Independent KYC cost research
KYC cost per customer calculator
On public list plans, a $0.80–$1.85 verification becomes $1.41–$2.42 per approved customer once minimums, retries, manual review, and analyst time are modeled (worked example below). Load a public preset or enter your own quotes to get the number your budget actually pays.
Free KYC pricing calculator
Compare the quote, not the headline rate.
Illustrative values. Replace every field with the commercial quote you received.
Illustrative values. Replace every field with the commercial quote you received.
Modeled result
Quote A is $1,197 lower per month
At 2,500 applicants, 88% completion, 82% approval, and the assumptions above.| Monthly estimate | Quote A | Quote B |
|---|---|---|
| Completed checks | 2,200 | 2,200 |
| Billable checks | 2,200 | 2,950 |
| Approved customers | 2,050 | 2,050 |
| Vendor invoice | $3,475 | $4,672 |
| Internal review labor | $887 | $887 |
| Total / month | $4,362 | $5,558 |
| Cost / approved customer | $2.13 | $2.71 |
| Modeled annual cost | $52,340 | $66,698 |
Vendor invoice = platform fee + the greater of monthly minimum or usage. Internal labor = manual cases x review time x loaded hourly cost. Effective cost = monthly total / approved customers. Taxes, implementation, tier discounts, fraud losses, and contract overages are not included.
Worked example
Modeled KYC cost per approved customer, public plans
Same formula as the calculator. Change any input above and the ranking can flip.
| Public plan | List rate | Modeled monthly total | Cost per approved customer | vs list rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Veriff Essential | $0.80 / applicant | $2,887 | $1.41 | 1.8× |
| Sumsub Basic | $1.35 / completed check | $3,857 | $1.88 | 1.4× |
| Stripe Identity | $1.50 / completed check | $4,187 | $2.04 | 1.4× |
| Sumsub Compliance | $1.85 / completed check | $4,957 | $2.42 | 1.3× |
Scenario: the calculator’s defaults — 2,500 monthly applicants, 88% completion, 82% approval, 18% retries, and 7% manual review at 8 minutes per case with a $38/hour loaded analyst cost, which adds $887/month of internal labor to every row. Rows are not feature-normalized: Sumsub Compliance includes AML screening and proof of address, while the Veriff and Stripe rates exclude screening (Veriff lists PEP and sanctions at +$0.64 per verification). List prices checked 18 July 2026.
The modeled gap is smaller than the list-price gap: Veriff’s $0.80 rate is 41% below Sumsub Basic’s $1.35, but its cost per approved customer is only 25% lower, because internal review labor is identical in every row and Veriff bills per applicant while Sumsub bills per completed check.
Cost anatomy
What drives KYC cost per approved customer
Billing event
“Per verification” can mean a created session, submitted attempt, completed applicant, or approved customer. Get the contract definition.
Minimum commitment
A low unit price does not help at low volume when unused monthly spend expires instead of rolling forward.
Retry behavior
Blurred documents and failed liveness checks can turn one applicant into multiple billable checks.
Manual handling
Vendor review charges are only half the queue. Count your analysts’ investigation, recontact, and disposition time.
Completion and approval
Completion sets billable volume for some contracts; approval sets the denominator. Do not treat them as the same event.
Direct answers
KYC pricing questions worth separating
Public price notebook
Public KYC prices are a floor, not the cost
USD list prices visible on official vendor pages. Last checked 18 July 2026.
| Vendor / plan | Published unit | Published minimum | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sumsub Basic | $1.35 / verification | $149 / month | Official page |
| Sumsub Compliance | $1.85 / verification | $299 / month | Official page |
| Veriff Essential | $0.80 / verification | $49 / month | Official page |
| Stripe Identity | $1.50 / completed check | None published | Official page |
| Persona Essential | Usage varies | $250 / month, 12-month term | Official page |
| Entrust IDV (Onfido) | Contact sales | Not published | Official page |
Features are not normalized across rows. Taxes, add-ons, tiers, overages, implementation, and negotiated enterprise terms are excluded. A published plan can change without notice.
Research desk
Use the KYC cost result in the next decision
Comparisons are vendor-sourced. Country pages are regulation-sourced.
Evidence first. Score second.How kyc0 works
Why kyc0 does not award a universal KYC winner
We do not award universal winners. We separate vendor claims from observed facts, publish the decision criteria, record pricing dates, and tell buyers what their own test still has to prove.
Read the methodology