Comparison

CarPulse vs OpenBimmer

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

Head to head
About

CarPulse

Features
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CarPulse is an OBD2 diagnostic app that helps car owners read check engine codes, understand what is wrong, and manage vehicle maintenance โ€” 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 โ€” 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 โ€” 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

OpenBimmer

Features
Read full description

OpenBimmer turns a Bluetooth LE OBD adapter into a live dashboard, data logger and diagnostics tool. It is built for BMW turbo engines (N54, N55, B58, S55, N13, S58, S63) and works with any car that has an OBD-II port. LIVE GAUGES - Boost against target, ignition timing, intake, coolant and oil temperature, lambda and AFR, fuel rail pressure, load and more - Peak hold, min and max for every value and a shift light that follows your engine's redline - Choose what every gauge shows DATA LOGS - Record pulls with up to 34 channels - Scrub through them on a multi-channel chart - Export CSV for datazap or a spreadsheet DIAGNOSE - Read stored, pending and permanent engine fault codes with descriptions - Clear codes, check readiness monitors, read the VIN and battery voltage PERFORMANCE TIMER - 0-100 km/h, 100-200 km/h, 0-60 mph, 60-130 mph, 1/8 and 1/4 mile - GPS or OBD speed, history and best times FREE, OPEN SOURCE, PRIVATE - No account, no ads, no tracking. Your data stays on your phone. - Source code: github.com/openbimmer/openbimmer (MIT license) WHAT YOU NEED An ELM327-compatible Bluetooth LE adapter, for example Vgate iCar Pro BLE, Veepeak OBDCheck BLE, vLinker BLE or OBDLink CX. No adapter yet? The built-in demo adapter lets you try everything. OpenBimmer reads standardised OBD-II data and never writes software to your car. Never use the app while driving. OpenBimmer is an independent community project and not affiliated with BMW AG. BMW and the engine names are trademarks of their owners and are only used to describe compatibility.

Screenshots

CarPulse4 screens
OpenBimmer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: OpenBimmer at none against CarPulse's 4. On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

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

Scorecard1 real difference ยท 5 level
CarPulse versus OpenBimmer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCarPulseOpenBimmer
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksโ€”
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo โ€” better
DevicesiPhone, iPad โ€” betteriPhone
Requires iOS17.016.4 โ€” better
Further details โ€” not scored
Size29 MB47 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMOBILE ALCHEMY LTDCodext GmbH

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

OpenBimmer

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is CarPulse free?
CarPulse is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is OpenBimmer free?
OpenBimmer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do CarPulse or OpenBimmer have ads?
Neither CarPulse nor OpenBimmer shows ads.

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