Where to begin? Okay, this isn’t an easy question to answer, and much depends on both what you want to do, and the coding skill level you bring to the table.
First things first. Carista is an iOS only app that allows you to switch a variety of options on or off, depending on what your car is fitted with in the way of option modules. The interface is deliberately simplistic, and does not permit manual coding. That said, it’s terrific at enabling a host of additional bells and whistles quickly and painlessly.
OBDEleven is a slightly different kettle of fish, and is a bit of a hybrid. Think of it as being a halfway house between Carista and the full-fat VCDS program. It’s an Android system, so you’ll need a suitable Android phone or tablet. You can use it to do most (if not all) of the “bells and whistles” stuff that Carista does, along with the bonus of manual coding. While it lacks the more intuitive and elegant interface of VCDS (NOT two words I would normally associate with VCDS!), it does permit a much deeper dive into the inner workings of the code that runs the car.
Each has a slightly different pricing model, which I haven’t kept up with, so check their respective sites for the latest on that.
