The short answer: PulsCar turns the MX+ you already own into a car-watching system. Membership only, $199.99 for 12 months, puts an app on that scanner which records every drive on its own, reads the stored fault codes, and tells you in plain English when something needs attention and when to pull over. Nothing ships, the serial number arrives by email within minutes, nothing renews automatically, and you have 30 days to ask for your money back.
OBDLink's own app is free and is the right tool to read and clear a code or build a dashboard. PulsCar does not replace it; it does a different job on the same hardware, and the two share one scanner, one at a time.
Disclosure: this page is written by PulsCar, so it is our paid app against a free one from the scanner's maker. OBDLink's facts come from OBDLink's own pages and listings, read on 30 September 2026. PulsCar's facts were checked on 15 October 2026. We did not install or test the OBDLink app; what follows is its maker's description.
The OBDLink app and PulsCar side by side
| OBDLink app | PulsCar (Membership only) | |
|---|---|---|
| Who makes it | OBD Solutions, the MX+ maker | PulsCar |
| Cost | Free with every OBDLink adapter; OEM add-ons free to MX+ users | $199.99 for 12 months, one payment |
| Scanner needed | Any supported OBDLink adapter | The OBDLink MX+ only (not MX, LX, EX or CX) |
| Reads and clears codes | Yes; stored report to send a mechanic | Reads stored fault codes and explains them in plain English |
| Live data | Custom dashboards of gauges | Engine temperature, battery voltage and other readings, shown in the app |
| Trip records | Logs, trip statistics and a route map; CSV files | Automatic trip recording on every drive, nothing to start |
| Alerts | Thresholds you set (for example coolant temperature) | Critical alerts that say when to pull over, with no thresholds to configure; link-lost warnings |
| Health history | Reports you store | Car health score and history, built for you |
| Roadside | Not part of the app | 24/7 SOS guides |
| Manufacturer data | Add-ons for the makes OBDLink covers | Not claimed |
| Coding and programming | No: read and reset only | No |
| Sound check | No | AI engine-sound check from a recording |
| Phones | iPhone, iPad and Android | iPhone and Android |
| Renewal | None | $179 per year per car after the term |
Left column: OBDLink's app page, support articles and store listings, read 30 September 2026, summarized in our OBDLink app guide. Right column: our scanner page and live checkout, checked 15 October 2026.
What the free OBDLink app already does well
OBDLink's page says the app is included with the purchase of any OBDLink adapter and can read diagnostic trouble codes and clear check engine lights. Its home screen holds a Diagnostics section with codes, freeze frame, live values and a stored report; Dashboards of gauges you build; Monitors for emissions readiness against a state standard; Logs, Trips and Maps; Alerts; and a Performance section for off-road timing runs. OBDLink's FAQ says the app and its manufacturer add-ons carry no charge for MX+ owners, and that third-party apps may require a separate purchase.
That is a lot for nothing. For a check engine light, a used-car readiness check or a live look at coolant temperature, the free app is the tool, and PulsCar does not replace it. Two cautions from OBDLink's own articles: clearing codes erases the freeze frame and resets readiness, so store the report first, and the app works only with OBDLink adapters.
What PulsCar adds on the same scanner
The scanner stays in the car and the app does the work. The MX+ plugs into the OBD-II port under the steering wheel. PulsCar's published description says it sleeps ten minutes after the engine stops, drawing about 2 mA, so it can stay plugged in for weeks. On every drive the app records the trip without you starting it, reads the stored fault codes, watches engine temperature and battery voltage, and keeps a history.
It translates. Codes arrive in plain English, including codes the car stored before the warning light came on, and a new code is re-checked during the trip. Critical alerts say when to pull over now, and there are SOS guides for roadside problems. A car health score and history give you a report of your own to hand a mechanic.
It listens. An AI engine-sound check from a short recording covers noises that never set a code.
The OBDLink app's alerts, by contrast, fire on thresholds you configure, and its logs are records you open. We found no description of the free app recording and interpreting every drive on its own, and we did not test it, so read that as a gap in the published description, not a verdict.
How the two share one scanner
OBDLink's support articles say the adapter can only connect to one app at a time. That does not make the two apps rivals; it means you pick which is connected. A sensible split: leave PulsCar as the default so each drive is recorded, and close it before you open OBDLink's app for a dashboard session or a stored diagnostic report.
The price question, in plain numbers
- OBDLink app on an MX+ you own: $0.
- PulsCar Membership only: $199.99 for 12 months.
- Renewal after that: $179 per year per car, app access only, shown at checkout. Nothing renews automatically.
If you do not yet own an MX+, the PulsCar plans that include one are One Year $299.99, Two Years $499.99 and Family $549.99 for two scanners and two cars, shipped to US addresses within 7 days. OBDLink listed the MX+ at $139.95 when we read its pages on 30 September 2026. Buying an MX+ and the OBDLink app costs $139.95; buying One Year costs $299.99 and adds 12 months of the PulsCar app. The scanner in either case is yours to keep.
What $199.99 buys on a scanner you already own
- No setup work. You do not build dashboards or set thresholds; the app reads the car and decides what is worth telling you.
- A record that exists before you need it. Every drive is logged, so the history is there when a code appears.
- Words, not numbers. Codes arrive in plain English, with a clear line between "book a visit" and "pull over now".
- A safety net. SOS guides for the worst ten minutes, and link-lost warnings so silence is never mistaken for all clear.
- No lock-in. One payment, no auto-renewal, 30 days to ask for a full refund from the day the serial number is emailed.
Who should pick which
- Stay with the OBDLink app if you read codes occasionally, like building your own dashboards, or want free manufacturer add-ons and no yearly question.
- Add PulsCar Membership only if you want the car watched on every drive without opening an app, plain-English alerts, a health history, and the engine-sound check.
- Use a third-party app if your job is coding or deep make-specific work. Our best-app-for-MX+ page lists FORScan, BimmerCode and Car Scanner honestly.
Membership only is at get.pulscar.io/mxplus; all plans are at get.pulscar.io, and the full description is on the scanner page.
Sources and documents
OBDLink app description, FAQ, add-on terms, one-app-at-a-time rule and MX+ price: obdlink.com pages and the App Store and Google Play listings, read 30 September 2026, via our OBDLink app guide and OBDLink MX+ review. PulsCar prices, Membership only terms, returns and renewal: get.pulscar.io and the Terms of Sale, checked 15 October 2026. The 10-minute sleep and 2 mA figures are as stated on our scanner page; we did not measure them.
Prices verified: OBDLink 30 September 2026, PulsCar 15 October 2026. Written by PulsCar.
