What Carly GmbH does

Carly GmbH, legally Carly Solutions GmbH & Co KG, is a Munich-based consumer car-technology company founded in 2014 that develops and sells an OBD-II diagnostic adapter (the Carly Scanner) paired over Bluetooth 5.0 with iOS and Android smartphone applications. The scanner uses a 32-bit ARM processor with a solid-state multiplexer, ECE R10 vehicle EMC certification, and an ultra-low power mode, and is offered as a one-time hardware purchase with a lifetime warranty. The company targets individual car owners across more than 50 supported brands — including BMW, Volkswagen, Audi, Mercedes, Porsche, Toyota, and others — with a product suite spanning Carly Diagnostics (manufacturer-level fault-code readout across up to 80 control units), Carly Live Data (real-time sensor monitoring), Carly Maintenance (DIY service checks and resets), Carly Coding (hidden-feature unlocking), Carly Smart Mechanic (model-specific repair guidance), Used Car Check (mileage-tampering detection), and a Repair Cost Service. Distribution is direct-to-consumer via the company's own storefront mycarly.com and the Apple App Store and Google Play stores, with marketing amplified through a YouTube/Instagram/TikTok affiliate program (€15 per sale plus fixed-fee video integrations) and multi-language SEO/blog content in English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, and Japanese.

The business operates a three-layer monetization model: (i) one-time Carly Scanner hardware sales as the customer-acquisition anchor, (ii) recurring annual subscriptions for brand-specific or all-brands software features built on a freemium Lite tier that drives paid conversion, and (iii) B2B data services that process aggregated OBD information into evaluation models, scores, and forecasts marketed to third parties such as dealers, service centers, and insurance providers. The Carly Community platform adds a peer-support and content layer moderated with OpenAI's API under Digital Services Act obligations, while core infrastructure runs on AWS (ISO 27001, SOC 1/2/2, PCI DSS Level 1) with Adyen, Klarna, and PayPal for payments and Chargebee for subscription billing.

The company reports more than 2 million end customers globally, with documented scale in France (100,000+ users, €5M+ in annual diagnostic cost savings, €50–€120 saved per diagnostic session), has expanded into the U.S. market as of April 2020, and maintains a roughly 70-employee base across 34 nationalities. Carly is privately held, has no disclosed external institutional investors or funding rounds in the available sources, and is led by co-founder and CEO Avid Avini.

Name

Carly GmbH

Legal name

Carly Solutions GmbH & Co KG

Website

https://mycarly.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Carly GmbH, founded in 2014 in Munich, sells a Bluetooth OBD-II scanner paired with a mobile app letting individual car owners across 50+ brands run diagnostics, monitor live data, perform maintenance resets, and unlock hidden vehicle features via a freemium-plus-subscription model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Munich

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations

Revenue model

1. Hardware Sales (Carly Scanner): Sale of the Carly OBD-II scanner device. The scanner is a one-time hardware purchase that enables connection between the vehicle and smartphone app.
2. App Features and Subscriptions: Software features accessed through the Carly app, with brand-specific and all-brands pricing tiers. The app includes free lite version with paid premium features.
3. B2B Data Services: Processing of OBD information to generate analyses and statistics, including evaluation models and forecasts marketed to third parties

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Carly designs and sells a universal Bluetooth OBD-II scanner paired with a companion iOS/Android app that gives individual car owners manufacturer-level diagnostics, real-time live data, DIY maintenance, vehicle coding, and used car inspection. The hardware is sold as a one-time purchase while app features are offered via freemium and annual brand-specific or all-brands subscriptions.

Product overview

Carly offers a unified car diagnostics and coding solution consisting of the Carly Scanner hardware (a Bluetooth OBD-II adapter) paired with a mobile application. The core product combines four main capabilities: Carly Diagnostics (fault code reading), Carly Live Data (real-time vehicle monitoring), Carly Maintenance (service tracking), and Carly Coding (vehicle customization). The Carly Scanner connects to the vehicle's OBD port and communicates wirelessly via Bluetooth 5.0 to the Carly app on iOS and Android devices. Supporting features include Carly Smart Mechanic (AI-assisted repair guidance), Used Car Check (pre-purchase inspection), Carly Community (peer support platform), and Repair Cost Service (cost estimation). The solution supports over 50 car brands including BMW, VW, Audi, Mercedes, Porsche, Toyota, and more. Carly was founded in 2014 in Munich, Germany, and serves both B2C consumers and B2B customers through business partners.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Carly Scanner (OBD-II Adapter) Universal OBD-II Bluetooth scanner device with 32-bit ARM processor, Bluetooth 5.0, ECE R10 certification, solid-state multiplexer, and ultra-low power mode. Pairs with the Carly app for diagnostics, maintenance, and coding.
• Carly Mobile App Smartphone app for iOS and Android that provides manufacturer-level diagnostics, live data monitoring, maintenance tracking, vehicle coding, AI-assisted repair guidance, and used car mileage checks. Offered in free lite version and paid brand-specific or all-brands annual subscriptions.
• Carly Community User community platform for Carly customers to share diagnostic experiences, ask questions, and receive peer and expert support on car diagnostics, repairs, and coding.
• Repair Cost Service

Quantifiable outcome

• 50-120 EUR savings per diagnostic session
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

AI capability5 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• YouTube/Instagram/TikTok Content CreatorscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerAutomotive content creators on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok who promote Carly through affiliate links (15 EUR per sale) or fixed-fee video integrations. Minimum 5,000 average views per video requirement.
• AWS (Amazon Web Services)coreTechnology or IntegrationCloud infrastructure provider hosting Carly's website and processing customer data. AWS hosts Carly's servers with security certifications including ISO 27001, SOC 1/2/2, and PCI DSS Level 1.
• DHL, Deutsche Post, Gate56minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorShipping and logistics partners handling delivery of Carly Scanner hardware to customers.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• BlueDriver: BlueDriver (by Lemur Vehicle Monitors) sells a consumer OBD-II Bluetooth scanner paired with a smartphone app that reads and clears codes, mirroring Carly's core hardware-plus-app model for individual car owners.
• FIXD: FIXD offers a consumer OBD-II sensor and mobile app for diagnostic, maintenance, and mechanic-finding use cases, targeting the same DIY car-owner segment as Carly with a similar freemium-to-premium conversion funnel.
• OBDeleven: OBDeleven provides a Bluetooth OBD adapter and app focused on VAG-group vehicles (VW, Audi, Skoda, Seat) with deep coding and long-coding features directly competitive with Carly's brand-specific and Coding offerings.
• Bimmercode: Bimmercode is a BMW-specific OBD coding app that lets owners unlock hidden features—the same use case Carly targets with its BMW coding tier. Direct overlap on features, customer persona, and pricing model.
• Torque Pro: Torque Pro is a popular Android OBD-II app used with generic Bluetooth scanners to read live data, fault codes, and performance metrics. It is the canonical low-cost alternative to Carly's diagnostic and live-data features.
• DashCommand: DashCommand is a consumer OBD-II app offering customisable dashboards, diagnostics, and fuel-economy tracking. It competes directly with Carly Live Data and Carly Diagnostics for enthusiast car owners.

Broad incumbents

• Autel: Autel is a large, established diagnostics brand offering both professional shop tools and consumer OBD scanners/apps (AutoLINK series) with multi-brand coverage, competing with Carly at the higher end of the consumer/prosumer segment.
• Bosch Diagnostics: Bosch supplies OEM-grade and aftermarket diagnostic tools (e.g., OBD 1350) used by workshops and prosumers. As an automotive incumbent with deep OEM relationships, Bosch represents a well-capitalised competitor in the broader diagnostic space.

Emerging players

• Carista: Carista is a Bluetooth OBD adapter and app offering diagnostics, service resets, and customisation (coding) for a defined list of car brands. Overlaps directly with Carly's coding and maintenance use cases for individual owners.
• BimmerLink: BimmerLink is a BMW-specific OBD app focused on deep diagnostics, error code clearing, and service resets. It overlaps with Carly's BMW diagnostics and maintenance features for the same enthusiast persona.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubemycarly.com/lp-influencer-or-affiliate-partner
• Instagrammycarly.com/lp-influencer-or-affiliate-partner
• TikTokmycarly.com/lp-influencer-or-affiliate-partner
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/carly-connected-car

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Carly GmbH