An IMAGIN.studio alternative with a public price per image
IMAGIN.studio quotes its plans through sales. Car Image API publishes its prices: 1 credit per image, Pro at $29 a month. Compared, with sources.
Who each one suits
Side by side
| Feature | Car Image API | IMAGIN.studio |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Plans with a monthly credit allowance; 1 credit per image, cached or new; extra credits on any plan, Free included | Quote-based subscriptions (Limited, Premium, Enterprise or custom), each with a minimum monthly commitment; every plan starts with a call to sales |
| 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) | Quote-based, no public price list |
| Free tier | 100 credits at signup, full quality, no card | No self-serve tier; a sandbox after the introduction call |
| Transparent PNG | YesPNG or WebP up to 1024 px, or on a solid background you choose | YesPremium and above; Limited is JPEG only |
| Camera views | 8: front, rear, both profiles and all four three-quarter corners, in 15 named colors or any hex | Angles: 13 on Limited, up to 45 on Premium and Enterprise, plus 360° spins |
| 3D models | GLB, USDZ and FBX of any catalog vehicle in any color, 100 credits per vehicle and color, charged once | 360° spins; no 3D model files listed |
| MCP and SDK | Remote and local MCP servers, a TypeScript SDK, a CLI and OpenAPI 3.1 | An MCP server that searches its documentation; images are CDN URLs with a customer key |
| License | Commercial on a paid plan while it is active; keep copies on your own servers or CDN | A micro use license per requested image, served from its CDN; no server-side caching unless the agreement allows it |
| Checked on | Live: the figures /pricing shows | against imaginstudio.com/plans |
What you give up
Where IMAGIN.studio is ahead, as its own pages put it on October 1, 2026:
- Camera angles: up to 45 on Premium and Enterprise, plus 360° spins.
- Resolution: up to 4K on Premium and Enterprise.
- Factory (OEM) paints by name, with rim and trim variations and year-by-year facelifts.
- Lifestyle backgrounds, and custom license plates with your branding.
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 you send IMAGIN.studio today are what the resolve step reads, and a factory paint becomes a hex color you choose (color=1a2b3c). Images you serve from your own CDN stay licensed while your plan is active.
# 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 against imaginstudio.com/plans, docs.imagin.studio/api-integration/manuals/getting-started, docs.imagin.studio/faq/contracts, docs.imagin.studio/api-integration/manuals/mcp-api-documentation. Prices and plans change: tell support@carimage.dev if one has, and we will correct this page. Car Image API is not affiliated with IMAGIN.studio.
Frequently asked questions
- Does IMAGIN.studio publish its prices?
- Not on its plans page when we read it on October 1, 2026: every plan asks you to talk to sales, and its documentation describes a minimum monthly commitment for each subscription. Car Image API lists every price on its pricing page: 1 credit per image, Pro at $29 a month for 25,000 images, and extra credits at $1 per 100 on any plan.
- Can I keep IMAGIN.studio images on my own servers or CDN?
- Its getting-started guide says its images may not be downloaded, cached on a server, distributed or modified unless the agreement says otherwise, and are used straight from its CDN, with a micro use license for each requested image. On a Car Image API paid plan you may keep copies on your own servers or CDN to serve your product for as long as the plan is active.
- Where is IMAGIN.studio ahead?
- Camera angles and resolution on its higher plans (up to 45 angles plus 360° spins, images up to 4K), factory paints by name, trim and facelift detail, and lifestyle scenes. Car Image API renders 8 views at up to 1024 px, as studio illustrations of a catalog vehicle rather than manufacturer imagery.
- Can I start without a sales call?
- On Car Image API, yes: sign in, create a key and the first images render against your free credits in minutes. IMAGIN.studio's plans page asks you to book a demo, and its FAQ describes an introduction call, then a sandbox, then a commercial agreement.
- Is Car Image API affiliated with IMAGIN.studio?
- No. IMAGIN.studio is named here only to say which product the facts describe; they come from its public pages, linked below the comparison with the date they were read.
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.