Is FIXD Worth It? FIXD vs WrenchTime and BlueDriver

FIXD, BlueDriver and WrenchTime in three points

I build WrenchTime, so read this comparison knowing that. I did not test FIXD or BlueDriver: every claim about them on this page comes from their own websites, App Store and Google Play listings and support pages, checked on 14 October 2026, and each one links to where it was read. Every claim about WrenchTime comes from its own feature documentation.

FIXD is a trademark of FIXD Automotive, Inc. BlueDriver is a trademark of Root Four Imagination Inc. This comparison is independent: WrenchTime is not affiliated with, sponsored by or endorsed by either company.

• FIXD is a sensor with an optional subscription: the sensor and the free app read and clear check engine codes, and FIXD Premium adds repair cost estimates, a mechanic hotline and forecasts of future problems.
• BlueDriver is a sensor you buy once: the app is free and includes Repair Reports, live data and enhanced codes on the makes it lists, with no subscription.
• WrenchTime is an iPhone app for an adapter you choose: it works with Bluetooth LE ELM327 adapters and the OBDLink MX+, reads live data for free, reads trouble codes with WrenchTime Pro, and keeps the car's maintenance, fuel and trip log.

What is FIXD, and what does the subscription add?

FIXD is a small Bluetooth sensor that plugs into a car's OBD-II port, paired with a free app for iPhone and Android, sold by FIXD Automotive Inc. of Atlanta, Georgia. OBD-II is the standard diagnostic port under the dashboard of cars sold in the US since 1996, the same port a shop's scan tool reads. According to FIXD's checkout page, the sensor works with petrol and hybrid vehicles sold in the US from 1996 and diesels from 2008; its help centre recommends 2006 or newer for vehicles sold outside the US.

The free app, according to the FIXD FAQ, reads engine codes in simple terms, clears the check engine light with one tap, shows live OBD2 data, sends maintenance alerts, keeps a scan history, shows what the car is worth, sends recall alerts and reads ABS codes on select makes. FIXD's website adds an issue severity rating, minor or major, so you know whether it is safe to keep driving. Setting up the app includes creating a FIXD account, and one account can hold every vehicle in the family.

FIXD Premium is the subscription. Its App Store listing names Issue Forecast to predict problems before they happen, Emissions Pre-Check, the Certified FIXD Mechanic Hotline and Vehicle History, and the FAQ adds repair cost estimates and a 24/7 AI Mechanic chat. On 14 October 2026 the US App Store listed Premium at $12.99 a month or $99.99 a year, both with a free trial, and $7.99 a week. FIXD's checkout page says a sensor bought there includes a 14-day free trial of Premium, which then renews yearly unless you cancel.

FIXD also sells FIXD GUARDIAN, a cellular sensor that watches the car continuously, tracks its location and logs trips, and which requires a yearly subscription. The original sensor, according to FIXD's own comparison, uses Bluetooth, so you have to be near the vehicle and run a scan yourself. This page compares the original Bluetooth sensor.

Sources: the FIXD FAQ, FIXD's website and checkout page, and the FIXD App Store listing, checked 14 October 2026.

Is FIXD legit?

FIXD is a real OBD-II code reader: a Bluetooth sensor and an app made by FIXD Automotive Inc., which its FAQ places in Atlanta, Georgia, and which publishes the app on the App Store and Google Play under its own name. Like any OBD-II reader, it reads the trouble codes a car reports through its diagnostic port; on top of that it explains them in plain English, rates their severity and, with Premium, estimates what the repair should cost.

What it does and does not do is stated on FIXD's own pages. The free app covers reading and clearing codes, live data and maintenance alerts, while the cost estimates, the mechanic hotline and the forecasts are Premium. The original sensor uses Bluetooth, so, in the words of FIXD's help centre, "you have to be near your vehicle and manually run a scan to check for issues"; continuous monitoring is the job of the cellular FIXD GUARDIAN.

On 14 October 2026 the FIXD app averaged 4.6 stars from 26K ratings on the US App Store, and 4.1 stars from 30.1K reviews, with more than one million downloads, on Google Play. Those are averages; the reviews behind them are on the same pages.

What is BlueDriver, and how is it different from FIXD?

BlueDriver is a Bluetooth OBD-II sensor you buy once, with a free app for iPhone, iPad and Android and no subscription: its product pages state "Zero Subscription Fees or Add-ons". On 14 October 2026 the BlueDriver store listed the BlueDriver Pro Next-Gen at $99.95 and the BlueDriver Pro at $139.95, both for 1996 and newer cars, SUVs and light trucks sold in North America. The app is published by Lemur Vehicle Monitors and sold on the App Store by Root Four Imagination Inc.

According to its App Store listing, the BlueDriver app reads and clears trouble codes "including check engine, ABS, airbag, transmission, and more", generates Repair Reports matched to your vehicle's year, make, model and code from a database of real-world fixes, shows Mode 6 results, smog readiness and freeze frame data, and graphs live data. Mode 6 is the detailed results of the car's own emissions self-tests, such as misfire counts. Its enhanced diagnostics cover GM, Ford, Chrysler, Toyota, Nissan, Mazda and, from 2005, Mercedes, plus Mitsubishi, Hyundai and Kia from set model years and BMW, Mini, Honda, Acura and Volkswagen group cars sold in North America.

BlueDriver's support centre says reading and clearing codes, freeze frame, smog checks, Mode 6 and live data work without a connection, while Repair Reports, VIN decoding, maintenance schedules, recalls and service bulletins need one. A BlueDriver account keeps saved history and syncs it across devices. On 14 October 2026 the app averaged 4.6 stars from 14K ratings on the US App Store, and 3.5 stars from 17.2K reviews, with more than one million downloads, on Google Play.

The main difference from FIXD is how you pay. FIXD's sensor costs less up front and its extras are a subscription; BlueDriver's sensor costs more and its app features, Repair Reports included, come with it. FIXD Premium offers things BlueDriver's pages do not list, such as a mechanic hotline, an AI Mechanic chat and forecasts of future problems, while BlueDriver lists Mode 6 and enhanced ABS, airbag and transmission codes on the makes it covers. Both run on iPhone and Android.

Can you use the FIXD sensor with another app?

FIXD's documentation does not say. Neither the FIXD FAQ nor its help centre, checked on 14 October 2026, mentions using the sensor with a third-party app, and the setup they describe pairs the sensor with the FIXD app and a FIXD account. BlueDriver's App Store listing describes its app paired with the BlueDriver sensor, and its support centre does not mention other apps either.

WrenchTime has not been tested with the FIXD or the BlueDriver sensor, and this page does not claim it works with either. What it does work with, Bluetooth Low Energy ELM327 adapters and the OBDLink MX+, is listed adapter by adapter in the OBD-II app guide.

What is WrenchTime, and what does it read over OBD-II?

WrenchTime is an iPhone app for a car's or motorcycle's maintenance, fuel, trips and costs that also reads the engine over OBD-II. It works with Bluetooth Low Energy ELM327 adapters and the Apple-certified OBDLink MX+. ELM327 is the command set most inexpensive OBD-II adapters speak, so the app does not tie you to one maker's sensor. The Vgate iCar Pro, the iCar Pro 2S and the OBDLink MX+ are confirmed working, and Wi-Fi adapters, or classic Bluetooth adapters other than the MX+, do not work with WrenchTime; the adapter table covers the rest.

Live data is free: over fifty standard parameters whenever the car reports them, from engine speed, vehicle speed, load and coolant temperature to fuel trims, turbo pressure and, on a diesel, the particulate filter and the AdBlue level. Boost, torque and power are derived, and fuel rate is read where the car publishes it or derived from the mass air flow sensor. The app also reads the VIN, the ECU name, its calibration ID and the odometer where the car reports it, and records every reading with the trip it came from. The free tier shows 3 instruments on the WrenchTime Live dashboard, and live gauges on CarPlay are part of WrenchTime Pro.

Trouble codes are part of WrenchTime Pro. A scan reads stored, pending and permanent codes from every module that answers the standard OBD-II request, shows whether the check engine light is on, and describes generic codes in plain language, in your language; a manufacturer-specific code is labelled as one, with a web search shortcut. It also reads the readiness monitors, the self-tests a car runs on its emissions systems and that an emissions inspection checks, and the freeze frame the car saved with the first fault. Every scan is saved with its date and odometer reading, and codes are cleared only after a read, with the engine off and after two confirmations. More in the OBD-II code reader for iPhone guide.

WrenchTime reads no manufacturer-specific diagnostics: ABS, airbag and body modules that talk only through the maker's own protocols are not read, and it has no repair cost estimates, no mechanic line and no Mode 6. A custom PID, part of WrenchTime Pro, can read a manufacturer value you know the request for. If this is your first scan, how to use an OBD2 scanner walks through it step by step.

Do FIXD and BlueDriver keep a maintenance or fuel log?

Partly. FIXD's free app sends maintenance alerts based on make, model and mileage, according to its website, and recent updates listed on its App Store page added a custom oil change interval and brake pad and rotor tracking. BlueDriver's support centre lists maintenance schedules among its online features. Neither maker's pages, checked 14 October 2026, mention a fuel log or fuel economy tracking.

WrenchTime is built around that log. Its Care tab holds 56 maintenance procedures with reminders by date or odometer, the fuel log computes economy tank to tank, electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles get a charging log, trips record themselves from the car's Bluetooth or motion, and 31 charts turn it all into running costs, with CSV and PDF export on the free tier. The trouble-code history sits on the same vehicle as its service record. See how to keep car maintenance records.

FIXD vs BlueDriver vs WrenchTime at a glance

The table compares the three on what each maker states, checked 14 October 2026. "Not listed" means the maker's own pages do not mention the feature, not that the product is confirmed to lack it. FIXD is shown with its free app and FIXD Premium, BlueDriver with its app and either of its sensors, and WrenchTime with its free tier and WrenchTime Pro.

Checked 14 October 2026 from FIXD's website, checkout page, FAQ, help centre and App Store listing; BlueDriver's store, App Store listing and support centre; WrenchTime's feature documentation and App Store listing.

How much do FIXD, BlueDriver and WrenchTime cost?

FIXD: on 14 October 2026, FIXD's checkout page listed one sensor at $19.99, with a 14-day free trial of FIXD Premium included. Prices on that page change with its offers, so check the purchase page before you buy. Bought in the app on the US App Store, FIXD Premium costs $12.99 a month, $99.99 a year or $7.99 a week, and the free app works without it.

BlueDriver: on the same day the BlueDriver store listed the Pro Next-Gen sensor at $99.95 and the Pro at $139.95, and the app has no subscription.

WrenchTime: free to download, with live OBD-II data on the free tier. Trouble codes, CarPlay and the rest of WrenchTime Pro cost £2.99 a month, £14.99 a year with a free trial, or £34.99 once for a lifetime unlock, App Store prices read on 2026-10-05. The adapter is bought separately, and the adapter table lists which ones work.

Over three years, at the US prices read on 14 October 2026 and before tax, the FIXD sensor with Premium billed yearly comes to $319.96, the BlueDriver Pro Next-Gen stays at $99.95, and WrenchTime Pro lifetime is £34.99 plus the adapter. FIXD with the free app alone stays at the price of the sensor.

FIXD Premium at its US App Store prices, $99.99 a year or $12.99 a month; sensor prices from FIXD and BlueDriver; WrenchTime Pro at the App Store price for your country. Free trials left out.

Which one should you choose?

Pick by what you want after the code is read. If none of these fits, the best OBD2 apps for iPhone compares six apps side by side, and Torque Pro on iPhone covers another adapter-plus-app route.

• Choose FIXD if you want a low-cost sensor with plain-English results and a severity rating, maintenance alerts for every car in the family, ABS codes on select makes and Android, and, with Premium, repair cost estimates, a mechanic hotline and used-car history reports.
• Choose BlueDriver if you want to pay once with no subscription, Repair Reports matched to your car, Mode 6, and enhanced ABS, airbag and transmission codes on the makes it lists, on iPhone or Android.
• Choose WrenchTime if you use an iPhone and want to pick your own adapter, live engine data for free, trouble codes without a subscription through the lifetime purchase, gauges on CarPlay, and a maintenance, fuel and trip log with no account.

Key takeaways

What to remember about FIXD, BlueDriver and WrenchTime, checked on 14 October 2026.

• FIXD's free app reads and clears codes with the FIXD sensor, and adds live data and maintenance alerts; FIXD Premium, $12.99 a month or $99.99 a year on the US App Store, adds repair cost estimates, a mechanic hotline and forecasts.
• Whether FIXD is worth it depends on wanting those Premium extras, since reading and clearing the check engine light does not need them.
• BlueDriver is a one-time purchase: $99.95 or $139.95 for its sensor, with Repair Reports, Mode 6 and enhanced codes on listed makes, and no subscription.
• WrenchTime works with an adapter you choose: a Bluetooth LE ELM327 or the OBDLink MX+, with live data free and trouble codes with WrenchTime Pro, sold as a lifetime purchase too; it reads no manufacturer-specific diagnostics.
• WrenchTime also keeps the car's log: 56 maintenance procedures with reminders, a tank-to-tank fuel log and automatic trips, next to the scan history.

Read your check engine light on iPhone without a subscription

If you have an iPhone and want trouble codes without a monthly fee, WrenchTime reads live engine data for free over a Bluetooth LE ELM327 adapter or an OBDLink MX+, and its Trouble Codes tool comes with WrenchTime Pro, which you can buy once for £34.99. The free tier also keeps 1 vehicle with 3 fuel entries and 2 maintenance entries a month and 10 recorded trips a week. How WrenchTime reads and clears trouble codes. If you need ABS or airbag codes, repair reports or a mechanic to call, BlueDriver or FIXD cover what WrenchTime does not.