Is Car Image API the same company as CarImages API?

No. Car Image API (carimage.dev) is made by Meter. CarImages API (carimagesapi.com) is a different company with a similar name, and the two are not affiliated.

How do the prices compare?

CarImages API, as its pricing page read on October 1, 2026: Pro Cars $49 a month ($490 a year) for 25,000 requests; Business $149 a month ($1,490 a year), unlimited; every image served and every REST call counts as a request. Car Image API: 1 credit per image, Pro at $29 a month for 25,000 images, Business at $99 for 150,000, extra credits at $1 per 100, and lookups that cost nothing.

Does CarImages API include 3D models?

Yes: its paid car plans include GLB models of car generations at no extra charge. Car Image API builds GLB, USDZ and FBX files of any catalog vehicle in any color, 100 credits per vehicle and color, charged once; ordering the same one again is free.

How large are the images?

CarImages API serves up to 1536 × 1024 px at full size. Car Image API serves up to 1024 px on the longer side, at any width and height inside that, cropped to the car if you ask.

Do I need a server to put Car Image API images in a page?

Something that holds the key has to mint the signed URLs, usually your server or a build step; the browser only loads them, so the key never reaches it. CarImages API's loader runs in the page itself, with the key locked to your domain on paid plans.

Compare · CarImages API

A CarImages API alternative at 1 credit per image

CarImages API sells monthly request quotas. Car Image API charges 1 credit per image, extra credits $1 per 100. Compared, with sources.

Start with 100 free credits All car image APIs

Who each one suits

CarImages API

Sites that want car images from one script tag and no server code, 3D models inside the plan price, or a motorcycle library sold on its own.

Car Image API

Developers, marketplaces, wrap shops and dealer tools that want a studio render of any catalog vehicle today: sign in, pay per image at a published price, keep the renders on their own CDN on a paid plan, and let agents do the work over MCP.

Side by side

Feature	Car Image API	CarImages API
Pricing model	Plans with a monthly credit allowance; 1 credit per image, cached or new; extra credits on any plan, Free included	Monthly or yearly plans with a request quota; cars and motorcycles are separate libraries; every image served and every REST call counts as a request
Public price	Pro $29 a month for 25,000 images; Business $99 a month for 150,000; extra images $0.01 each ($1 per 100 credits)	Pro Cars $49 a month ($490 a year) for 25,000 requests; Business $149 a month ($1,490 a year), unlimited
Free tier	100 credits at signup, full quality, no card	5,000 requests a month, watermarked WebP
Transparent PNG	YesPNG or WebP up to 1024 px, or on a solid background you choose	YesPNG on paid plans; Free is WebP on white
Camera views	8: front, rear, both profiles and all four three-quarter corners, in 15 named colors or any hex	Angles: 8 per car (front, side, rear, three-quarters and mirrored)
3D models	GLB, USDZ and FBX of any catalog vehicle in any color, 100 credits per vehicle and color, charged once	GLB models of car generations, included in paid car plans
MCP and SDK	Remote and local MCP servers, a TypeScript SDK, a CLI and OpenAPI 3.1	A JS loader and REST with signed URLs; its docs name no MCP server or SDK
License	Commercial on a paid plan while it is active; keep copies on your own servers or CDN	For the life of an active subscription, inside your own applications; cached copies go when it ends
Checked on	Live: the figures /pricing shows	October 1, 2026against carimagesapi.com/pricing

What you give up

Where CarImages API is ahead, as its own pages put it on October 1, 2026:

3D models (GLB) of car generations included in paid car plans, at no extra charge.
Full-size images of 1536 × 1024 px.
A free tier that renews: 5,000 requests a month, watermarked.
Unlimited requests on Business, and brand logos at no charge.
A drop-in script: tag an img with make, model and year, with no server code.

And the limits on this side: Car Image API renders are studio illustrations of a catalog vehicle, not photographs or manufacturer imagery, and can contain inaccuracies (image accuracy). They come in 8 views at up to 1024 px, with no 360° image spins or lifestyle scenes; a 3D model in the <car-3d> embed is the closest thing to a spin.

What Car Image API gives you

A public price. 1 credit per image, cached or freshly rendered. Pro is $29 a month for 25,000 images, Business $99 for 150,000, and extra credits cost $1 per 100 on any plan. See pricing.
Self-serve. Sign in, get 100 free credits and render in minutes, with no card and no sales call.
Any paint, transparent. 15 named colors or any hex, in 8 views, on a transparent background or a solid one you pick.
Vehicle ids and free VIN decoding. Every catalog vehicle has a stable id (veh_…); a VIN or a line of text resolves to one for free.
3D files. GLB, USDZ and FBX of any catalog vehicle in any color, 100 credits per vehicle and color, charged once. See 3D models.
Agents. A remote MCP server at https://carimage.dev/api/mcp, a local one in the CLI, a TypeScript SDK and OpenAPI 3.1. See MCP.
Copies on your own CDN. A paid plan lets you serve renders from your own servers or CDN while the plan is active. See the license.

Switching

Sign in and create a key. The account starts with 100 free credits, no card (sign in).
Resolve each vehicle once. Send the make, model and year you already store, or a VIN, and keep the vehicle id that comes back. Lookups are free (vehicles, VIN decoding).
Render by vehicle id. One request per image, in any view, color and size, at 1 credit each (images).
Give browsers signed URLs. Mint them on your server, so no key ever reaches the page (signed URLs).

The make, model and year in your data-ci-* attributes are what the resolve step reads; store the vehicle id it returns and render by it. Where the loader filled an img in the page, your server now puts a signed URL in its src.

The same request shape for every vehicle

# 1. Resolve each vehicle once (free) and store data.params.vehicle_id
curl -s -X POST https://carimage.dev/api/v1/images/resolve \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $CAR_IMAGE_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"query": "2024 porsche 911"}'

# 2. Render it by vehicle id (1 credit)
curl --fail-with-body -H "Authorization: Bearer $CAR_IMAGE_API_KEY" \
  "https://carimage.dev/api/v1/images/car?vehicle=veh_78qtwrgh37bkr&view=front-3-4&color=red&w=800" \
  -o porsche-911.png

# 3. Or give a browser a signed URL instead of your key (1 credit, charged now)
curl -s -X POST https://carimage.dev/api/v1/image-urls \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $CAR_IMAGE_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"images":[{"vehicle":"veh_78qtwrgh37bkr","view":"front-3-4","color":"red","width":800}]}'

Checked on October 1, 2026 against carimagesapi.com/pricing, carimagesapi.com/docs, carimagesapi.com/terms. Prices and plans change: tell support@carimage.dev if one has, and we will correct this page. Car Image API is not affiliated with CarImages API.

Frequently asked questions

Is Car Image API the same company as CarImages API?: No. Car Image API (carimage.dev) is made by Meter. CarImages API (carimagesapi.com) is a different company with a similar name, and the two are not affiliated.
How do the prices compare?: CarImages API, as its pricing page read on October 1, 2026: Pro Cars $49 a month ($490 a year) for 25,000 requests; Business $149 a month ($1,490 a year), unlimited; every image served and every REST call counts as a request. Car Image API: 1 credit per image, Pro at $29 a month for 25,000 images, Business at $99 for 150,000, extra credits at $1 per 100, and lookups that cost nothing.
Does CarImages API include 3D models?: Yes: its paid car plans include GLB models of car generations at no extra charge. Car Image API builds GLB, USDZ and FBX files of any catalog vehicle in any color, 100 credits per vehicle and color, charged once; ordering the same one again is free.
How large are the images?: CarImages API serves up to 1536 × 1024 px at full size. Car Image API serves up to 1024 px on the longer side, at any width and height inside that, cropped to the car if you ask.
Do I need a server to put Car Image API images in a page?: Something that holds the key has to mint the signed URLs, usually your server or a build step; the browser only loads them, so the key never reaches it. CarImages API's loader runs in the page itself, with the key locked to your domain on paid plans.

Try it on your own vehicles

100 free credits cover 100 images: render a few of the cars you list today and set them beside what you use now.

Get 100 free credits Read the docs