurred • Vehicle info: VIN, fuel type, supported sensors TRIP LOGGING • Automatically record your drives with the GPS route on a map • Keeps recording in the background, even with the screen locked • Distance, duration, speed and fuel for every trip • Export any trip as CSV or GPX CAR HEALTH TOOLS • Battery and charging test: state of charge, alternator and cranking check • Diesel and DPF pre-check from standard, read-only OBD evidence • Used car check before you buy • Measure 0-100 km/h acceleration and 100-0 km/h braking • Live alerts for overheating and low voltage, in plain language BUILT FOR DRIVERS • Beautiful dark interface designed for the car • Over 40 languages, metric and imperial units • Works with affordable ELM327 adapters — no subscription, no account, no ads • Your data stays on your phone TRY IT WITHOUT HARDWARE • Tap Connect, then Demo Mode, to explore every feature with simulated live data OpenOBD is not affiliated with any car manufacturer. An OBD2 adapter (sold separately) is required to read data from your vehicle. Most petrol cars built after 2001 and diesels after 2004 are supported. The battery, diesel and used-car results are read-only pre-checks and do not replace a professional inspection.

Screenshots

CarPulse4 screens
OpenOBD4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: OpenOBD at none against CarPulse's 4. OpenOBD also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs every 2 weeks). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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. CarPulse sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. OpenOBD asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

CarPulse ships an update every 2 weeks, OpenOBD every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
CarPulse versus OpenOBD: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCarPulseOpenOBD
PriceFreeFree
Rating—4.8 (4 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—4 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
Monetization—Free
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.016.4 — better
Further details — not scored
Size29 MB49 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMOBILE ALCHEMY LTDOsman Cengeri

In-app purchases

4 purchases

CarPulse

Subscriptions4
  • Premium Monthly$9.991 Month
  • Premium+ Monthly$14.991 Month
  • Premium Annual7 Days trial$69.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Premium+ Annual7 Days trial$99.991 Year
None

OpenOBD

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is CarPulse free?
CarPulse is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is OpenOBD free?
OpenOBD is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do CarPulse or OpenOBD have ads?
Neither CarPulse nor OpenOBD shows ads.
Which is updated more often, CarPulse or OpenOBD?
CarPulse ships an update every 2 weeks, and OpenOBD every 5 days. Most recently, CarPulse was updated on October 24, 2026 and OpenOBD on October 25, 2026.

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