PRODUCT
What is VINly?
Free VIN research and car listings. Scan or decode any VIN for NHTSA recalls, owner complaints, crash-test ratings, and EPA fuel cost. Browse cars for sale near you. No account, no subscription.
What can I research for free?
Everything today. Any car by year/make/model or VIN. You get NHTSA open recalls, owner complaints, crash-test ratings, EPA fuel economy, year-by-year comparison, and live listings with photos and prices.
How is this different from Carfax?
Carfax sells accident-and-title history for ~$40. VINly focuses on free government safety data plus listings so you can research before you shop. Different tool, different job.
Does it work without a VIN?
Yes. Pick year, make, and model from the dropdown, or scan/type a VIN when you have one. Recall data is most complete with a VIN.
Where do listings come from?
Live dealer inventory via Auto.dev. Listings appear on research pages and dedicated for-sale pages by city and model.
Does VINly work for trucks, SUVs, sports cars?
Yes. Any vehicle in NHTSA and EPA databases. Mainstream models have the richest complaint and recall history.
Can I use VINly on the web?
Yes. Research and VIN decode work at vinly.dev. The iOS app adds VIN camera scan and saved-car comparison.
PRICING
What does it cost?
Nothing. VINly is 100% free: VIN research, dossiers, and listings. If we add premium features later, the free tier stays.
Is there a subscription?
No. No subscription, no accounts, no ads.
Will you charge later?
Maybe, but only if usage numbers justify it and only for features beyond today's free research and listings. We're optimizing for traffic and trust first.
TRUST
How accurate is the data?
Recalls, complaints, and crash tests are NHTSA's own records; fuel economy is the EPA's. We show sources and dates on every page.
Are you affiliated with Facebook / Marketplace?
No. VINly is not affiliated with Facebook, Marketplace, Meta, Cars.com, AutoTrader, CarGurus, or any listing platform. Listings come from public dealer inventory APIs.
PRIVACY
Where does my data go?
Saved cars stay on your device. VIN lookups use NHTSA and EPA data. A photo used for VIN text recognition is processed through our server and OpenAI; listing searches use Auto.dev. Optional product analytics use a random device identifier, never an advertising ID.
Do you sell data?
No. We have no advertising business and no data-sharing partners.
How do I delete my data?
Delete the app to clear saved cars on your device. Email support@vinly.dev if you need help.
COMPATIBILITY
iPhone only?
Yes, at launch. VINly supports iPhone running iOS 16 or later. It may run on iPad in iPhone compatibility mode, but the layout is not iPad-native.
Android version?
Not at launch. On the roadmap; no committed date yet.
Apple Watch / CarPlay?
No. Vehicle research is designed for the full iPhone screen.
Does it work offline?
Saved vehicle identities remain on your device, but loading current recalls, complaints, fuel data, photo VIN recognition, or nearby listings requires a network connection.
Question we didn't cover? Ask us directly.