Comparison

Check Engine 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

Check Engine

Features
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Your car is talking. Check Engine listens. Just tap the mic and describe what your car is doing. Check Engine's AI figures it out and tells you in plain English. No mechanic lingo. No guessing. Just real answers. Tap the mic, describe the problem out loud, and Check Engine listens, thinks, and talks back like having a knowledgeable friend in your passenger seat 24/7. Built by Gavs Customs with real shop experience, not just code. Your voice is processed securely-we never sell your data. SUBSCRIPTIONS Check Engine Pro - $9.99 per month, auto-renewing. Unlimited diagnoses, all 5 AI voices, up to 3 vehicles, real repair-manual data, and recall alerts. Check Engine Shop - $29.99 per month, auto-renewing. Everything in Pro, plus tools and parts lists with torque specs and safety steps. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. Subscriptions renew automatically unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can manage or cancel your subscription in your Apple Account settings. Privacy Policy: https://gavscustoms.com/privacy Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

OpenBimmer

Features
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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

Check Engine4 screens
OpenBimmer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: OpenBimmer at none against Check Engine's 2. 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. Check Engine sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. OpenBimmer asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard1 real difference ยท 5 level
Check Engine versus OpenBimmer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCheck EngineOpenBimmer
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksโ€”
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo โ€” better
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS16.416.4
Further details โ€” not scored
Size48 MB47 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperREIDT GAVIN WILDECodext GmbH

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Check Engine

Subscriptions2
  • Pro$9.991 Month
  • Shop$29.991 Month
None

OpenBimmer

No in-app purchases

Questions

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

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