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Cardog vs Auto.dev
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Cardog next to Auto.dev: coverage, recalls, listings, pricing, auth, batch decode, SDKs and agents, with every Auto.dev claim linked to Auto.dev's own page.
Cardog is built for Canadian vehicles and inventory: we decode 99.77% of Canadian VINs to trim, list Transport Canada and NHTSA recall campaigns, and serve Canadian listings in CAD and kilometres, all keyed to the same refs. Here is how Cardog sits next to Auto.dev.
This page is written by Cardog, so read it with that in mind. Every claim about Auto.dev links to Auto.dev's own public page, and we checked those pages on 2026-10-26. Every Cardog claim is something our API serves today.
At a glance
| Cardog | Auto.dev | |
|---|---|---|
| Coverage | Canada and the US. 99.77% of Canadian VINs decode to trim level | VINs from North America, Europe, Asia and other markets (VIN Decode). Listings from US dealers (Vehicle Listings) |
| VIN decode | GET /v2/vin/{vin}: year, make, model, trim, refs and build keys | GET /vin/{vin} with display strings, and candidate trims with a confidence when a VIN is ambiguous (VIN Decode) |
| Specs | GET /v2/specs/{nano}, every number with its unit, US and Canadian prices kept apart | Specifications and OEM build data APIs (pricing) |
| Recalls | Campaigns listed for a VIN's model year, from Transport Canada and NHTSA, each tagged with its authority | NHTSA data plus international recalls matched by make and model (Vehicle Recalls); open recalls for the exact VIN from NHTSA on the Scale plan (Open Recalls, pricing) |
| Market data | Model-year market quotes | Payments, interest rates, taxes and fees, total cost of ownership (pricing) |
| Listings | Canadian listing search, counts and facets; prices default to CAD, radius in kilometres | US dealer listings, in miles (Vehicle Listings) |
| Pricing model | Credits: 2 per VIN looked up, 5 per VIN recall check, 1 for most other reads. Plans from US$30 a month | Growth at US$299 and Scale at US$599 a month, plus a per-call data fee for each API (pricing) |
| Auth | API key, as x-api-key or Authorization: Bearer | API key as Authorization: Bearer (recommended) or an apiKey query parameter (Getting Started) |
| Batch | POST /v2/vin/batch, up to 1,000 VINs | Single-VIN decode; batch processing is listed with Enterprise (VIN Decode, pricing) |
| SDKs | TypeScript (@cardog/api) and Python (cardog) | TypeScript (@auto.dev/sdk) with a CLI (CLI, MCP and SDK) |
| MCP and agents | Remote MCP server at mcp.cardog.io with six read tools | Hosted MCP server at mcp.auto.dev, with OAuth sign-in or an API key (MCP quickstart) |
| Versioning | Dated Cardog-Version header; each version is served for 12 months after the next one lands | A /v2 documentation set alongside the original v1 (docs index) |
| Terms | API Platform Terms, Ontario law | Terms |
Why teams choose Cardog
- Transport Canada recalls.
GET /v2/vin/{vin}/recallsreturns the Transport Canada and NHTSA campaigns listed for the VIN's model year, each taggedtcornhtsa. Auto.dev's recalls page names NHTSA and does not mention Transport Canada (Vehicle Recalls). See Recalls. - Canadian VINs to trim. We decode 99.77% of Canadian VINs to trim level. See Decode a Canadian VIN.
- Canadian listings. Listing search with prices in CAD by default and a radius in kilometres, with counts and facets over the same filters.
- Batch decode.
POST /v2/vin/batchtakes up to 1,000 VINs, and one bad VIN fails only its own row. - No guessing on a miss. A VIN we cannot name comes back
valid: falsewith null identity fields and a reason code; we do not fill it in from similar vehicles. - Join keys. Refs and build keys tie a decode to recalls, spec sheets, market quotes, safety ratings and OEM parts without matching on names.
- A Python SDK. Alongside TypeScript, so both languages get the same contract.
When to use Cardog
Use Cardog when your users or inventory are Canadian, when Transport Canada recalls matter, or when you need bulk decoding and join keys across recalls, specs and prices.
FAQ
Does Auto.dev cover Canadian listings? Its listings page describes US dealers and does not mention Canada. Cardog's listing search is built for Canada, with CAD prices and kilometres.
Do both accept a Bearer token?
Yes. Auto.dev recommends Authorization: Bearer. Cardog accepts that or x-api-key; see Authentication.
Do both have an MCP server?
Yes. Auto.dev documents a hosted server at mcp.auto.dev. Cardog's is at mcp.cardog.io; see MCP server.
Does Cardog list Transport Canada recalls?
Yes. GET /v2/vin/{vin}/recalls lists the Transport Canada and NHTSA campaigns for the VIN's model year, each tagged tc or nhtsa. See Recalls.
Related
- Auto.dev alternatives
- Best VIN decoder APIs (2026)
- How to migrate from Auto.dev to Cardog
- Pricing
- API docs
Sources
Checked on 2026-10-26:
- Auto.dev, Global VIN Decode API: https://docs.auto.dev/v2/products/vin-decode
- Auto.dev, Getting Started: https://docs.auto.dev/v2/getting-started
- Auto.dev, Vehicle Recalls API: https://docs.auto.dev/v2/products/vehicle-recalls
- Auto.dev, Open Recalls API: https://docs.auto.dev/v2/products/open-recalls
- Auto.dev, Vehicle Listings API: https://docs.auto.dev/v2/products/vehicle-listings
- Auto.dev, CLI, MCP and SDK: https://docs.auto.dev/v2/cli-mcp-sdk
- Auto.dev, MCP quickstart: https://docs.auto.dev/v2/mcp-quickstart
- Auto.dev, documentation index: https://docs.auto.dev/llms.txt
- Auto.dev, Pricing: https://www.auto.dev/pricing
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