[el ess A]

Bi-directional is the way to go. Yes, pricey AF, but necessary if you're going to troubleshoot the "newer" cars. There's certain things you need from clearing codes to testing/turning on/off and all that to complete some of the troubleshooting items.

Consider it carefully. Know what you need. Some of these scanners are big money. Go ask some local shops what kind of stuff they use to get an idea. True, lots of shops spend $$ on their setups to make their living, but they may can give you some tips/ideas on something less pricey but still works. Some of the techs have their own personal junk at home and can usually tell you what they use at home.

I'm not hawking anything here, buy whatever you wish, but I have a Launch Tech USA that works fairly well based on a tech guy's recommendation. He told me no aftermarket scan tool works for everything, but it does what I need it to do. Plus I can scan and send a report in an email to myself. It does everything I need it to do and more. It was around 600 bucks thereabouts IIRC. Comes with a bluetooth dongle so you're not tethered to the port. And 1 year free updates.

Be wary of those supposed deals on ebay and even Amazon. Some are clones or European spec tune tools and may not work on US cars. They may, but may not. This is the case with Launch Tech USA. I found out during my research the Amazon Launch series scanners are Euro specs and aren't even supported by Launch Tech USA. I bought from a Launch Tech USA vendor and I had no problems scanning and clearing codes on the 2020 GMC and 2020 Cadillac that I've used it on so far. I'm happy with it so far. I'm pretty sure it paid for itself so far in service bills.