Plate Lookup vs Car History Check
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Plate Lookup
Instantly identify vehicles by their license plate. Get details like make, model, year, engine specs, and even a photo. Perfect for car enthusiasts or anyone curious about a vehicle on the road.
- License plate lookup
- Vehicle make and model
- Year and trim details
- Engine specifications
- Vehicle photos
- Fuel type information
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Lookup any car, truck or semi-truck by it's license plate! Returns detailed information about the vehicle: • Make • Model • Year • Trim • Engine Specs • Fuel Type • Photo See a cool car and wanna learn more about it? Look it up! Curious if a vanity plate is available? Check and see! Did you know semi trucks have 12L engines? Search one's front plate to find out more! This app does not display (nor collect) any personal information about the owner of the vehicle.
Car History Check
Instantly access detailed vehicle history reports using a VIN. Uncover hidden damage, theft records, mileage discrepancies, and original equipment for any car brand. Make informed decisions when buying or selling used vehicles.
- Instant vehicle facts
- Original equipment lists
- Hidden damage detection
- Odometer fraud alerts
- Theft record checks
- Service history insights
- Historical photo viewing
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Looking for a used vehicle? Want to know the full history of your own car? Car History Check is a VIN decoder and vehicle history report app that helps reveal key vehicle details before you buy. Use it to check available records for mileage rollbacks, hidden damage, theft records, historical photos, service history, auction history, salvage status, equipment details and other important vehicle information. WHAT IS A VIN? VIN means vehicle identification number. It is a unique 17-character code used to identify a specific car, truck, bus, trailer or other vehicle. From production to service, ownership changes, accidents and scrapyard records, important vehicle life events can be connected to the VIN. WHAT IS A VIN DECODER? A VIN decoder, also known as a car history check, VIN lookup or vehicle history check, helps decode the VIN number and collect available records from vehicle databases. This can include manufacturing data, model details, original equipment, mileage records, accident history, theft records, damage history and more. WHY CHECK VEHICLE HISTORY? A VIN number check helps compare a vehicle's condition across different dates. This can reveal discrepancies caused by accidents, part replacement, tuning, faults, mileage fraud or a seller hiding important facts. Car History Check can help you learn more than a seller may want to tell you. Use the report to make a more confident buying decision or negotiate the price with more confidence. YOU CAN USE CAR HISTORY CHECK TO: • Check key vehicle facts, including production year, engine size, power and transmission type • Review original equipment and vehicle details • Look for hidden damage, odometer fraud and theft records • Learn about available service history and model issues • View historical vehicle photos when available Never buy a used vehicle without checking its history. Download Car History Check and run a VIN lookup before your next purchase.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Plate Lookup at 3.0 against Car History Check's 1.0. Plate Lookup also leads on ratings volume (44 vs 1). Car History Check's advantage is review sentiment (63% vs 30%) and update cadence (monthly vs every 10 months). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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
Both are free to download. Plate Lookup sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Car History Check sells 7 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Plate Lookup holds the better App Store score, 3.0 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Plate Lookup has 44 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 30% of Plate Lookup's written reviews are positive against 63% of Car History Check's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Plate Lookup ships an update every 10 months, Car History Check monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 7, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Plate Lookup | Car History Check |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.0 (44 ratings) — better | 1.0 (1 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 29.6% of reviews | 62.9% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 44 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 10 months | Monthly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 — better | 16.4 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 2 MB | 73 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Casey Evanoff | carVertical OU |
Customer experience
Plate Lookup
Car History Check
In-app purchases
Plate Lookup
- Unlock Full Version$0.99
Car History Check
- One Report$13.99
- One report$15.99
- One car history report$15.99
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- One car history report$19.99
- Two reports$20.99
- 2 car history reports$20.99
- 3 car history reports$29.99
Questions
Is Plate Lookup free?
Is Car History Check free?
Which has better reviews, Plate Lookup or Car History Check?
Do Plate Lookup or Car History Check have ads?
Which is updated more often, Plate Lookup or Car History Check?
Other comparisons
