Comparison

Cortex OBD2 Diagnostic Scanner vs OBD2 Logger

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

Head to head
About

Cortex OBD2 Diagnostic Scanner

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Turn your iPhone into an advanced automotive scanner and professional diagnostic powerhouse with Cortex OBD2 Diagnostic Scanner. Designed for car enthusiasts, daily drivers, and DIY mechanics, Cortex OBD2 connects wirelessly via Bluetooth to your vehicle’s ECU to deliver instant insights, eliminate mystery dashboard warning lights, and unlock hidden vehicle features. WHY CORTEX OBD2? β–Ί INSTANT OBD-II SCAN & CLEAR CODES Read and reset Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs) across Engine, Transmission, ABS, and Airbag modules. Access freeze-frame sensor data to diagnose intermittent faults and clear that Check Engine light with a single tap. β–Ί REAL-TIME COCKPIT GAUGES (10 HZ STREAMING) Track up to 6 live engine parameters simultaneously with custom analog dials and digital readouts: β€’ Engine RPM with redline alerts & Vehicle Speed β€’ Coolant Temperature, Oil Temp & Intake Air Temp β€’ Turbo Boost Pressure & Manifold Absolute Pressure (MAP) β€’ Battery Voltage, Throttle Position & Calculated Engine Load β–Ί I/M EMISSION & SMOG INSPECTION READINESS Avoid inspection surprises. Verify whether your vehicle’s emission monitors (Catalytic Converter, DPF, SCR/AdBlue, Evaporative System, EGR/VVT, Oxygen Sensors) are officially set to "READY" before visiting the testing station. β–Ί STATIONARY DPF REGENERATION (DIESEL) Perform forced stationary Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) soot burn routines via UDS Service 0x31. Monitor exhaust gas temperature (EGT), soot mass accumulation in grams, and differential pressure in real-time with automatic safety interlocks. β–Ί DUAL-CLUTCH (DCT / DSG) TRANSMISSION ADAPTATION Execute transmission basic settings and clutch touch-point calibrations on automated gearboxes (DSG, Powershift, EDC) to eliminate low-speed shudder and restore smooth gear shifts. β–Ί HORSEPOWER & TORQUE DYNO CALCULATOR Calculate real-time wheel horsepower (HP/kW) and torque (Nm/lb-ft) using 4 dedicated automotive algorithms: Diesel Torque & Fuel Flow, Mass Airflow (MAF), Live Engine Torque, and Volumetric Load. β–Ί BATTERY & STARTER CRANKING ANALYSIS Test resting battery health, minimum cranking voltage during ignition startup, and alternator regulator output (13.5V - 14.5V) in under 10 seconds. β–Ί ONE-CLICK VEHICLE CODING (CUSTOMIZATION) Unlock hidden factory features on supported models: β€’ Gauge needle sweep / staging on ignition β€’ Automatic side-mirror folding upon locking β€’ Acoustic alarm chirp confirmation & DRL adjustments β–Ί 100% AD-FREE & TRANSPARENT (NO TOKENS / NO CREDITS) Never get interrupted by video ads or pay-per-feature credit scams. Cortex OBD2 is 100% AD-FREE. Everything in PRO is all-inclusive and unlimited. β–Ί UNIVERSAL ADAPTER COMPATIBILITY Works with standard BLE 4.0+ and ELM327 Bluetooth OBD2 adapters: β€’ vLinker MC+ / FS / BM+ β€’ Vgate iCar Pro BLE β€’ Veepeak OBDCheck BLE / BLE+ β€’ OBDLink CX / MX+ β€’ Standard ELM327 Bluetooth scanners Take complete command of your vehicle's health today!

About

OBD2 Logger

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OBD2 Logger turns your iPhone into a precision data logger for any modern car. Plug a Bluetooth ELM327 adapter into your vehicle's OBD2 port, pair it once, and stream live engine, hybrid, battery, and emissions data straight into per-session CSV files on your phone. No accounts. No cloud. No analytics. Your driving data never leaves your device. LIVE READOUT β€’ 40+ standard SAE J1979 PIDs, automatically discovered from your car: RPM, vehicle speed, coolant temp, throttle, MAF, intake MAP, fuel trims, catalyst temperatures, and more. β€’ Manufacturer-specific Mode 21 PIDs on profiled vehicles β€” including HV pack voltage, MG1/MG2 motor torque, and battery cell-block temperatures on Toyota/Lexus hybrids. β€’ Values grouped by category (Engine, Hybrid, Battery, Emissions, Diagnostics) and updated every second. β€’ One CSV per logging session, written into the app's Files container β€” open it in Numbers, Excel, pandas, DuckDB, or any other tool with no preprocessing. β€’ Wide-table format: ISO-8601 timestamps, one column per active PID, blank cells where the ECU returned no data (no spurious forward-fill). β€’ Smart-stop after extended idle so you don't end up with a tail of empty rows when you forget to tap Stop. WORKS IN THE BACKGROUND β€’ Keeps logging while you drive with Maps in the foreground or the screen off, using Apple's standard background location mode for trip-tracking apps. The system location indicator is shown the entire time. We don't store your location. VEHICLE PROFILES β€’ Ships with three profiles: a generic Mode-01 fallback, a Toyota hybrid family profile, and a 2020 Lexus RX 450h/450hL profile validated against a real vehicle. β€’ VIN auto-read on connect; year, make, model, and trim pre-filled from NHTSA's free public vPIC API. β€’ Import any third-party profile JSON to add coverage for your car. The format is documented and human-readable. DON'T HAVE AN ADAPTER YET? β€’ Tap "Try demo mode" on the second onboarding step to explore the app end-to-end with synthetic data β€” no hardware required. WHAT YOU NEED β€’ Any Bluetooth Low Energy ELM327 adapter (Veepeak OBDCheck BLE+, vLinker MC+, OBDLink, etc. β€” most BLE clones work). USB-only and Wi-Fi-only adapters are NOT supported. β€’ A car with an OBD2 port (1996+ in the US, 2001+ in the EU). PRIVACY β€’ Nothing is collected, transmitted, or stored on our servers β€” we don't have servers. The only outbound call the app ever makes is one VIN decode per vehicle to NHTSA's vPIC API. β€’ Your CSVs and vehicle records live in the app's Files container, accessible to you in the iOS Files app under On My iPhone β†’ OBD2 Logger. β€’ Open source: github.com/NathanNam/obd2-logger

Screenshots

Cortex OBD2 Diagnostic Scanner4 screens
OBD2 Logger4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: OBD2 Logger at none against Cortex OBD2 Diagnostic Scanner's 3. Cortex OBD2 Diagnostic Scanner's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 6 weeks). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

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

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

Both are free to download. Cortex OBD2 Diagnostic Scanner sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days. OBD2 Logger asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Cortex OBD2 Diagnostic Scanner ships an update every 2 weeks, OBD2 Logger every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 3, 2026 and October 4, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences Β· 4 level
Cortex OBD2 Diagnostic Scanner versus OBD2 Logger: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCortex OBD2 Diagnostic ScannerOBD2 Logger
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks β€” betterEvery 6 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo β€” better
DevicesiPhone, iPad β€” betteriPhone
Requires iOS16.0 β€” better17.0
Further details β€” not scored
Size36 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperIsmail ImamogluDaehyun Nam

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Cortex OBD2 Diagnostic Scanner

Subscriptions3
  • MotoCortex PRO Weekly$2.997 Days
  • MotoCortex PRO - Monthly$5.991 Month
  • MotoCortex PRO - Annual$19.991 Year
None

OBD2 Logger

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Cortex OBD2 Diagnostic Scanner free?
Cortex OBD2 Diagnostic Scanner is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is OBD2 Logger free?
OBD2 Logger is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Cortex OBD2 Diagnostic Scanner or OBD2 Logger have ads?
Neither Cortex OBD2 Diagnostic Scanner nor OBD2 Logger shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Cortex OBD2 Diagnostic Scanner or OBD2 Logger?
Cortex OBD2 Diagnostic Scanner ships an update every 2 weeks, and OBD2 Logger every 6 weeks. Most recently, Cortex OBD2 Diagnostic Scanner was updated on October 3, 2026 and OBD2 Logger on October 4, 2026.

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