# CarPulse vs OpenOBD

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.

Both are free to download. CarPulse sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. OpenOBD asks for nothing beyond the download.

CarPulse ships an update every 2 weeks, OpenOBD every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | CarPulse | OpenOBD |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | **[4.8 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/openobd-obd2-car-scanner/id6780283561/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | — | **4** |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | **Every 5 days** |
| Monetization | — | Free |
| Size | 29 MB | 54 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **16.4** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [MOBILE ALCHEMY LTD](https://appshunter.io/developer/1577973502) | [Osman Cengeri](https://appshunter.io/developer/1807592099) |

## What reviewers say

### CarPulse

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/carpulse-obd2-car-scan-tool/id6761851372)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium Monthly | $9.99 | per month |
| Premium+ Monthly | $14.99 | per month |
| Premium Annual | $69.99 | per year |
| Premium+ Annual | $99.99 | per year |


### OpenOBD

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/openobd-obd2-car-scanner/id6780283561)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support, iPhone Duo support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked 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 28, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*