Piston
Piston turns an Android device into an OBD-II and EOBD car scanner.
What Piston is
Piston turns an Android device into an OBD-II and EOBD car scanner. It requires a separate ELM327-based adapter connected through Bluetooth or WiFi, and it can access only data that the vehicle supports through OBD2. The free plan reads and clears diagnostic trouble codes, shows Freeze Frame data, and displays live sensor readings. Premium adds sensor charts, live-data export to CSV, Readiness Monitors, fault history, cloud sync, and VIN reading. Some older vehicles may not support VIN readout. Piston uses Firebase for crash reporting, performance monitoring, analytics, remote configuration, authentication, and cloud storage. Its privacy policy says data sent to remote servers is encrypted, and Settings offers opt-outs for crash reporting, performance data, remote configuration, and analytics. Users can delete their account in the app, permanently removing associated data such as historical fault codes. Support is available by email, and the developer is identified as STINEZ PTY LTD in Sutherland, New South Wales, Australia.
Good
- Free plan reads and clears diagnostic codes
- Displays Freeze Frame and live sensor data
- Premium adds charts, CSV export, and cloud sync
- One-time premium purchase with no subscription
- Account deletion permanently removes associated data
Watch out
- Requires a separate ELM327 adapter
- Android platform only
- Older vehicles may lack VIN readout
Who it suits
Piston suits Android users who want OBD2 diagnostics with an external ELM327 adapter. It is useful for reading codes, viewing live sensors, and adding premium history or export tools.
Verdict
Piston provides core OBD2 scanning free and expands diagnostics through a one-time premium purchase. Adapter requirements, Android-only availability, and vehicle-supported data limits should be considered before choosing it.
Plans and prices
From Piston's own pricing page, checked 4 Oct 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | Read and clear fault codes · Read Freeze Frame data · Real-time sensor data |
| Premium | — | Real-time sensor charts · CSV export · Readiness Monitors · Fault history and cloud sync · VIN reading · Pay once, use forever |
The facts
Each one read from Piston's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- Adapter required
- The app requires a separate ELM327 based adapter that connects by Bluetooth or WiFi.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Data deletion
- Users can delete their account from the app, which permanently deletes associated data such as historical fault codes.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Diagnostics
- The app can read and clear OBD2 diagnostic trouble codes, view Freeze Frame data, and access live sensor data.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Integrations
- The app uses Firebase services for crash reporting, performance monitoring, analytics, remote configuration, authentication, and cloud data storage.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Notable limitation
- Some older vehicles may not support VIN readout.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Payment
- Premium is a single in-app purchase with no subscription, and payment is handled through Google Play billing.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Premium features
- Premium adds sensor charts, live data export to CSV, Readiness Monitors, fault history, cloud sync, and VIN reading.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Privacy controls
- Users can opt out of crash reporting, performance data, remote configuration, and analytics in Settings.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- Piston turns an Android mobile device into a car scanner for reading diagnostic trouble codes and Freeze Frame data.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Security
- The privacy policy says data sent to remote servers is encrypted and the app uses the Play Integrity API.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Support
- Support is available by email at [email protected].checked 4 Oct 2026
- Vehicle standards
- Piston is compatible with OBD-II and EOBD standards and can access only data the vehicle supports through OBD2.checked 4 Oct 2026
The company
- Headquarters
- Sutherland, New South Wales, Australiachecked 28 Sep 2026
- Maker
- The Google Play listing identifies the developer as STINEZ PTY LTD and gives an address in Sutherland, NSW, Australia.checked 4 Oct 2026
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