Alternatives

VinAudit alternatives

Q: Can Cardog decode many VINs in one request?

Yes. POST /v2/vin/batch takes up to 1,000 VINs, and one bad VIN fails only its own row.

Q: Does Cardog check Transport Canada recalls?

Yes. GET /v2/vin/{vin}/recalls lists Transport Canada and NHTSA campaigns for the VIN's model year, each tagged with its authority. The maker confirms whether a specific VIN is affected.

Q: What does a Cardog decode cost?

Two credits per VIN. A single GET /v2/vin/{vin} bills its 2 credits on any 200 answer, including valid: false; a batch bills only the rows that come back valid: true; a 400 costs nothing. See Pricing.

Q: How do I authenticate with Cardog?

Send your API key as x-api-key or Authorization: Bearer. See Authentication.

Last updated: October 2026

Alternatives to VinAudit for VIN decoding and vehicle data, led by Cardog, with what each covers, Canadian coverage, published pricing and free tiers, linked to each vendor's pages.

Cardog is the alternative to VinAudit built for Canadian vehicles. We decode 99.77% of Canadian VINs to trim level, decode up to 1,000 VINs in one request, list Transport Canada and NHTSA recalls for the same VIN, and serve spec sheets with units and Canadian prices kept in CAD. Other vehicle data APIs are listed below with their published coverage and pricing.

This page is written by Cardog, so read it with that in mind. Every claim about another company links to that company's own public page, and we checked those pages on 2026-10-26. Every Cardog claim is something our API serves today.

Why teams look for an alternative to VinAudit

From VinAudit's own pages: the decoder takes a single vin per request, with no batch call in its docs, and the API key goes in the query string as key (docs). Self-Service is priced at $100/mo plus $0.10/query, and the free trial is up to 100 queries (product page).

The alternatives at a glance

Alternative	What it covers	Canada coverage, as the vendor states it	Pricing, as published	Free tier
Cardog	VIN decode and batch decode, spec sheets, Transport Canada and NHTSA recalls, Canadian listings, market quotes	99.77% of Canadian VINs decode to trim level	Plans from US$30 a month (pricing)	50 credits a month, no card
DataOne Software (VINBasic)	VIN decode with equipment, options, specs, warranties, original pricing, colours and images	A VINBasic Canadian product (VINBasic)	By quote (VIN Decoder API)	15-day free trial (VINBasic)
CarsXE	Specs, international VIN decode, plates, market value, history, images, recalls	Non-US VINs fall back to an international decoder (Specifications)	Starter US$40.83/mo and Pro US$207.50/mo, billed annually; Business custom (pricing)	Sandbox, up to 100 API calls lifetime (pricing)
Canadian Black Book	Used and new vehicle values, VIN decoding, retail listing data	Not stated on the API page (API)	Not published (API)	Not stated (API)
Vehicle Databases	VIN decode, history, plates, recalls, market value	US decoder covers vehicles made for or sold in the US and Canada (VIN Decoder)	Pay-as-you-go, monthly and yearly plans; no prices listed (home)	15 free credits (home)

Cardog

Cardog is a vehicle data API from a Canadian company, built for Canadian vehicles first.

Batches of 1,000. POST /v2/vin/batch decodes up to 1,000 VINs a request, and one bad VIN fails only its own row.
Canadian VINs to trim. GET /v2/vin/{vin} decodes 99.77% of Canadian VINs to trim level. See Decode a Canadian VIN.
Transport Canada and NHTSA recalls. GET /v2/vin/{vin}/recalls lists both authorities' campaigns for the VIN's model year, each tagged tc or nhtsa, with consequence and remedy text. See Recalls.
Units with the original kept. Spec sheets state every number with its unit and keep the source's own number when it was published in another unit. See Units.
Prices kept per market. A spec sheet lists Canadian and US prices apart, in CAD and USD, never merged.
A reason for every miss. A VIN we cannot name comes back valid: false with a code from a fixed list.
Keys that join. Refs and build keys tie a decode to recalls, spec sheets, Canadian listings and market quotes.
Clients and agents. An API key in a header, TypeScript and Python SDKs, a remote MCP server at mcp.cardog.io, and a dated Cardog-Version header.

A single GET /v2/vin/{vin} bills 2 credits on any 200 answer, including valid: false; a batch bills 2 credits only for rows that come back valid: true; a 400 costs nothing. The Free plan includes 50 credits a month with no card.

DataOne Software (VINBasic)

A VIN decoder that returns vehicle descriptors, installed and optional equipment, specs, factory warranties, original pricing, colours and images (VIN Decoder API). It comes as an API web service or as a VIN database in a single flat file, with a VINBasic Canadian product (VINBasic). Pricing is by quote.

CarsXE

A catalogue of vehicle APIs: specifications, an international VIN decoder, plates, market value, history, lien and theft, images and recalls (pricing). Starter is US$40.83/mo and Pro US$207.50/mo, billed annually; the Sandbox is up to 100 API calls lifetime (pricing).

Canadian Black Book

Valuation APIs, including a Used Car Web API with wholesale, trade-in, retail and private party values and VIN decoding, a Custom Trade Value API and a Retail Market Insights API (API). Access is through its Developer Portal for Black Book customers; prices are not published (API).

Vehicle Databases

A catalogue of APIs including VIN decoding, title check, history, plates, recalls and market value (home). Its US decoder covers vehicles made for or sold in the US and Canada (VIN Decoder). No prices are listed; signup includes 15 free credits (home).

Where Cardog fits

Cardog is the decode for teams that work with Canadian VINs at volume. Send up to 1,000 VINs in one request, get each back to trim with a reason code on any miss, and follow its refs to Transport Canada and NHTSA recalls, spec sheets in metric units with CAD and USD prices kept apart, Canadian listings and market quotes. Start on the Free plan with no card, and move to a paid plan from US$30 a month. The migration guide maps VinAudit's fields to Cardog's.

FAQ

Can Cardog decode many VINs in one request? Yes. POST /v2/vin/batch takes up to 1,000 VINs, and one bad VIN fails only its own row.

Does Cardog cover Canadian VINs? Yes. Cardog decodes 99.77% of Canadian VINs to trim level.

Does Cardog check Transport Canada recalls? Yes. GET /v2/vin/{vin}/recalls lists Transport Canada and NHTSA campaigns for the VIN's model year, each tagged with its authority. The maker confirms whether a specific VIN is affected.

What does a Cardog decode cost? Two credits per VIN. A single GET /v2/vin/{vin} bills its 2 credits on any 200 answer, including valid: false; a batch bills only the rows that come back valid: true; a 400 costs nothing. See Pricing.

How do I authenticate with Cardog? Send your API key as x-api-key or Authorization: Bearer. See Authentication.

Sources

Checked on 2026-10-26:

VinAudit VIN Decoder API product page: https://data.vinaudit.com/vin-decoder-api
VinAudit VIN Decoder API documentation: https://data.vinaudit.com/docs/api/vin/decoder
DataOne Software, VINBasic: https://www.dataonesoftware.com/vinbasic-vin-decoding
DataOne Software, VIN Decoder API: https://www.dataonesoftware.com/web-services-vin-decoder-api
CarsXE pricing: https://carsxe.com/pricing
CarsXE Specifications: https://docs.carsxe.com/docs/products/specifications
Canadian Black Book, APIs: https://www.canadianblackbook.com/api/
Vehicle Databases home page: https://vehicledatabases.com/
Vehicle Databases, VIN Decoder API: https://vehicledatabases.com/api/vin-decoder

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