Comparison

VINwiki vs GWSCAN

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

VINwiki

Document your vehicle's complete history, including maintenance, upgrades, and mileage. Share your car's story with photos and service records to build its value. Follow friends' cars and see their automotive journeys.

Highlights
  • Create vehicle history reports
  • Contribute to vehicle histories
  • Curate vehicle history reports
  • Add photos and mileage updates
  • Document service records
  • Track car maintenance and upgrades
  • Follow friends' car journeys
Features
Read full description

VINwiki is here to change automotive history. It is a platform that invites users to create, contribute to, and curate vehicle history reports. Tell your car's story with photos, mileage updates, service records, and everything that makes it your own. Build value in your car by documenting all of the maintenance, upgrades, and modifications that you perform. Follow your friends and the cars you love so that you can see what happens to them. VINwiki is a great tool to keep track of what your friends do to their cars and where they end up down the road. Come with us on this journey to offer a new perspective on the cars that we love.

About

GWSCAN

Unlock advanced vehicle diagnostics and maintenance insights. This tool helps you understand your car's systems, read and clear trouble codes, and monitor live engine data. Ideal for vehicle owners seeking professional-level insights without the dealership cost.

Highlights
  • OBDII Diagnostics
  • In-depth system scans
  • Live engine data monitoring
  • Maintenance light reset
  • Scan and clear DTCs
Features
Read full description

GWSCAN DIAGNOSTICS THAT BREAK ALL THE RULES! Unlock your inner mechanic with the tool that shows you what the pro knows. A must-have for every vehicle owner. The GWSCAN offers essential diagnostics with advanced features, covering 85+ manufacturers, a 2-year warranty, and free software updates—without breaking the bank. Diagnose and reset check engine lights from your driveway, saving time and money. Take control of your car care with confidence and convenience—choose GWSCAN. Detailed Features: 1) OBDII Diagnostics Offers standard OBDII diagnostics for engines, including scanning and clearing of Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs). 2)In-depth Check Performs comprehensive system scans on vehicles, including the chassis and body, to display manufacturer fault codes, provide definitions, and enable code clearing. 3)Live Data Displays live engine data during idle, operational, or full load conditions, including real-time information on RPM, battery voltage, air and fluid temperatures, and engine load. 4)Maintenance Light Reset Reset the maintenance counter and turn off the maintenance light after finishing maintenance.

Screenshots

VINwiki4 screens
GWSCAN4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: VINwiki at free against GWSCAN's paid. VINwiki also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.3) and ratings volume (4.1K vs 83). GWSCAN's advantage is device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 16.0). On price, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

VINwiki holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: VINwiki has 4.1K ratings behind it against 83, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 63% of VINwiki's written reviews are positive against 59% of GWSCAN's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

VINwiki ships an update monthly, GWSCAN every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
VINwiki versus GWSCAN: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterVINwikiGWSCAN
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (4.1K ratings) — better4.3 (83 ratings)
Positive reviews62.5% of reviews — better58.6% of reviews
Number of ratings4.1K — better83
Update frequencyMonthly — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterPaid
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.012.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size12 MB492 MB
Age rating9+12+
DeveloperVINwiki, Inc.Apex Tool Group

Customer experience

VINwiki

All ratings4,142 ratings
Positive94.7%
Neutral2.1%
Negative3.2%
Written reviews112 reviews
Positive62.5%
Neutral10.7%
Negative26.8%

GWSCAN

All ratings83 ratings
Positive80.7%
Neutral3.6%
Negative15.7%
Written reviews29 reviews
Positive58.6%
Neutral3.4%
Negative37.9%

Bugs and requests

VINwiki

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Login and registration issues
  • Posts and data disappearing
  • Inability to view personal posts and history
  • Compatibility problems with newer iOS versions

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add ability to edit and delete posts
  • Implement push notifications
  • Improve search and filtering functionality
  • Add support for international users and vehicles
  • Optimize for iPad and larger screens

GWSCAN

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

VINwiki

No in-app purchases

None

GWSCAN

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is VINwiki free?
VINwiki is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is GWSCAN free?
GWSCAN is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, VINwiki or GWSCAN?
VINwiki is rated higher. VINwiki averages 4.8 out of 5 from 4.1K ratings, while GWSCAN averages 4.3 from 83 ratings.
Do VINwiki or GWSCAN have ads?
Neither VINwiki nor GWSCAN shows ads.
Which is updated more often, VINwiki or GWSCAN?
VINwiki ships an update monthly, and GWSCAN every 2 months. Most recently, VINwiki was updated on September 23, 2026 and GWSCAN on September 21, 2026.

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