Price check · iPhone · iOS 26 and iOS 27
Free CarPlay widget apps: what is actually free in each one
Updated October 6, 2026 · nine apps, from their US App Store listings · includes our own app, listed last
All nine CarPlay widget apps we compare are free to download, and all nine list in-app purchases on the US App Store. On October 6, 2026, one listing said in plain words what you can do without paying: Car Play Widgets: Dashboard, the app we make, says browsing and customizing are free and saving a widget requires Pro. So a finished widget is not free there either. The other eight listings do not say what stays free. The widgets with no price are the ones you already have: iOS 26 and iOS 27 can show the small widgets of apps installed on your iPhone on the CarPlay dashboard. We did not test the other apps.
What each listing says
| App | Free download | What the listing says is free | In-app purchases listed | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| myCar: Car Widgets & Dashboard12,926 ratings | Yes | The listing does not say. |
| Lists ten purchases, from $0.99 to $34.99. Its description says a Premium Mode upgrade unlocks advanced options. |
| Car Dashboard Widgets - HiCar1,210 ratings | Yes | The listing does not say. |
| The description never mentions a price or a free tier. Every listed purchase is a weekly or yearly plan. |
| Carvia: Car Widgets993 ratings | Yes | The listing does not say. |
| None of its four purchases is named weekly or yearly. Its release notes say a collection unlocks with a single payment. |
| Car Widgets: Style Dashboard516 ratings | Yes | The listing does not say. |
| Says some premium widgets, themes and options may need a subscription, without saying which are free. |
| CARFACE Car Widgets & Lyrics450 ratings | Yes | The listing does not say. |
| Two purchases are named as trial plans, so read the trial terms on the purchase screen. |
| CarSkin: Widgets for Car161 ratings | Yes | The listing does not say. |
| The description says $4.99 a week and the purchase list says $7.99. Lists a Lifetime purchase. |
| CarTheme: Car Widgets & Sounds145 ratings | Yes | The listing does not say. |
| Calls its subscriptions optional, without saying what you get without one. |
| Car Widgets: AutoDash132 ratings | Yes | The listing does not say. |
| Says some features need a purchase, such as more editing features and stock widgets. Lists a lifetime purchase. |
| Car Play Widgets: Dashboard(ours)7 ratings | Yes | Browsing and customizing every design. | Pro weekly: $4.99 (read October 5, 2026). Pro yearly: price shown in the app. Three credit packs: $0.99, $4.99 and $9.99. | Free to design. Saving a widget needs Pro. |
Purchase names and prices are copied from each listing, in its order. The App Store lists every price point an app has for sale, so a name can repeat, and the price in the app can differ. For our own app we give plan types and leave out the yearly price, because a price test is running.
What the purchase lists have in common
- • None of the eight other listings says what you can do without paying.
- • Seven of the eight include a purchase named weekly or week. The lowest such price listed was $4.99.
- • Two list a purchase named Lifetime: CarSkin and AutoDash.
A free download tells you little here. Check the purchase screen in an app before you spend time on a design.
The route with no price: widgets you already have
Showing widgets in CarPlay is part of iOS 26 and iOS 27. Apple's developer page says an app's small widget appears in CarPlay with no changes required. So before you install a car widget app, open Settings, General, CarPlay, your car, Widgets on the iPhone, tap Add Widgets, and see which of your own apps are offered. Steps: how to add widgets to CarPlay. Apple sources: Customize widgets in CarPlay and Apple Developer, CarPlay.
Where our own app stands
Car Play Widgets: Dashboard is free to design in and not free to keep a widget from. It has the fewest ratings of the nine, with 7 and a 3.9 average, and it lists no one-time purchase for Pro.
Browsing and customizing are free. Saving a widget requires Pro, a weekly or yearly subscription with no free trial. On October 5, 2026 the weekly plan was $4.99 in the US, and the app shows the current prices before you buy. The app has no CarPlay app of its own and reads no vehicle data. Its widgets need iOS 26 or later and a CarPlay display that shows widgets. On the iPhone the app is listed as Car Widgets. Car Play Widgets 1.5 has no synchronized lyrics. Its text cards show words you type yourself.
See Car Play Widgets on the App StoreFrequently asked questions
Is there a free CarPlay widget app for iPhone?
All nine apps we compare are free to download, and all nine list in-app purchases. On October 6, 2026 no listing promised that everything is free, and eight did not say what is free at all. The route with no price is a widget from an app you already have, which iOS 26 and iOS 27 can show on the CarPlay dashboard.
Are Apple CarPlay widgets free?
Yes. Showing widgets in CarPlay is part of iOS 26 and iOS 27, and adding one is a free setting on the iPhone. The widgets come from apps, so one from an app you already use adds no cost, and a custom widget app may charge.
Which CarPlay widget apps can I use without a subscription?
The listings alone cannot tell you, and we did not test the apps. Three listings point to a one-time purchase: CarSkin and AutoDash each list a purchase named Lifetime, and Carvia lists themed collections that its release notes say unlock with a single payment.
Is Car Play Widgets: Dashboard free?
It is free to download, and browsing and customizing every design are free. Saving a widget requires Pro, a weekly or yearly subscription with no free trial, so you cannot keep a widget without paying. On October 5, 2026 the weekly plan was $4.99 in the US.
Sources
The US App Store listing of each app, linked from its name in the table and read on October 6, 2026. Prices change, so treat this page as a snapshot of that day. The roundup compares the same nine apps on ratings and features.