Fraud Prevention Vendor Landscape
Last verified 2 August 2026. No vendor paid to be here. Every figure is labeled with where it came from. How these figures were checked.
- Under $1M/year? Your processor's built-in tools are enough. What your processor already includes free.
- $1M-$10M/year? Add chargeback alerts first, then consider a dedicated fraud platform or a guarantee provider depending on your fraud mix.
- Over $10M/year? You need 3-5 layered tools. Use the decision flowchart to find your stack.
- Not sure what to buy? Jump to By Platform: What to Buy for platform-specific recommendations.
Key Fact: most merchants under $1M/year don't need a dedicated fraud platform. Processor-included tools plus chargeback alerts are enough until chargebacks consistently exceed 0.5%. That's Stripe Radar Lite, Square's ML, Adyen RevenueProtect. Neither Ethoca nor Verifi publishes a per-alert rate. So the alert number in your budget has to come from a reseller quote. See what chargeback alerts cost.
At a Glance: Top Fraud Vendors Compared
| Vendor | Owner | Best For | Pricing (checked 2026-08-02) | Guarantee? | Network scale (vendor's own claim) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Processor built-in (Stripe Radar Lite, Adyen RevenueProtect, Square, Shopify) | Your processor | Under $1M/year | $0 for Stripe Radar Lite, which Stripe states is included with Stripe Payments at no extra charge (stripe.com/radar). Adyen publishes no price for RevenueProtect, and no rate card of any kind, so treat "included" as a contract term to confirm rather than a verified $0 | No | Your processor's merchant network |
| SEON | Privately held | SMBs wanting a published price before a sales call | Published: $699/mo Starter, 2,500 fraud checks, 10 users, 50 rules. Premium is custom (seon.io/pricing) | No | "5,000+ global organizations" |
| Signifyd | Privately held | Enterprise e-commerce | V Model published, numbers not. "A percentage of the order total when an order is approved," varying by products, vertical, volume and ticket. "No charge when an order is declined due to fraud" (signifyd.com/pricing). R Vendr median $4,444/yr, range $2,089-$48,889, no sample size disclosed. The median is not credible for an enterprise contract | Yes - 100% on approved orders | Commerce Network |
| Riskified | Publicly traded (NYSE: RSKD) | Enterprise fashion, luxury, travel, digital goods | NP as a rate card. D 0.237% of GMV: $88.3M revenue on $37.2B GMV, Q1 2026, released 2026-05-13. Q1 2025 was 0.241%. Calculated here, not a Riskified disclosure | Yes - 100% on approved orders | Enterprise merchant network |
| Forter | Privately held | Enterprise e-commerce, no manual review | NP No model, no tiers, no rate card (forter.com/pricing is a contact form). R Vendr median $8,000/yr, range $6,000-$375,000, which contradicts the same page's own "mid-six figures or higher" for enterprise. Reported to structure contracts around approved volume or GMV | Yes - 100% on approved orders | Trusted Identities Network |
| ClearSale | Publicly traded (B3: CLSA3) | LATAM and cross-border e-commerce | NP | Yes - on guaranteed orders | 1,500+ human analysts claimed |
| NoFraud | Privately held | SMB e-commerce | NP | Yes - on approved orders | Proprietary network |
| Sift | Sift Science, Inc. (private) | Marketplaces, digital goods, account fraud | NP Sift publishes no price and no billing unit. R Vendr median $150,000/yr, range $29,600-$600,000, based on a stated 50 purchases. Segments: $40K-$100K small/mid-market, $100K-$300K mid-to-enterprise, $300K+ large enterprise | No (scoring + workflows) | "1T+ annual events," "1.6B authentic digital citizens" |
| Sardine | SardineAI Corp (private) | Fintech, banking, crypto, payments + compliance | NP Sardine publishes no price. R Vendr median $95,333/yr, range $15,000-$254,480. Model: a minimum monthly commit you draw down from, plus consumption rates, overages billed monthly | No (scoring + rules) | Cross-client device and behavioral consortium |
| Kount | Equifax | Mid-market, gaming, digital goods | NP Equifax publishes no rate card. Kount's own site now forwards to Equifax, and so does Midigator's, so both brands lead to the same place | No (scoring + rules) | No current figure. Kount's site is gone, so there's nothing left to check |
| Accertify | Formerly American Express. Carved out. Current owner not disclosed (accertify.com/about-us) | Enterprise - airlines, hospitality, travel | NP on price, model, volume minimum and contract term | No | Community Intelligence |
| Ravelin | Privately held | Marketplaces, food delivery, travel | NP at every tier. Ravelin has a pricing page with no prices on it, and nobody credible reports a range | No | Proprietary network |
| Radial | Managed-service provider | Retailers outsourcing fraud ops entirely | NP | Yes (as part of the managed service) | Radial analyst team |
| Ethoca | Mastercard (2019) | Pre-dispute alerts, all card networks | NP from Mastercard, and the absence is structural. It licenses into a reseller channel and the reseller sets retail. Resellers publish: Chargeblast $14, Disputifier $17-$27.50, Chargeflow $29 | N/A (prevents chargebacks, not fraud) | 5,000+ issuers claimed |
| Verifi | Visa (2019) | Automated Visa dispute resolution | NP from Visa. Same reseller channel as Ethoca, so the retail price is the reseller's, not Visa's | N/A (prevents chargebacks, not fraud) | Visa network |
How to read this. V is a vendor figure. R comes from a named third party, so treat it as indicative. D is calculated from published figures. NP means the vendor doesn't publish it.
You now have three public anchors instead of one. SEON's published $699 a month for 2,500 checks, which is about 28 cents a check at full allowance. Riskified's derived 0.237% of GMV, which is the only percentage benchmark in the guarantee market. And the published reseller alert prices of $14 to $29, which bracket what the networks won't quote. Use all three when a quote-only vendor names a number.
Guarantee providers absorb your fraud chargebacks and charge a percentage of approved orders. That's Signifyd, Riskified, Forter, ClearSale and NoFraud. Signifyd is the only one that publishes even that much. Riskified is the only one whose filings let you compute it. Scoring providers (Sift, Sardine, Kount) hand you decisions and data. You keep the liability. Alert services (Ethoca, Verifi) don't prevent fraud at all. They prevent chargebacks, by letting you refund before the chargeback posts. Most merchants need alerts first and a platform later.
Pick Your Path
Not sure what you need? Follow the arrows:
What Should I Buy? (Scenario Guide)
Find the scenario closest to your situation:
| Your situation | What to do | What to buy | Setup effort | What it costs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $500K Shopify store, chargebacks under 0.3% | Nothing. Shopify's built-in fraud analysis is handling it. | Nothing new | None | $0 |
| $500K Shopify store, chargebacks above 0.5% | Add chargeback alerts to deflect disputes before they post. | Ethoca + Verifi via reseller (Chargebacks911 or Chargeback Gurus) | Days, no code | Not published. Per-alert, quoted by the reseller. Get two quotes |
| $500K-$1M any platform, chargebacks 0.3-0.65% | Tune your processor's built-in rules first. Fix your billing descriptor. Add alerts only if chargebacks don't drop within 30 days. | Processor tools (free) + possibly alerts via reseller | Afternoon for rules, days for alerts | $0 for the rules. Alerts are quote-only |
| $500K-$1M any platform, chargebacks above 0.65% | Add alerts immediately - you're near monitoring program thresholds. Tune processor rules aggressively. Do NOT buy a fraud platform yet - alerts and rule tuning solve most problems at this volume. | Alerts via reseller + processor rule tuning | Days | Not published. Reseller quote |
| $2M Stripe store, chargebacks at 0.7% | Tune Stripe Radar rules and add chargeback alerts. | A paid Radar tier (Standard, Plus or Pro) + alerts via reseller | Afternoon for Radar, days for alerts | Radar paid tiers are a monthly subscription with an included screen allowance. Read the US price at stripe.com/radar/pricing - see the note below |
| $2M WooCommerce, chargebacks at 0.9% | Add alerts immediately. Evaluate a fraud platform if chargebacks don't drop within 60 days. | Alerts via reseller, then possibly Signifyd or ClearSale plugin | Days for alerts, 1-2 weeks for fraud platform | Both quote-only |
| $5M Stripe store, card testing attacks | Add device intelligence and behavioral analysis to catch what Radar misses. | Sardine (SDK + API) or Kount (now Equifax) + alerts via reseller | 1-2 weeks (developer needed) | Neither publishes. Reported Sardine median $95,333/yr. Benchmarks: SEON's published $699/mo for 2,500 checks, and $14-$29 per alert from resellers |
| $5M WooCommerce, ATO attacks | Add device intelligence and behavioral biometrics. | Sardine or Kount + alerts via reseller | 1-2 weeks (developer needed) | Same. Sardine bills on a minimum monthly commit with drawdown, so ask about annual true-up and rollover |
| $10M e-commerce, want someone else to own fraud losses | Shift liability to a guarantee provider. They approve/decline orders and pay for fraud chargebacks. | Signifyd or Riskified + alerts via reseller | 1-2 weeks | A percentage of each approved order. Signifyd publishes the model but no percentages; Riskified publishes nothing. Anchor on Riskified's derived 0.237% of GMV from its own Q1 2026 results, then make them quote your vertical and average ticket as a percentage of approved GMV so the quotes are comparable |
| $15M e-commerce, have a fraud analyst on staff | Build a tuned fraud stack you control. More work, but lower false positives and you keep borderline revenue. | Sardine or Sift + alerts + identity enrichment (Ekata) | 2-4 weeks | All quote-only |
| $50M+ enterprise, complex fraud patterns | Layered stack with dedicated fraud team. | Fraud platform + alerts + device intelligence + identity + orchestration | 1-3 months | All quote-only. Budget from the quotes you get, not from this page |
| Any volume, dispute ratio approaching 0.65% | Stop the bleeding immediately. You're near monitoring program thresholds. | Chargeback alerts (both networks) + Verifi RDR auto-refund rules | Days | Not published. RDR is billed per resolved case, CDRN and Ethoca per alert |
One fraud vendor publishes a price: SEON, $699 a month for 2,500 checks. Signifyd publishes the shape of its deal but no percentages. Everyone else wants a sales call.
So where there's no published rate, this column gives you the next best thing. A reported range, a derived benchmark, or a reseller's retail price. It always says which. How we sourced each one.
Fraud vendors split into ten categories by the job they do. They run from identity verification through to outsourced fraud operations.
Vendor Categories at a Glance
| Category | Primary Use Case | Key Vendors | Typical Pricing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Identity Verification | KYC, onboarding, step-up auth | Socure, Onfido, Ekata, Veriff, iDenfy | $0.50-$5 per verification |
| Data Enrichment | IP, email, phone signals for rules | MaxMind, IPQS, Emailage, Telesign, AtData (Experian) | Free tiers available. Paid from $99/month |
| Device Fingerprinting | Account takeover, multi-accounting | ThreatMetrix, Iovation, Fingerprint, BioCatch, SEON | Per-session or per-transaction. SEON publishes $699/mo for 2,500 checks; the rest are quote-only |
| Consortium Data | Cross-institution fraud signals | LexisNexis, FICO Falcon Network, Sift | Subscription + per-query |
| Enterprise Fraud Platform | Case management, rules engine, ML | NICE Actimize, Feedzai, FICO, SAS, Sardine | Annual license + implementation |
| Network Tools | Real-time authorization scoring | Visa VAA, Mastercard Decision Intelligence | Usually included via processor |
| Chargeback Alerts | Pre-dispute alerts, enrichment | Ethoca, Verifi (RDR/CDRN) | Not published by either network. Priced per alert by resellers |
| Chargeback Management | Representment, dispute ops | Chargebacks911, Chargeback Gurus, Chargeflow, Justt | Performance-based or retainer. Chargeflow publishes a 25% success fee |
| Merchant Fraud/Guarantee | Order screening, liability shift | Signifyd, Riskified, Forter, ClearSale (Kount is scoring only - it doesn't offer a guarantee) | A percentage of each approved order. No vendor publishes the percentage |
| Managed Fraud Services | Outsourced fraud operations | Radial | Custom managed-service pricing |
The right combination depends on your fraud mix (ATO vs. first-party vs. third-party), transaction volume, and existing infrastructure.
What Your Processor Already Gives You (and Where It Stops)
Stop. Before you buy anything, check what you're already paying for. Every major processor includes fraud tools at no extra cost. Most merchants under $1M/year need nothing beyond those plus chargeback alerts.
| Processor | Custom rules? | Risk scores exposed? | Behavioral signals? | You've outgrown it when... |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stripe Radar | Yes, on the paid tiers (Standard, Plus, Pro) | Yes (0-99) | Limited | Card testing persists, need behavioral signals, multi-processor |
| Square | No | No | No | Need any customization at all |
| Adyen RevenueProtect | Yes (included) | Yes | Limited | Need deep device intel or cross-processor consortium |
| Shopify | No | No (low/med/high only) | No | Chargeback rate exceeds 0.5% |
| Braintree | Via Kount (Equifax) upgrade | Limited | No | Need advanced rules or review queues |
Details on each:
Stripe Radar
What you get free: Radar Lite is included with Stripe Payments at no extra charge. That's ML risk scoring on every transaction, plus basic block/allow lists. Stripe.js collects device data, and everything scores in real time against Stripe's merchant network.
What the paid tiers add: custom rules with if/then logic, manual review queues, and risk score thresholds for 3DS triggers. You also get advanced rule conditions like velocity and metadata matching, plus a risk insights dashboard. Stripe sells these as Standard, Plus and Pro. Each is a monthly subscription with a set number of screens included, counted per transaction, per active account and per customer. There's a pay-as-you-go alternative.
The name appears nowhere on Stripe's Radar page, pricing page or docs as of 4 August 2026. The current tiers are Lite, Standard, Plus and Pro. Read a $0.02-per-transaction Radar figure anywhere and it describes something Stripe no longer sells.
What the paid tiers cost. US list, from stripe.com/radar/pricing on 4 August 2026:
| Tier | For your business | Platforms and marketplaces |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | From $10/mo | From $20/mo |
| Plus | From $14/mo | From $44/mo |
| Pro | From $20/mo | From $70/mo |
Pay-as-you-go starts at $0.05 per screened transaction if your volume is low or spiky. Note the platform column: Standard doubles and Pro is three and a half times the single-merchant price, so budget from the right side of the table.
Against the rest of this page, that's the number worth holding onto. Radar Plus at $14/month is roughly 1/50th of SEON's $699 entry tier, and Radar Lite is free. For a Stripe merchant, the question is rarely "Radar or a fraud platform" until Radar's ceiling actually binds - see what it can't do, below.
What Radar can't do:
- No behavioral biometrics. No typing patterns, no mouse dynamics.
- No deep device intelligence, meaning 500+ signal fingerprinting.
- No AML/KYC compliance.
- Works on Stripe transactions only. It can't score orders from other processors.
- Limited consortium depth against a dedicated fraud platform.
You've outgrown Radar when:
- Chargebacks keep climbing despite tuning rules.
- You're seeing card testing that Radar's velocity rules don't catch.
- You need behavioral signals to spot ATO or sophisticated bot attacks.
- You process on multiple processors and need unified fraud scoring.
Square
What you get: Automatic ML-based fraud detection on all transactions. Zero setup required.
What Square can't do:
- No custom rules at all. You can't set thresholds or conditions.
- No exposed risk scores. You can't see why a transaction was flagged.
- No API access to fraud signals.
- No manual review queue.
- Very limited third-party fraud tool integrations.
You've outgrown Square when:
- You need any customization of fraud rules.
- You want to know why transactions are being declined.
- You need to feed fraud signals into other systems.
- Your fraud patterns need more than automatic-only protection.
Adyen RevenueProtect
What you get: Risk scoring on every transaction and a basic rules engine. Then ShopperDNA device fingerprinting, velocity checks and referral lists.
What it costs: Adyen doesn't publish a price for RevenueProtect. It doesn't publish an SMB rate card at all. The indicative figures it does show, it labels indicative. Plenty of people describe RevenueProtect as bundled with Adyen processing, resellers included. That claim appears nowhere on Adyen's own pricing page. Get it in writing before you count on $0. Source: adyen.com/pricing, checked 2026-08-02.
What RevenueProtect can't do:
- The rules engine is less flexible than a dedicated fraud platform.
- Limited behavioral biometrics.
- The consortium is Adyen merchants only.
- No guarantee model. You own all losses.
You've outgrown RevenueProtect when:
- You need behavioral biometrics or deep device intelligence.
- Your fraud patterns need cross-processor consortium signals.
- You want a guarantee to shift liability.
Shopify
What you get: Basic fraud analysis indicators on orders (low/medium/high risk flags). Shopify Flow for some automation. Shopify Protect covers eligible Shop Pay orders on select plans.
What Shopify can't do:
- No custom fraud rules.
- No real-time scoring API.
- The risk indicators are basic. It isn't a full scoring engine.
- Shopify Protect covers Shop Pay and specific plan tiers only.
You've outgrown Shopify's built-in tools when:
- Your chargeback rate exceeds 0.5%.
- You're seeing fraud patterns the basic indicators miss.
- You need automated decisioning beyond Shopify Flow.
Braintree (PayPal)
What you get: Basic fraud tools included with processing. Kount-powered fraud detection available as an upgrade (Kount is owned by Equifax, integrated with Braintree via partnership). Risk data in transaction responses.
What a miss costs you: Braintree charges $15.00 per chargeback. Nothing on the page says it's refunded if you win. Braintree's card rate is 2.89% + $0.29. Braintree pricing now lives on PayPal's site. Source: paypal.com/us/enterprise/paypal-braintree-fees, checked 2026-08-02.
What Braintree can't do:
- Advanced rules need the Kount upgrade, a separate product.
- Limited behavioral signals.
- The fraud tools sit second to payment processing.
You've outgrown Braintree's built-in tools when:
- You need advanced rules or ML scoring beyond the basics.
- You're seeing fraud Braintree's automatic tools don't catch.
- You want custom review queues or case management.
For setup details on your processor's fraud rules, see Processor Rules Configuration. Don't duplicate that work here. Go tune what you have first.
Tuned your rules and chargebacks are still climbing? Seeing patterns your processor can't catch? Two paths. Add a dedicated fraud platform for deeper detection, or shift liability to a guarantee provider. But get chargeback alerts first. They're cheaper and faster to deploy. And they solve the most common SMB problem, which is ratio rather than fraud losses.
Key Fact: Radar Lite is included with Stripe Payments at no extra charge. Custom rules, review queues and 3DS control sit on the paid Radar tiers. Those are Standard, Plus and Pro, all monthly subscriptions with an included screen allowance. Guarantee providers like Signifyd and Riskified absorb 100% of fraud chargeback liability on orders they approve. Neither publishes what that costs. Signifyd publishes only the shape of the deal. A percentage of the order total on approved orders. Nothing when an order is declined for fraud. Sources: stripe.com/radar, signifyd.com/pricing, checked 2026-08-02.
Beyond Processor Tools: Dedicated Fraud Platforms
When processor tools aren't enough, most merchants face a choice. Buy three separate tools, for device fingerprinting, behavioral biometrics and rules. Or find one platform that combines them.
The three main platforms here are Sardine, Sift and Kount. Here's how they differ at a glance. Full head-to-head below:
| Capability | Sardine | Sift | Kount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Device intelligence | 500+ signals | Standard | Standard + Equifax identity |
| Behavioral biometrics | Full (typing, mouse, touch) | Limited | None |
| Rules engine | Yes | Yes (Workflows) | Yes (most configurable) |
| AML/KYC compliance | Yes | No | No |
| Content/promo abuse | No | Yes | Yes |
| Consortium | Growing | "1T+ annual events" (Sift's figure) | Equifax consumer DB |
Sardine gets a longer profile here for one reason. It's the only platform that folds device intelligence, behavioral biometrics and compliance into one SDK. That means fewer vendor contracts and one integration instead of three. It matters most for fintechs and merchants who need fraud and compliance together. If compliance isn't a concern, Kount gives you the most rule-building flexibility. Sift is strongest for marketplaces with content abuse problems.
What Sardine adds that processor tools don't:
- 500+ device signals. It catches device spoofing, emulators, remote access tools and privacy browsers that slip past processor-level checks.
- Behavioral biometrics. Typing cadence, mouse dynamics, touch pressure, scroll patterns. It catches ATO and bot attacks that look normal at the transaction level.
- Cross-client consortium. Device and behavioral patterns across Sardine's customer network, not just your processor's merchants.
- AML/KYC compliance. Anti-money laundering, sanctions screening and identity verification in the same platform.
How it layers with your processor:
Stripe Radar auto-declines clear fraud at score 90+. It auto-approves clean transactions under 20. Everything in between goes to Sardine for deeper analysis. Device spoofing, behavioral anomalies, synthetic identities, cross-merchant fraud rings. That keeps costs down, because you only send the uncertain transactions.
Setup: JavaScript SDK + mobile SDKs + REST API. Days, not weeks. No hardware.
Pricing: not published. Sardine publishes nothing. Ask whether the billing unit is a session, a device fingerprint or a decision. For a behavioral product the unit matters more than the rate.
For full technical profiles of all three platforms, see the vendor comparison below.
How Chargeback Alerts Fit In
Chargeback alerts (Ethoca and Verifi) are not fraud tools. They don't prevent fraud. They prevent chargebacks. The distinction matters. Most SMBs buy a fraud platform when what they need is alerts.
Three layers, three different jobs:
Prevention (Radar, Sardine, Sift) stops fraud before you ship. Alerts (Ethoca, Verifi) stop chargebacks after the fraud happens but before the chargeback posts to your ratio. Representment (Chargebacks911, Gurus) fights chargebacks after they've already posted.
Why You Should Add Alerts Before Buying a Fraud Platform
If your main problem is chargeback ratio (not fraud losses), alerts are the faster, cheaper fix:
- No code changes. Your reseller handles the integration.
- Live in days, not weeks.
- Usually cheaper than a fraud platform. Nobody publishes either number, so that's a structural argument rather than a verified one. Alerts bill per alert, so your cost scales with disputes. A fraud platform bills on your whole volume, so its cost scales with revenue. At a low dispute rate the maths favours alerts. Get both quotes before you take our word for it.
- Immediately deflects disputes off your ratio, buying you time to fix root causes.
A fraud platform prevents future fraud. Alerts stop today's disputes from becoming chargebacks. If your ratio is nearing 0.65%, you're at risk of a monitoring program. Alerts are the emergency brake.
How to Buy Alerts
Don't go direct to Ethoca or Verifi. Buy through a reseller:
- Chargebacks911 and Chargeback Gurus bundle both Ethoca and Verifi into one service, covering Mastercard and Visa disputes.
- Resellers handle the operational workflow. Matching alerts to orders, processing refunds, tracking outcomes.
- Cost: not published. Neither Mastercard (Ethoca) nor Visa (Verifi) publishes a per-alert rate. Resellers quote individually. Get two quotes. Ask both whether they de-duplicate CDRN against Ethoca, so one dispute never bills twice. See what chargeback alerts cost.
- Setup: days. The reseller does the work.
For detailed coverage of alert mechanics, see Chargeback Alerts. For the full vendor comparison of Ethoca vs. Verifi vs. RDR vs. CDRN, see the alert comparison below.
By Platform: What to Buy
Your e-commerce platform determines which fraud tools integrate easily and which require custom development.
Under $500K a month, don't add third-party fraud vendors. Your processor's built-in tools are enough. That's Stripe Radar, Adyen RevenueProtect, Shopify's fraud analysis, Square's automatic detection. At this volume a dedicated fraud platform will almost certainly cost more than your fraud losses. Focus on billing descriptors and 3DS on high-risk orders. Add chargeback alerts if your dispute ratio is climbing.
| Platform | Built-in fraud tools | Add alerts? | Need more fraud protection? | Setup effort |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shopify | Basic fraud analysis (free). Shopify Flow for some automation. Shopify Protect on eligible Shop Pay orders. | Yes, via reseller. No code needed. | Signifyd, Riskified, ClearSale have Shopify plugins (install in minutes). Sardine via API (developer needed). | Plugins: afternoon. API: 1-2 weeks. |
| WooCommerce | None built-in. Depends on your payment gateway plugin. | Yes, via reseller. No code needed. | Kount, Signifyd, ClearSale have WooCommerce plugins. Sardine via API. | Plugins: afternoon. API: 1-2 weeks. |
| Stripe (direct API) | Radar Lite free with Stripe Payments; custom rules on the paid Radar tiers. Strong rules engine. | Yes, via reseller. No code needed. | Sardine, Sift, Kount via API. Signifyd/Riskified via API. | Radar rules: afternoon. Third-party API: 1-2 weeks. |
| Square | Automatic fraud detection. No customization. | Yes, via reseller. No code needed. | Limited options - most third-party fraud tools don't integrate directly with Square. Consider Signifyd. | Alerts: days. Third-party: evaluate carefully. |
| Adyen | RevenueProtect (included). Solid rules engine, ShopperDNA device fingerprinting. | Yes, via reseller. No code needed. | Sardine, Forter, Riskified via API. | Alerts: days. Third-party API: 1-2 weeks. |
| BigCommerce | Depends on your payment gateway. | Yes, via reseller. No code needed. | Signifyd, ClearSale have BigCommerce plugins. Others via API. | Plugins: afternoon. API: 1-2 weeks. |
Chargeback alerts never need a developer. Your reseller handles setup. Platform plugins (Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce) are self-service. API integrations (Sardine, Sift, Kount) need a developer for 1-2 weeks. No developer? Stick with platform plugins, or guarantee providers with a pre-built integration for your platform.
Recommended Stack by Volume
Most merchants don't need one vendor from every category. Here's a practical stack at different volumes, with names attached:
| Annual Volume | What to Buy | Setup Effort | Developer Needed? | What It Costs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under $1M | Processor built-in tools only (Stripe Radar Lite, Square, Adyen RevenueProtect) | Already done | No | $0 for Stripe Radar Lite and Square's automatic screening, both stated by the vendor. Adyen publishes no price for RevenueProtect - confirm it in your contract |
| $1M-$5M | Processor tools + chargeback alerts (Ethoca + Verifi via Chargebacks911 or Chargeback Gurus) | Days | No | Per alert, quoted by the reseller. Not published by either network |
| $5M-$20M | Processor tools + alerts + Sardine or Kount (if you want control) OR Signifyd or Riskified (if you want a guarantee) | 1-2 weeks | Yes for fraud platform, no for guarantee plugin | Quote-only. Platform: per API call or per transaction. Guarantee: a percentage of each approved order |
| $20M-$100M | Signifyd/Riskified (guarantee) OR Sardine/Sift (platform) + alerts + Ekata or Iovation (identity enrichment) | 2-4 weeks | Yes | Quote-only across the stack |
| $100M+ | Layered stack: fraud platform + alerts + device intelligence + identity enrichment + possibly orchestration layer | 1-3 months | Yes (dedicated team) | Quote-only. At this size you're negotiating, not shopping a rate card |
Choosing between a fraud platform and a guarantee provider:
| Fraud Platform (Sardine, Sift, Kount) | Guarantee Provider (Signifyd, Riskified, Forter) | |
|---|---|---|
| Who decides | You set the rules and thresholds | The vendor decides for you |
| Who owns losses | You | The vendor (on guaranteed orders) |
| Customization | High - you control the logic | Low - the vendor controls the logic |
| False positives | Under your control | Under their control (they tend to be conservative) |
| Best when | You have a fraud analyst or someone managing rules | You want to shift liability and don't want to manage fraud ops |
| Revenue risk | Lower false positive rate (you approve borderline orders) | Higher false positive rate (vendor declines borderline orders to protect their guarantee) |
Don't buy tools you don't need yet. Every vendor here will sell to you happily, whether or not you'll get value from it.
Vendor Comparison in Detail
This section puts specific vendors side by side. How they integrate, what data they collect, how they decide, and what setup takes. They're grouped by what they do.
Processor Built-in Tools (Start Here)
These come with your payment processor at no extra cost, or close to it. No separate contract, no separate integration.
| Stripe Radar | Square | |
|---|---|---|
| Integration | Automatic if on Stripe. Stripe.js collects device data at checkout. | Automatic on all Square products. No setup. |
| SDKs | Web (Stripe.js), iOS (Stripe SDK), Android (Stripe SDK) | Square Web Payments SDK, Square iOS/Android SDKs |
| Data collected | Device fingerprint, IP address, email, billing/shipping address, card metadata, transaction velocity, behavioral signals from Stripe.js | Transaction data, card metadata, device info from Square hardware/apps |
| Decision method | ML risk score (0-99) on every charge + customizable rules engine | ML-based automatic scoring. No exposed score. |
| Customization | High. Custom rules (if/then logic), block/allow lists, 3DS triggers, manual review queues, risk score thresholds. The paid Radar tiers add advanced rules. | Minimal. No custom rules, no exposed scores. Automatic only. |
| Consortium data | Stripe's network of millions of merchants globally | Square's merchant network |
| Response time | Real-time (every transaction scored at authorization) | Real-time |
| Fraud types | CNP fraud, stolen cards, card testing | CNP fraud, card-present counterfeit |
| Pricing | Radar Lite included with Stripe Payments at no extra charge. Standard, Plus and Pro are monthly subscriptions with an included screen allowance, or pay-as-you-go per screen. US tier prices not verified - read stripe.com/radar/pricing. Checked 2026-08-02. | Included with Square at no extra charge. Square's per-dispute chargeback fee is also $0: "There are no fees for dispute management services for chargebacks." |
| Best for | Stripe merchants at any volume wanting configurable fraud rules | Square merchants wanting zero-config protection |
| Not for | Non-Stripe merchants. Can't use Radar with another processor. | Merchants needing custom rules or advanced fraud ops |
Your processor tools stop being enough on three signals. Your chargeback ratio is climbing despite using them. You're seeing patterns they don't catch, like card testing or ATO. Or you need a chargeback guarantee to shift liability. If none of those apply, stay here.
Fraud Scoring and Decision Platforms
These screen transactions and accounts using ML, rules engines, device intelligence and consortium data. They help you decide whether to approve, decline or review. Some are full decision engines. Others are enrichment layers that feed signals into your existing stack.
Sardine
What it is: AI-native fraud and compliance platform. It folds device intelligence, behavioral biometrics and a rules engine into one SDK. AML and KYC are covered too.
How it works: you embed Sardine's SDK in your web or mobile app. As a user moves around your site, the SDK passively collects 500+ device signals and behavioral biometrics. Typing cadence, mouse movements, touch pressure, scroll patterns, copy-paste behavior. None of it adds friction. When a transaction or account event happens, you send it to Sardine's API. Sardine returns a risk score combining device intelligence, behavioral analysis and its cross-client consortium data. You can also build rules in Sardine's dashboard. Those auto-approve, auto-decline or route to review on score thresholds and custom conditions.
| Integration | JavaScript SDK (web) + mobile SDKs + REST API for transaction/account events |
| SDKs | Web (JavaScript), iOS (Swift), Android (Kotlin). Server-side API for event submission. |
| Data collected | Device fingerprint (500+ signals: hardware, OS, browser, screen, fonts, WebGL, audio context), behavioral biometrics (typing speed, mouse dynamics, touch gestures, device tilt, scroll behavior), IP/network analysis, session replay data. You also send transaction and identity data via API. |
| Decision method | ML scoring + configurable rules engine. Returns risk score + individual signal scores. You can build rules on top of scores in the dashboard. |
| Customization | Full rules engine with if/then logic, custom thresholds, workflow routing. Can create rules combining Sardine signals with your own data. |
| Consortium data | Cross-client device and behavioral consortium from Sardine's customer network |
| Also does | AML transaction monitoring, KYC/KYB identity verification, sanctions screening, SAR filing workflows |
| Response time | Real-time (sub-second API response) |
| Fraud types | Account takeover, synthetic identity, card testing, bot attacks, new account fraud, payment fraud, money laundering |
| Pricing | NOT PUBLISHED on vendor price. Nothing appears anywhere on sardine.ai. REPORTED by Vendr (SaaS buying and negotiation platform, no sample size disclosed): median contract $95,333/year, range $15,000-$254,480. The model description is the more valuable part: "you pay a minimum monthly commit, and draw down from that amount each month. Monthly costs include platform access fees, support, and rates for various products charged on consumption. Overages are charged monthly." Ask for: whether you're billed per session, per device fingerprint, or per decision, because for a behavioral product the unit matters more than the rate. Then ask for annual rather than monthly true-up, and whether unused commit rolls forward. A drawdown model with monthly overages can charge a seasonal business twice: unused commit in quiet months and overages at peak. |
| Best for | Fintechs, crypto/web3, neobanks, BNPL, lending platforms, any business that handles money movement and needs fraud + compliance in one tool. Sardine's own customer list leans bank and fintech (Nubank, LHV, Modulr, bunq) more than merchant, which is worth weighing against a merchant-native tool like Signifyd. |
| Not for | Simple DTC e-commerce under $1M. The compliance features are overkill if you just need basic transaction screening. |
Sift
What it is: Real-time ML platform built on a large merchant consortium. It covers payment fraud, account takeover, content abuse and promotional abuse.
That number appears nowhere on sift.com as of 2 August 2026. What Sift publishes now is "1T+ annual events" and "1.6B authentic digital citizens." See a site count in a comparison table? Ask where it came from. The vendor stopped saying it. Source: sift.com, checked 2026-08-02.
How it works: you put Sift's JavaScript snippet on your site. Then you send events to Sift's REST API through their server-side libraries. Transactions, account actions, content posts. Sift returns a risk score, 0-100, for each event. You configure Workflows in Sift's console. That's automated decision logic combining Sift scores with your custom rules to approve, block or queue for review. Sift learns from your feedback. Tag transactions as fraud or legitimate and it retrains the model on your patterns.
| Integration | JavaScript snippet (web) + mobile SDKs + server-side event API |
| SDKs | Web (JavaScript), iOS, Android. Server-side libraries: Python, Ruby, Java, PHP, Node.js |
| Data collected | Device fingerprint (browser, OS, hardware signals), IP geolocation, session behavior (pages viewed, time on site), email/phone metadata. You send transaction details, account data, and content data via API events. |
| Decision method | ML scoring (Sift Score 0-100) + Workflows (configurable decision automation). Scores update in real-time based on new signals. |
| Customization | Workflows let you build if/then decision trees combining Sift scores with custom fields. Custom event types beyond the built-in ones. Score thresholds for auto-approve/auto-decline. |
| Consortium data | Sift Digital Trust Network. Sift's own published figures are "1T+ annual events" and "1.6B authentic digital citizens" (checked 2026-08-02). Cross-merchant signals for devices, emails, payment methods. |
| Also does | Content abuse (fake reviews, spam, scam listings), account takeover detection, promo/coupon abuse, account creation fraud |
| Response time | Real-time (sub-second scoring) |
| Fraud types | Payment fraud, ATO, card testing, content abuse, promo abuse, fake accounts |
| Pricing | NOT PUBLISHED on vendor price. Sift publishes no rate, no billing unit, and no pricing page at all. REPORTED by Vendr (SaaS buying and negotiation platform, based on a stated 50 purchases with average savings of 16%, the only sample size Vendr discloses for any vendor here): median contract $150,000/year, range $29,600-$600,000. Segments: $40,000-$100,000 for small and mid-market at 100K-500K events/month on a single module; $100,000-$300,000 mid-to-enterprise at 500K-2M events/month; $300,000+ large enterprise above 2M events/month. Cost drivers reported as API call volume, feature modules and deployment complexity. Also reported: overage fees 20-50% above base rate, professional services $5,000-$20,000+, premium support at a 10-20% premium, annual escalation 3-7%. Ask for: the billing unit, the rate, which event types are billable, and whether page views count. Then get the overage rate in writing before signing - at a reported 20-50% above base it is the most common unpleasant surprise - and cap the annual escalator at CPI or 3%. Ask for the rate expressed as a percentage of GMV so it benchmarks against Riskified's 0.237%. |
| Best for | Marketplaces, platforms with content + payment fraud, businesses needing to track fraud across the full user journey (not just checkout) |
| Not for | Merchants wanting a guarantee model (Sift doesn't offer one - you own the losses). Also expensive for very high-volume, low-margin businesses. |
Kount (Equifax)
What it is: Device intelligence + identity verification + highly configurable rules engine. Acquired by Equifax in 2021, giving it access to Equifax's consumer identity data.
This is more than an ownership footnote. As of 2 August 2026, Kount's own site forwards to Equifax. Kount no longer has a site of its own. Equifax hasn't settled on one name for it either. Kount, Kount 360 and Equifax Identity and Fraud are all in use.
Evaluating Kount means evaluating an Equifax product line mid-rebrand. Ask for: the current product name, and whether it's still sold standalone. Whether the Midigator chargeback automation Kount absorbed is still available, and under what name. Whether pricing is per transaction or a platform subscription. And what happens to your contract if the brand is retired. Sources: kount.com checked 2026-08-02.
How it works: you embed Kount's Device Data Collector JavaScript tag on your checkout page. The DDC collects device fingerprint data and sends it to Kount before the transaction completes. When the transaction fires, you send transaction details to Kount's API. Kount returns an Omniscore. That's a risk rating built on its ML models, device intelligence and Equifax identity data. You build custom rules in Kount's Command console. It's a visual rules editor where you define conditions and actions: approve, decline, review. Kount also gives you a case management queue for manual review.
| Integration | JavaScript tag (Device Data Collector) + REST API for transactions |
| SDKs | Web (JavaScript DDC), iOS SDK, Android SDK. Server-side integration via REST API. |
| Data collected | Device fingerprint (browser, OS, hardware, plugins, timezone, language, screen resolution), IP geolocation, proxy/VPN detection. Via API: transaction details, billing/shipping addresses, email, phone. Enriched with Equifax consumer identity data. |
| Decision method | Omniscore (ML risk score) + visual rules engine (Command console). Rules can reference Omniscore, device data, Equifax signals, velocity counters, and custom fields. |
| Customization | Extensive. Visual rules builder with if/then logic, custom variables, velocity rules, time-based conditions. Manual review queues with custom workflows. Virtual analyst for automated decisioning. Most configurable of the merchant platforms. |
| Consortium data | Kount's merchant network + Equifax consumer identity database |
| Response time | Real-time (sub-second) |
| Fraud types | CNP fraud, card testing, ATO, bot attacks, new account fraud, promo abuse |
| Pricing | NOT PUBLISHED on price and on the billing unit. Midigator's site forwards to Kount's, and Kount's forwards to Equifax. Equifax publishes no rate card. Ask for: whether billing is per transaction or a subscription, the rate at your volume, the minimum commitment, and whether Equifax bundling changes it. If you hold legacy Kount or Midigator paper, the contractual questions matter more than the rate right now: which Equifax entity holds your agreement, whether your specific module survives the absorption, and whether Equifax's standard data terms now apply. |
| Best for | Merchants wanting hands-on control over fraud rules. Gaming, digital goods, ticketing. Teams with a fraud analyst who wants to tune rules, not trust a black box. |
| Not for | Merchants wanting a hands-off guarantee model. Steeper learning curve than guarantee providers - you need someone managing the rules. |
FICO Falcon
What it is: Enterprise fraud management platform for card issuers. 30+ years in market, protects billions of card accounts globally. The industry standard for issuer-side card fraud detection.
How it works: Falcon sits in the authorization stream, between the card network and the issuer. A cardholder makes a purchase. The authorization request passes through Falcon before the issuer approves or declines. Falcon scores the transaction in real time. Its patented neural network models train on the Falcon Intelligence Network. That's consortium data from participating issuers worldwide. The score and its reason codes go back to the issuer's authorization system. Rules there decide whether to approve, decline or trigger step-up authentication. Falcon also gives analysts case management for flagged transactions, plus a rules engine for issuer-specific policies.
| Integration | Processor-level integration in the authorization stream. Not a merchant-facing SDK. Deployed on-premises or cloud-hosted by FICO. |
| SDKs | None for merchants. Integration is between issuer processors (e.g., FIS, Fiserv, TSYS) and FICO infrastructure. |
| Data collected | Transaction data from authorization messages (amount, MCC, merchant, location, time, card-present vs. card-not-present), cardholder history, Falcon Intelligence Network consortium data. Does not collect device or behavioral data directly. |
| Decision method | Patented neural network models continuously retrained on consortium data. Real-time transaction scoring + rules engine. Models are specific to card fraud patterns (not general ML). |
| Customization | Rules engine for issuer-specific policies. Model tuning with FICO professional services. Strategy management for approval/decline/review thresholds. |
| Consortium data | Falcon Intelligence Network - one of the largest in payments. Hundreds of billions of tagged transactions from thousands of issuers globally. |
| Response time | Sub-millisecond scoring (must fit within authorization latency requirements) |
| Fraud types | Card-not-present fraud, card-present counterfeit/lost-stolen, card testing, account takeover (at the issuer level) |
| Pricing | Not published. Annual license plus implementation, negotiated per card portfolio. FICO publishes no figure and no tier. |
| Best for | Card issuers (banks, credit unions) and issuer-processors |
| Not for | Merchants. If you're a merchant, Falcon protects you indirectly (your customers' banks use it to approve/decline), but you don't buy or integrate Falcon. |
Iovation (TransUnion TruValidate)
What it is: Device reputation network tracking 6B+ recognized devices globally. Now part of TransUnion's TruValidate identity and fraud suite. Primarily a device intelligence layer, not a full decisioning platform.
How it works: you embed Iovation's JavaScript tag or mobile SDK on your site or app. When a user visits, the tag collects device attributes and generates a device hash. That hash gets checked against Iovation's device reputation database. That database is a global network of device histories. Iovation's own customers contribute it: banks, lenders, e-commerce, gaming companies. The API tells you three things. Whether the device has been seen before, its reputation score, and whether it's linked to known fraud. You also get proxy and VPN detection, plus anomalies like jailbreak, emulator or location spoofing. You then use those signals in your own rules engine or fraud platform.
| Integration | JavaScript tag (web) + mobile SDKs + REST API for device lookups |
| SDKs | Web (JavaScript), iOS, Android |
| Data collected | Device fingerprint (hardware model, OS version, browser, screen resolution, timezone, language, installed plugins/fonts, WebGL renderer), IP analysis (proxy, VPN, Tor detection), device jailbreak/root detection, emulator detection, location spoofing detection |
| Decision method | Device reputation scoring based on global network history. Returns reputation signals, not approve/decline decisions. You need your own rules or another vendor to act on the signals. |
| Customization | You configure how to use the signals in your own system. Iovation provides the data; you provide the logic. Some rule-building capability within TruValidate. |
| Consortium data | 6B+ recognized devices. Cross-industry device reputation from banks, lenders, gaming companies, e-commerce merchants. One of the largest device networks. |
| Also does | Part of TransUnion TruValidate, which includes identity verification, document verification, and consumer credit data. Can be bundled. |
| Response time | Real-time (sub-second device lookup) |
| Fraud types | Device-level fraud: multi-accounting, account creation fraud, fraud rings using shared devices, device spoofing. Supplements but does not replace transaction-level fraud scoring. |
| Pricing | Not published. TransUnion doesn't publish a TruValidate rate card, and this vendor wasn't part of the 2 August 2026 verification pass. Ask for: the per-lookup rate, whether unmatched lookups bill, and the minimum commitment. |
| Best for | Adding a device intelligence layer to your existing fraud stack. Account creation flows. Login protection. Supplement to a transaction scoring tool. |
| Not for | Standalone fraud solution. Iovation tells you about the device; it doesn't tell you about the transaction. You need to pair it with a decisioning platform or rules engine. |
Ekata (Mastercard)
What it is: Identity verification APIs. They validate phone numbers, emails, physical addresses and IPs against authoritative data sources. Acquired by Mastercard in 2021.
How it works: Ekata is a data enrichment API, not a screening tool with its own UI. A customer enters their information at checkout or signup. You send their email, phone, name, address and IP to Ekata's API. Ekata returns identity signals. Is this email address real? How old is it? Does the phone number belong to the person with this name? Is the IP consistent with the billing address? Does the phone, email, address and name combination look legitimate? You then use those signals in your own rules engine or fraud platform to inform the decision.
| Integration | REST API only. No client-side SDK or JavaScript tag. Server-to-server calls. |
| SDKs | None. API-only. Server-side HTTP calls from your backend. |
| Data collected | Ekata does not collect data from your users directly. You send identity data to Ekata (email, phone, name, address, IP), and Ekata returns validation results from its proprietary data sources. |
| Decision method | Identity risk scores + individual field validation results. Ekata does not make approve/decline decisions. It returns signals like "email is valid, 3 years old, matches name" or "phone number is a VoIP number registered 2 days ago." You build rules on these signals. |
| Customization | N/A for the API itself - it returns data, not decisions. Your customization happens in whatever system consumes Ekata's output. |
| Consortium data | Mastercard's identity data + Ekata's proprietary identity graph built from billions of identity data points |
| Response time | Real-time (sub-second API response) |
| Available APIs | Transaction Risk API (email, phone, address, IP validation), Identity Check API (name-to-phone/email matching), Address Risk API, Phone Intelligence API, Email Intelligence API, IP Risk API |
| Fraud types | Synthetic identity detection, identity spoofing, account creation with fake credentials. Does not detect transaction-level patterns on its own. |
| Pricing | Not published. Billed per query, quoted by Mastercard. Ask for: the per-query rate for each API you'll call, since Transaction Risk and Identity Check price differently, and whether unmatched lookups still bill. |
| Best for | Enriching fraud decisions with identity validation. Adding identity signals to an existing fraud platform (Sift, Kount, custom rules). Step-up verification at signup or high-value transactions. |
| Not for | Standalone fraud solution. Ekata provides data; you need another system to make decisions with it. |
Chargeback Guarantee Providers
These vendors approve or decline your orders. If they approve one and it becomes a fraud chargeback, they reimburse you. You pay a percentage of approved sales for this liability shift. The vendor makes the approve/decline decision - not you.
| Signifyd | Riskified | Forter | ClearSale | Radial | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2011 (San Jose, CA) | 2013 (Tel Aviv). Public: NYSE RSKD | 2013 (Tel Aviv / New York) | 2001 (Sao Paulo, Brazil). Public: B3 CLSA3 | N/A (managed service provider) |
| Integration | JS device fingerprint + REST API | JS beacon + REST API | JS snippet + REST API | JS tag + REST API or platform plugin | Full managed service |
| SDKs / Platform plugins | JavaScript, Shopify, Salesforce Commerce, BigCommerce, Magento, SAP, custom API | JavaScript, Shopify, Magento, BigCommerce, WooCommerce, custom API | JavaScript, Shopify, Salesforce Commerce, Magento, custom API. Pre-built processor connections (Adyen, Stripe, Braintree). | JavaScript, Shopify, Magento, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, VTEX, Salesforce Commerce | Varies by implementation |
| Data collected | Device fingerprint, transaction data, shipping/billing, email, phone, order history. Score (0-1000) considers 100+ signals from order data + Commerce Network. | Device fingerprint, behavioral biometrics (mouse movements, typing patterns via JS beacon), transaction data, account history | Device fingerprint, behavioral biometrics, identity signals, transaction data. Builds persistent buyer profiles across merchants. | Device fingerprint, transaction data, customer data. CPF (Brazilian ID) validation for LATAM. | Depends on implementation |
| Decision method | ML scoring across Commerce Network + auto-approve/decline. Score mapped to ACCEPT, REJECT, or HOLD. | ML models + proprietary network intelligence. Reports 95-98% approval rates for many merchants. | Trusted Identities Network (cross-merchant identity graph) + ML. Binary approve/decline only - no review queue. | ML scoring + 1,500+ human fraud analysts for uncertain cases. Claims 99%+ approval rates due to human review layer. | ML tools + human fraud analyst team |
| Decision speed | Real-time (sub-second at checkout). Pre-auth or post-auth modes. | Real-time (sub-second) | Real-time, sub-400ms. No manual review - fully automated. | ML decisions in real-time; human-reviewed orders: minutes to hours | Varies. Managed service, not pure automation. |
| Guarantee terms | 100% financial guarantee on approved orders. Signifyd pays the chargeback amount + chargeback fee. Covers unauthorized transaction + INR on qualifying orders. | 100% guarantee on approved orders. Includes Dispute Resolve (representment on guaranteed chargebacks). Covers unauthorized + INR with tracking. | 100% guarantee on approved orders. Covers unauthorized + INR on qualifying orders. Forter handles representment. | 100% guarantee on approved orders (Total Guaranteed Protection product). Also offers non-guarantee tier (Total Protection) at lower cost. | Guarantee available as part of managed service |
| Customization | Policies and thresholds configurable. Signifyd makes final guarantee decisions. Pre-auth, post-auth, or shadow mode options. | Limited for guarantee orders. Riskified makes the call. | Limited. Forter makes the call for guarantee. No review queue by design. | Limited. ClearSale makes the call. LATAM/cross-border expertise is a differentiator. | High (managed service is tailored to your business) |
| Also offers | Abuse Prevention (policy, return, promo abuse), Payments Optimization, Account Protection, Checkout Optimization | Auth Rate Enhance, Policy Protect (return/promo/reseller abuse), Account Secure (ATO), PSD2 Optimization | Abuse Prevention, Identity Protection (ATO, fake accounts), Payment Optimization, Trusted Conversions | Chargeback Insurance (standalone), Application Fraud prevention | Full outsourced fraud operations (analysts + technology), order management, fulfillment, customer care |
| Pricing (checked 2026-08-02) | V Model published, numbers not. Signifyd's own words: "Signifyd charges a percentage of the order total when an order is approved," varying by products purchased, vertical, order volume and average ticket. And: "There is no charge when an order is declined due to fraud." No percentages anywhere (signifyd.com/pricing). Free to install on Shopify with a 14-day trial, charges billed separately. R Vendr median $4,444/yr, range $2,089-$48,889, no sample size | NP as a rate card (riskified.com/pricing is a contact form). D 0.237% of GMV, from $88.3M revenue on $37.2B GMV, Q1 2026 released 2026-05-13. FY2026 guidance $376M-$384M revenue | NP No model, no tiers, no rate card (forter.com/pricing). R Vendr median $8,000/yr, range $6,000-$375,000, contradicted by the same page's "mid-market low to mid-five figures, enterprise mid-six figures or higher". Reported: multi-year discounts 10-20%, implementation fees low-to-mid five figures, annual escalation 3-7% | NP Contact sales | NP Custom managed-service pricing |
| Ask for | Whether you're buying fraud-only protection or total chargeback liability shift - wildly different products sold under one name. The percentage for your vertical and average ticket. How friendly-fraud and item-not-received disputes are treated. Whether any part of the fee is at risk against an approval-rate SLA | The percentage of approved GMV, guarantee scope, and the exact liability transfer terms. Bring the 0.237% derived benchmark to a renewal: take rate is drifting down year on year, 0.241% to 0.237%, while gross margin improves 49% to 52% | The rate as a percentage of approved GMV, so it benchmarks against 0.237%. Negotiate the implementation fee, reported as the most discountable line. Cap the 3-7% escalator. Ignore the "72% chargeback reduction" and "46% false decline reduction" marketing claims: no methodology, sample or period is published | Guarantee tier vs non-guarantee tier pricing, and what human review does to decision latency | Which functions are in scope, and what happens to the guarantee if you insource part of it |
| Best for | Enterprise retail ($10M+). Apparel, electronics, home goods. | Mid-to-enterprise e-commerce ($5M+). Strong account management. Fashion and luxury verticals. | Enterprise e-commerce. Merchants who want zero manual review overhead. Luxury and high-value retail. | International/cross-border e-commerce. LATAM markets. Merchants prioritizing highest possible approval rates. | Retailers wanting to outsource their entire fraud operation - no internal fraud team needed. |
| Not for | Low-margin businesses where guarantee cost exceeds fraud savings | Merchants wanting full control over approve/decline decisions | Merchants wanting configurable rules or a manual review queue | Merchants needing instant decisions on every order (human review adds delay) | Merchants who want self-service tools and full control |
Guarantee providers make money by being conservative. They decline borderline orders you might have approved. Before you celebrate the guarantee, do the sum. How much revenue are you losing to their false positives? A 0.5% fraud rate with 2% false positives can cost more than a 0.8% rate with 0.3%. Ask every guarantee vendor for their decline rate on your traffic during a pilot.
How guarantee providers actually work (the data flow):
- Customer reaches your checkout page
- The vendor's JavaScript collects device and behavioral data from the browser
- Customer submits the order
- Your server sends order details (items, amounts, addresses, email, phone) to the vendor's API
- The vendor's ML model scores the order using device data + transaction data + their merchant network consortium
- The vendor returns approve, decline, or review (some vendors auto-decide; ClearSale may send to human review)
- If approved and you ship, and the customer later files a fraud chargeback, the vendor reimburses you
- If declined, you can either cancel the order or override the decline (but you lose the guarantee on overridden orders)
Chargeback Alerts and Prevention
These stop disputes before they become chargebacks. A cardholder complains to their bank. You get notified. You can refund before the chargeback is filed. That keeps the dispute off your chargeback ratio. These aren't fraud detection tools. They don't prevent fraud. They prevent the chargeback.
| Ethoca | Verifi RDR | Verifi CDRN | Order Insight | Consumer Clarity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Owner | Mastercard (acquired 2019). Founded 2005 (Toronto). | Visa (acquired 2019). Founded 2005 (Los Angeles). | Visa | Visa | Mastercard |
| How it works | When a cardholder disputes with their issuer, Ethoca notifies you. You have 24-72 hours to refund and prevent the chargeback from posting. Also offers Fraud Insights - confirmed fraud data from issuers fed back to merchants for model training. | You pre-set rules (amount thresholds, reason codes, transaction age, MCC). When a dispute matches your rules, it's auto-resolved before the chargeback is filed. No manual intervention needed. | Manual alerts similar to Ethoca. You receive notification and have 72 hours to decide whether to refund. Being integrated into Visa Resolve Online. | Sends your transaction details (order details, shipping info, delivery confirmation, digital receipt) to the issuer so the cardholder can recognize the charge before disputing. | Sends merchant logos, itemized receipts, and location data to issuers. Helps cardholders recognize charges in their banking app before they call to dispute. |
| Integration | Portal access or API. Most merchants use a reseller (Chargebacks911, Chargeback Gurus, Chargeblast). | Rules configured via Visa or reseller portal. Stripe has a built-in RDR toggle. | Portal or API via reseller | API integration to send order details (items, shipping, tracking, customer comms, merchant contact info) | API integration to send order details |
| Automation | Manual - you must act on each alert (refund or ignore) | Fully automated once rules are set | Manual - you review each alert and decide | Automated (data flows to issuer without merchant action per-transaction) | Automated |
| Network coverage | All card networks (not just Mastercard). 5,000+ issuers globally. | Visa only (primary) | Visa + some Discover | Visa only | Mastercard only |
| Response window | 24-72 hours | Instant (automated) | 72 hours | N/A (preventive, not reactive) | N/A (preventive, not reactive) |
| Your cost per event | NP from Mastercard. Resellers publish: Chargeblast $14 per chargeback stopped, Disputifier $17-$27.50 per alert, Chargeflow $29 per deflected chargeback | NP from Visa. Billed per resolved case by a reseller. Budget 1-2 weeks to enable, because RDR routes through your acquirer | NP from Visa. Same reseller prices as Ethoca above; most resellers bundle both | NP Often free or low-cost, via Visa or a reseller. 1-2 weeks to enable | NP Often free or low-cost, via Mastercard or a reseller |
The network absence is structural, and that's itself the answer. Neither Visa nor Mastercard sells a retail per-alert price to most merchants. They license into a reseller and acquirer channel, and the reseller sets retail. That's why Chargeblast publishes $14 and Chargeflow $29 for substantially the same Ethoca and CDRN feed. You're not negotiating with the network. You're negotiating the reseller's margin.
Three things to get in writing from any reseller, none of which is published:
- The de-duplication rule. If one transaction fires both an Ethoca and a CDRN alert, does it bill once or twice? Chargeflow is the only provider publishing a stance, a "Zero Duplication Guarantee". A marketing guarantee isn't a contract term until it's in your agreement. Disputifier's "never pay for any alerts with issues" is vague, and it's not the same thing.
- Which of the four programmes is included at the quoted price. Ethoca, CDRN, RDR, Order Insight. A price covering only Ethoca isn't comparable to one covering all four.
- The setup fee and monthly minimum. None of the resellers publishes either.
Reseller prices from the Chargeblast, Disputifier and Chargeflow Shopify App Store listings and from chargeflow.io/pricing and disputifier.com/pricing, all checked 2026-08-02. Chargeblast's own pricing page never resolved, so its Shopify listing is the only readable source. Shopify makes developers declare their charges. That's why any of these numbers are public. Note too that Disputifier's own pricing page says only "custom volume-based pricing" for alerts. Its Shopify listing publishes the $17-$27.50 range. | What you lose | The sale (you refund), but you avoid the chargeback fee and ratio impact | The sale (auto-refunded), but no chargeback fee or ratio impact | The sale (if you choose to refund) | Nothing - prevents the dispute from being filed in the first place | Nothing - prevents the dispute from being filed | | Best for | Non-US merchants, Mastercard-heavy volume. High-risk verticals (digital goods, subscriptions, travel). Combined with Verifi RDR for maximum coverage. | Any Visa merchant wanting automated dispute deflection. Approaching 0.9% chargeback threshold. High Visa volume. | Merchants wanting to review each dispute before refunding. Being supplanted by RDR for many use cases. | Reducing "I don't recognize this" disputes | Same as Order Insight but for Mastercard |
Most merchants should use both Ethoca and Verifi together to cover both Mastercard and Visa disputes. Buy through a reseller (like Chargebacks911 or Chargeback Gurus) rather than going direct - resellers often bundle both networks and handle the operational workflow for you.
How alert services actually work (the data flow):
- Customer calls their bank and says "I don't recognize this charge" or "I didn't make this purchase"
- Before the bank files a formal chargeback, Ethoca or Verifi notifies you (the merchant)
- Ethoca path: You see the alert in your portal or receive it via API. You have 24-72 hours to refund. If you refund, the dispute never becomes a chargeback. If you don't respond, the bank files the chargeback normally.
- Verifi RDR path: Your pre-set rules evaluate the dispute automatically. If the dispute matches (e.g., amount under your threshold), it's auto-refunded and resolved. No manual action needed.
- Either way, a refund costs you the sale price. A chargeback costs you the sale price, plus your processor's dispute fee, plus the hit to your dispute ratio (which can trigger monitoring programs above 0.65%).
What your processor actually charges for a dispute, read off each vendor's own fee page on 2026-08-02:
| Processor | Dispute cost | Refunded if you win? | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Helcim | $0 if the case resolves in your favour, $15 if you lose | Yes, entirely. The only win-is-free policy here | helcim.com/pricing |
| Stripe | $15 to receive the dispute, plus $15 to counter it | Partly. The $15 received fee is never returned. The $15 countered fee comes back only on an outright win. On a partial win you get neither back, so fighting and partly winning costs you $30 | support.stripe.com |
| Braintree | $15.00 | Not stated | paypal.com/us/enterprise/paypal-braintree-fees |
| PayPal, standard | $15.00 on PayPal-account and Guest Checkout disputes, or $20.00 on card chargebacks. The two attach to different channels and never both apply | The $15 isn't charged for disputes "Decided in your favor by PayPal or your issuer". The $20 is charged "regardless of whether the buyer is successful" | paypal.com/us/business/paypal-business-fees |
| PayPal, high volume | $30.00, once your dispute ratio hits 1.5% with more than 100 sales in the prior three full calendar months | No. The win exemption is absent from this tier | PayPal User Agreement |
| Stax | Chargeback protection is an optional add-on at $25 per chargeback | N/A - it's insurance, not a fee | staxpayments.com/pricing |
| Moneris (CAD) | CA$25.00, plus a separate CA$80.00 authorization chargeback handling fee | Not stated | moneris.com/en/pricing |
| Square | $0. "There are no fees for dispute management services for chargebacks - we cover the fee for every dispute that we work together to challenge" | Nothing to refund. The Payment Terms separately reserve the right to recover network fines, which are not a dispute fee | squareup.com/help |
| Authorize.net | $0.00 on card chargebacks, $25.00 on eCheck.Net | Nothing to refund on cards. Gateway fee only, so your merchant account bills its own on top | authorize.net/pricing |
| Shopify Payments | $15.00 in the US | Yes. "If you win the chargeback, then the fee is returned to you" | help.shopify.com |
| Toast | $15.00 per chargeback notification | No. "Regardless of whether you dispute the chargeback, and regardless of whether you win or lose" | support.toasttab.com |
| Adyen, Clover, Worldpay, Global Payments | Not published | Unknown | Checked each vendor's own pricing and help pages |
The whole published US span is $0 to $30. Nothing on that table reaches the $100 that circulates in vendor content. That $100 traces to one undated sentence in Adyen's own marketing article, not to any fee schedule.
Stripe's structure punishes fighting. Represent a dispute, win part of it, and you're out $30 either way. So the arithmetic on whether to fight is worse than the headline $15 suggests. PayPal's ordinary tier is the opposite. A wallet dispute you win costs nothing. That reverses above a 1.5% dispute ratio, where every dispute costs $30, wins included. If dispute economics drive your processor choice, two policies are worth knowing. Square's flat $0, and Helcim's $0-if-you-win.
Chargeback Management and Representment
These vendors fight chargebacks after they're filed. They compile evidence, submit compelling evidence packages, and handle representment on your behalf. Many also bundle alert services (Ethoca/Verifi).
Full-Service and Analytics Platforms
| Chargebacks911 | Chargeback Gurus | |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2011 (Tampa, FL) | 2014 (McKinney, TX) |
| What it is | Full-service chargeback company. Prevention (alerts) + representment + root cause consulting. Core technology: Intelligent Source Detection (ISD) - identifies whether each chargeback is true fraud, friendly fraud, or merchant error. | Full-service prevention + representment + consulting. Boutique, consultative approach. |
| How it works | You give them access to your payment data (processor integration). They manage your Ethoca/Verifi alerts, compile evidence for representment, submit disputes on your behalf, and provide root cause analysis via ISD. Fully outsourced. | Same model - processor integration, alert management, representment, and consulting. More hands-on advisory relationship. They actively help you fix the root causes of your disputes. |
| Integration | Connects to your processor (Stripe, Braintree, Adyen, etc.) via API or portal credentials | Connects to your processor via API or portal credentials |
| Alert bundling | Yes - bundles Ethoca + Verifi (RDR/CDRN) into their service. Single integration for both networks. | Yes - bundles Ethoca + Verifi. Handles alert response workflow for you. |
| Representment | Full-service. They compile evidence, write response letters, submit to all networks (Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Discover), track outcomes. Win rate tracking and analytics included. | Full-service. Same evidence compilation and submission. Known for strong evidence quality in travel/hospitality. |
| Analytics | Reporting and ISD root cause analysis included. Also offers False Positive Reduction (FPR) to reduce false declines from your fraud filters. | Root cause consulting is a core differentiator |
| Pricing | Not published. Performance-based (a share of recovered revenue) or hybrid. Alert management billed per alert. Consulting on retainer or per project. | Not published. Performance-based or monthly retainer |
| Best for | Merchants wanting fully outsourced dispute management. High-volume businesses (500+ disputes/month). | Travel, hospitality, subscription businesses. Merchants wanting strategic guidance, not just dispute fighting. |
| Not for | Merchants with fewer than 50 disputes/month (cost won't justify the service) | Merchants wanting pure automation with no consulting relationship |
| Watch out for | Settled with FTC and Florida AG in 2023 over deceptive representment practices (fabricated evidence submission and sham microtransactions to deflate chargeback ratios). Now operating under consent order. Verify current compliance during evaluation. | Smaller team - personalized service is a pro, but capacity may be limited for very high volume |
Midigator used to appear here as a third option, described as a Mitek company. Both halves of that were wrong.
Midigator was acquired by Equifax in 2022 and folded into Kount, not Mitek. As of 2 August 2026, Midigator's site forwards to Kount's, and Kount's forwards to Equifax. That chain is the vendor's own confirmation that the brand is retired. There's nothing left to evaluate under the name.
If you're shopping: Equifax's identity and fraud line now covers the analytics-led, self-service slot Midigator used to fill. So does Chargeflow, if you want automation with published pricing. If you already have a Midigator contract: ask Equifax which entity your agreement now sits with. Ask whether the product is still developed. And ask what the migration path and exit terms are. Sources: midigator.com and kount.com redirect chains observed 2026-08-02.
AI-Automated Representment
These newer vendors automate representment with AI. They connect to your data sources, build the evidence package and submit it. No manual work.
| Chargeflow | Justt | |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2020 (Tel Aviv, Israel) | 2020 (Tel Aviv, Israel) |
| What it is | AI-driven automated representment. Shopify-first. Connects to your e-commerce platform and payment processor, auto-detects chargebacks, generates tailored evidence packages, and submits representment. | AI-driven automated representment with a human expert review layer. Connects to your processor and platform, auto-compiles evidence, then human experts review and enhance before submission. |
| Integrations | Shopify, Stripe, PayPal, Braintree, WooCommerce | Stripe, PayPal, Adyen, Braintree, and others |
| Automation level | Fully automated - AI pulls order data, shipping info, and customer communications, then submits without manual merchant action | AI-powered evidence collection + human expert review for complex disputes |
| Pricing | 25% success fee on recovered chargebacks. No monthly fee. No setup fee. Free plan available for basic analytics and dispute tracking. | Pay-for-success model (fee on recovered chargebacks). No upfront costs. Contact for specific rates. |
| Best for | Shopify merchants wanting hands-off representment with zero upfront cost | Merchants wanting AI automation with a human quality layer for complex disputes |
| Not for | Merchants wanting root cause consulting or prevention strategy | Merchants wanting deep analytics or prevention consulting |
Alert Aggregation
| Chargeblast | |
|---|---|
| What it is | Simple chargeback alert aggregation. Bundles Ethoca + Verifi CDRN alerts into a single platform with easy onboarding. Focused on simplicity - no representment, no consulting, just alert coverage. |
| How it works | Aggregates alerts from both networks. Automated refund processing on alerts. Dashboard for alert tracking. Simple API or dashboard-only options. |
| Integration | Simple API or dashboard-only. Fast onboarding. |
| Best for | Merchants who want alert coverage without the complexity of a full-service chargeback management vendor. Quick setup, minimal overhead. |
| Not for | Merchants who need representment, root cause analysis, or consulting. Chargeblast is alerts only. |
Under 50 disputes a month, you can probably handle representment yourself with your processor's tools. Over 50/month, the operational burden justifies a vendor. Over 200/month, you should either outsource or hire a dedicated dispute analyst.
Head-to-Head: Signifyd vs Riskified vs ClearSale
The most common guarantee provider decision. All three guarantee approved orders. They differ on how they decide, who they're built for, and what else they offer.
| Signifyd | Riskified | ClearSale | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2011 (San Jose, CA) | 2013 (Tel Aviv). NYSE: RSKD | 2001 (Sao Paulo, Brazil). B3: CLSA3 |
| Minimum volume | Not published. Positions itself as "the #1 choice for enterprise ecommerce retailers" | Not published. Enterprise positioning: retail, luxury fashion, travel, digital goods | Not published. Works further down-market than the other two |
| Pricing (checked 2026-08-02) | Model published, numbers not: a percentage of the order total on approved orders, nothing charged when an order is declined for fraud | Not published. Contact form only | Not published |
| Decision speed | Real-time (sub-second). Pre-auth or post-auth modes available. | Real-time (sub-second) | ML is real-time; uncertain orders go to 1,500+ human analysts (minutes to hours) |
| Approval rate tendency | High, but conservative on borderline orders. Score range: 0-1000. | Reports 95-98% approval rates. Strong account management to tune rates. | Claims 99%+ approval rates - human review catches what ML alone would decline |
| Platform plugins | Shopify, Salesforce Commerce, BigCommerce, Magento, SAP | Shopify, Magento, BigCommerce, WooCommerce | Shopify, Magento, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, VTEX, Salesforce Commerce |
| Extras | Abuse Prevention (policy, return, promo), Payments Optimization, Account Protection, Checkout Optimization | Auth Rate Enhance, Policy Protect (return/promo/reseller abuse), Account Secure (ATO), PSD2 Optimization, Dispute Resolve | Chargeback Insurance (standalone tier), Application Fraud, LATAM payment methods (boleto, PIX) |
| Best for | Enterprise retail ($10M+). Apparel, electronics, home goods. | Mid-to-enterprise e-commerce ($5M+). Merchants who want active account management. Fashion and luxury. | International/cross-border e-commerce. LATAM markets. Merchants who prioritize high approval rates over instant decisions. |
Head-to-Head: Sift vs Kount vs Sardine
The most common fraud platform decision. All three let you control fraud rules. They differ on the signals they use and what else they cover.
| Sift | Kount | Sardine | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Founded / owner | 2011 (San Francisco). Sift Science, Inc., privately held | 2007 (Boise, ID). Equifax since 2021, and kount.com now redirects to Equifax - you're buying an Equifax product line | 2020 (San Francisco). SardineAI Corp, privately held. Founded by a former Coinbase Head of Risk |
| Integration effort | JS snippet + server-side event API. Server SDKs in Python, Ruby, Java, PHP. Moderate. | JS tag (Device Data Collector) + REST API. Moderate. | JS SDK + mobile SDKs (iOS/Swift, Android/Kotlin, React Native) + REST API. Moderate. |
| Device intelligence | Standard browser/OS/IP fingerprinting via sift.js | 200+ device attributes via DDC. Persistent device ID across sessions. + Equifax consumer identity data | 500+ device signals (hardware, OS, browser, WebGL, audio context, fonts). Deepest fingerprinting of the three. |
| Behavioral biometrics | Limited (session behavior, pages viewed) | None built-in | Full behavioral biometrics (typing speed/rhythm/pressure, mouse dynamics, touch gestures, device tilt, scroll behavior, copy-paste detection) |
| Scoring | Sift Score 0-100 per abuse type. 16,000+ feature signals. Ensemble of ML models. | Omniscore 0-99. ML trained on Identity Trust Global Network data. | ML risk score + individual signal scores. Combines device, behavioral, and consortium signals. |
| Rules engine | Workflows with if/then logic, custom fields, A/B testing (shadow mode), performance metrics | Visual rules builder (Command console) with 200+ data attributes. Velocity, threshold, list, persona, geographic, and device rules. Most configurable of the three. | Visual rule builder with AND/OR logic, velocity rules, list management, shadow mode, rule performance analytics |
| AML/compliance | No | No | Yes - AML transaction monitoring, KYC/KYB, sanctions screening (OFAC, EU, UN, PEP), adverse media screening, SAR/CTR filing |
| Consortium size | "1T+ annual events," "1.6B authentic digital citizens" (Sift's current published figures). The 34,000-sites number is retired | Not verifiable. Kount's own site now redirects to Equifax, so its network figures can't be re-checked at source. Ask Equifax | Cross-client device and behavioral consortium (growing). No figure published |
| Also does | Content abuse (spam, scams, fake reviews), promo abuse, PSP merchant risk monitoring, dispute management | Account takeover protection (Kount Control), processor/ISO-level fraud (Kount Central) | Document verification (ID, passport), liveness detection, case management with SAR filing |
| Pricing (checked 2026-08-02) | Not published, and neither is the billing unit. Commonly described as per event rather than per transaction. Ask, because page views and account events would count | Not published, and neither is the billing unit. Ask whether it's per transaction or a platform subscription, and whether Equifax bundling changes it | Not published. Ask whether the unit is a session, a device, or a decision |
| Best for | Marketplaces and platforms with content + payment fraud. Businesses tracking fraud across the full user journey (not just checkout). | Merchants wanting hands-on rule control. Gaming, digital goods, ticketing. Teams with a fraud analyst who wants to tune rules. | Fintechs, crypto/web3, neobanks, BNPL, platforms handling money movement. Anyone needing fraud + compliance in one tool or seeing sophisticated device spoofing/ATO. |
Identity Verification
Identity verification vendors split two ways. Passive is data checks, with no customer friction. Documentary is ID scan plus selfie plus liveness. Start passive. Step up to documentary only for high-risk cases. For a full guide on building a verification program, see KYC & KYB for Fraud Prevention.
These ranges are indicative. They weren't re-checked in the 2 August 2026 pass. Most IDV vendors don't publish rates at all. Only a handful publish one without a sales call. Veriff, Sumsub, Persona, iDenfy and Stripe Identity. Treat everything else here as a starting point for a quote, not a rate card. Ask three things. The per-check rate at your expected volume. The minimum commitment. Whether failed or inconclusive checks still bill.
Passive Verification
These vendors verify identity from data signals. No document uploads, no selfies, no added friction.
Socure
Socure is one of the strongest passive identity platforms in the US market. It says 4 of the top 5 US banks use it. That's a vendor claim, not verified here. It scores several signals at once: SSN, phone, email, device and address. Synthetic identity detection is its strength.
- Best for: US-focused businesses with synthetic fraud exposure.
- Cost: $0.10-0.50+ per check.
- Coverage: US-centric (international coverage is thinner).
- Standout: The synthetic fraud scoring model. Nobody else here matches it. Socure also does documentary verification.
SentiLink
SentiLink is a synthetic identity scoring specialist. It does one thing - detect synthetic identities - and does it extremely well. Most people run it alongside other vendors, as a focused synthetic fraud layer.
- Best for: Adding synthetic ID detection to an existing stack.
- Cost: $0.02-0.15 per check.
- Coverage: US only.
- Standout: Purpose-built for synthetic fraud. Lightweight integration, fast API.
Prove
Prove verifies identity through phone-centric signals: carrier data, SIM tenure, number history, line type. The customer enters their phone number and that's it - zero friction.
- Best for: Zero-friction verification, mobile-first flows.
- Cost: $0.05-0.25 per check.
- Coverage: Global (carrier data depth varies by country).
- Standout: Phone number as identity anchor. Detects SIM swaps, burner phones, VoIP.
Ekata (Mastercard)
Ekata is profiled in full under the fraud platforms above. See Ekata for what it collects and what to ask about pricing. Short version: lightweight phone, email, address and IP checks over a REST API. Mastercard has owned it since 2021. Pricing is per query and not published.
Trulioo
Trulioo covers KYC, KYB and AML across 195+ countries. It suits merchants with international customers who'd otherwise stitch together regional vendors.
- Best for: Cross-border merchants needing global coverage.
- Cost: $0.50-2.00+ per check.
- Coverage: 195+ countries.
- Standout: Breadth of global data sources. Combined KYC + KYB + AML.
LexisNexis
LexisNexis runs the largest identity data network in the market. Four products feed it. Emailage for email risk, ThreatMetrix for device, ID Analytics for identity risk and BehavioSec for behavioral biometrics.
- Best for: Enterprise with budget for the full stack.
- Cost: $3.00-8.00+ per check.
- Coverage: Global (strongest in US, UK, EU).
- Standout: Most comprehensive data, but enterprise pricing. Consortium of tens of billions of transactions.
Processor-Native: Stripe Identity
If you're already on Stripe, start here. Stripe Identity does document capture, selfie matching and liveness detection, all in your existing dashboard. The first 50 verifications are free, then you pay per use. No new vendor, no separate contract.
- Best for: Stripe merchants who need occasional documentary verification without a dedicated vendor.
- Cost: Pay-per-use (first 50 free).
- Coverage: 100+ countries.
- Standout: Zero integration effort if you're already on Stripe. Same dashboard, same billing.
Documentary Verification
These vendors check government-issued ID documents. They match faces by selfie and test liveness to stop spoofing.
Sumsub
Sumsub sits furthest right in the 2025 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Identity Verification, a Leader on both axes. It's an all-in-one platform: KYC, KYB, AML screening and transaction monitoring. Its no-code "Unilink" option generates verification links with no engineering work at all.
- Best for: Businesses wanting one platform for KYC + KYB + AML.
- Cost: $1.35+ per check (Basic plan at $149/month minimum).
- Coverage: 220+ countries.
- Standout: No-code verification links (no integration needed). All-in-one compliance platform. 2025 Gartner Leader.
Veriff
Veriff is one of the few identity vendors that publishes rates. They start at $0.80 a check. Offers video-based verification as an option for higher-assurance use cases. ISO 27001 and SOC 2 certified. These rates weren't part of the 2 August 2026 pass - see the note above.
- Best for: SMBs wanting transparent, predictable pricing.
- Cost: $0.80-1.89 per check (published).
- Coverage: 230+ countries and territories.
- Standout: Published pricing (rare in this market). Self-serve signup.
Persona
Persona pairs documentary verification with a strong orchestration layer. You can build multi-step flows: passive check, then document, then liveness, then KYB. The APIs are clear and developer-friendly.
- Best for: Developers building custom verification workflows.
- Cost: $1.50+ per check (Essential plan).
- Coverage: Global.
- Standout: Flexible workflow builder. Also handles KYB for marketplace/platform use cases.
Jumio
Jumio has the widest document coverage in the market. That's 5,000+ document types across 200+ countries. It's enterprise-focused, with strong adoption in regulated industries.
- Best for: Global businesses needing broad document coverage.
- Cost: $1-5+ per check (enterprise pricing).
- Coverage: Global (broadest document library).
- Standout: 5,000+ document types. Strong injection attack detection.
Onfido (Entrust)
Entrust acquired Onfido in April 2024. That brought certificate authority and digital credential infrastructure with it. Document analysis is strong AI-based, and there's a workflow builder for multi-step flows.
- Best for: Fintech, regulated industries.
- Cost: $0.50-4+ per check.
- Coverage: Global (varies by region).
- Standout: Entrust acquisition adds digital credential and certificate authority capabilities.
Incode
Incode is the fastest here for documentary verification. It averages 1.5 seconds a check. Coverage is strongest in Latin America, and the global footprint is growing.
- Best for: Latin America, speed-sensitive flows.
- Cost: $1-4+ per check.
- Coverage: Global (strongest LatAm coverage).
- Standout: 1.5-second average verification. Purpose-built for mobile-first UX.
iDenfy
iDenfy supports 3,000+ ID document types from 190+ countries. Facial recognition and liveness detection are included. It does KYB and AML screening too.
- Best for: Mid-market, competitive pricing, combined IDV + KYB.
- Cost: $0.50-2+ per check.
- Coverage: 190+ countries.
- Standout: KYB and AML screening bundled. No device fingerprinting - pair with a device intelligence vendor if needed.
Mitek
Datos Insights named Mitek a market leader in January 2026, on 30% year-over-year growth. MiPass 4D rolls face match, liveness, voice match and voice liveness into one biometric. Digital Fraud Defender adds deepfake detection.
- Best for: Enterprise, regulated industries.
- Cost: $1-4+ per check.
- Coverage: Global.
- Standout: MiPass 4D biometric (face + voice + liveness). Datos Insights leader. Strong growth trajectory.
Au10tix
Au10tix runs a fully automated, 100% AI-driven pipeline. It averages 4-8 seconds a check. A consortium of 60+ companies feeds it. That's how it catches organized mass attacks and fraud rings in real time.
- Best for: High-volume businesses needing speed and consortium-based attack detection.
- Cost: $1-3+ per check.
- Coverage: Global.
- Standout: 4-8 second verification. Consortium detects coordinated attacks that single-merchant tools miss. 2025 FinTech Breakthrough Award.
Biometric / Liveness Specialists
iProov
iProov does liveness detection and deepfake prevention. It doesn't verify documents at all. It only confirms the person in front of the camera is real and present. Its injection attack detection is the strongest here, and governments and major banks use it.
- Best for: Adding deepfake/liveness defense to an existing IDV stack.
- Cost: $0.50-2+ per check.
- Coverage: Global.
- Standout: Best injection attack detection in the market. Used by UK Home Office, US DHS.
Combined: Plaid Identity
Plaid's identity verification works differently from pure IDV vendors. Your customer links their bank account. You get ownership verification, account history and identity data straight from the bank's records. Bank data is hard to fake. You can build a synthetic identity on a fabricated SSN. Faking years of real transaction history is another matter.
- Best for: Businesses already using Plaid for bank connectivity who want identity signals layered on.
- Cost: ~$500/month platform fee + $1-5+ per check.
- Coverage: US, Canada (expanding).
- Standout: Strongest identity signal in the market (bank-verified), but highest friction and cost. See detailed analysis.
Key Selection Criteria
When evaluating IDV vendors, focus on these questions:
- Passive or documentary? Start passive. Add documentary as step-up. See the core split.
- Document coverage: Does the vendor support ID types for your customer base?
- Deepfake defense: Does it detect injection attacks, not just presentation attacks (photos/videos)?
- Pricing model: Per-check vs. platform fee? Published vs. "call us"?
- Self-serve? Can you sign up and test without a sales call? Stripe Identity, Veriff, Sumsub, Persona and iDenfy: yes. Jumio, LexisNexis and Mitek: no.
- Integration complexity: Simple REST API vs. full SDK? Mobile SDKs available?
- Pass rates vs. manual review: What percentage auto-approves vs. needs human review?
Device Fingerprinting & Intelligence
Device fingerprinting gives every device that touches your platform a unique ID. That's how you spot a returning fraudster, someone running ten accounts, or an account takeover. It works even when every other identifier has changed.
ThreatMetrix (LexisNexis Risk Solutions)
LexisNexis bought ThreatMetrix in 2018. It fingerprints both hardware and software. Behind it sits consortium data from tens of billions of transactions across the LexisNexis network.
Key strengths:
- Enterprise-focused with on-premises support options.
- Integrates with other LexisNexis products (Emailage, BehavioSec).
- Massive consortium data network.
- Strong for large financial institutions.
Best for: Large FIs already using the LexisNexis stack
SEON
SEON takes a modular approach: use only what you need. It enriches email, phone and IP data. It also profiles social media for identity signals.
SEON is the only fraud vendor here that publishes a real entry price. VENDOR: Starter is $699 per month and includes 2,500 fraud checks, 10 users and 50 custom rules. Starter excludes case management, AML compliance, managed risk services and 24/7 support. Premium is "custom pricing for your needs." That buys unlimited API calls, users and rules. It adds case management, AML compliance, managed risk services, 24/7 support and a dedicated implementation team. Both include platform and API access plus implementation assistance. Free trial on request, no free tier. Source: seon.io/pricing, checked 2026-08-02.
DERIVED: $699 / 2,500 = about 28 cents per check at the plan cap. That's arithmetic on published numbers rather than a SEON figure, and it only holds at full allowance. A merchant running 800 checks a month effectively pays about 87 cents each.
REPORTED by Vendr (SaaS buying and negotiation platform, no sample size disclosed): median contract $56,900/year, range $3,900-$1,146,838, with negotiated discounts of roughly 10-17% achieved through annual commitment and growth projections. The bottom of that range sits close to Starter annualized at $8,388. That's a reasonable consistency check on the source.
No overage rate is published anywhere. Nothing on SEON's pricing page states what happens at check 2,501. There's also no published contract length and no published annual-versus-monthly discount.
Get the overage rate in writing before signing, and ask whether unused checks roll forward. Those two answers matter more than the $699 for any business with variable volume.
Hold on to that 28 cents. Every other vendor makes you sit through a sales call before you learn anything about cost. This is the only public number you can judge their quotes against. If one comes back at several times that for comparable screening, make them explain what you're buying.
Key strengths:
- Transparent, explainable risk scoring.
- Published pricing, which almost nobody else in this market offers.
- Fast API integration.
- Social media footprint analysis.
Best for: fintechs and mid-market that want flexibility. Also any SMB that wants a price before talking to a salesperson
IPQS (IPQualityScore)
IPQS scans 300+ device data points. It's strong on bots, GPS spoofing and emulators.
Key strengths:
- Extensive device data collection.
- Strong bot and automation detection.
- Fraud network detection.
- Competitive pricing at volume.
Best for: High-volume screening with bot concerns
Fingerprint (formerly FingerprintJS)
Fingerprint has an open-source core with a commercial tier on top. It focuses on browser fingerprinting and claims 99.5% identification accuracy.
Key strengths:
- Lightweight JavaScript implementation.
- Developer-friendly documentation and APIs.
- Transparent about methodology.
- Open-source option for evaluation.
Best for: Developers wanting control and transparency
BioCatch
BioCatch leads in behavioral biometrics. It reads mouse movement, keystrokes and how someone navigates, then authenticates continuously.
Key strengths:
- Runs silently without user friction.
- Continuous authentication (not just point-in-time).
- Strong for account takeover detection.
- Detects remote access tools and social engineering.
Best for: FIs prioritizing ATO prevention
- SDK vs JavaScript: Mobile apps need SDKs; web can use JS tags.
- Cookie-less tracking: Important as browsers phase out third-party cookies.
- Cross-browser persistence: Can you identify the same device across Chrome/Safari/Firefox?
- Latency requirements: Real-time auth needs sub-50ms; batch can tolerate more.
Ready to evaluate? The Vendor Selection Guide has the RFP questions and how to structure a POC. It also covers testing vendor claims against your own data. The sections below cover consortium data, enterprise platforms and network tools.
Consortium Data Networks
Consortium networks pool fraud signals across their members. That surfaces patterns no single company could see on its own.
LexisNexis Digital Identity Network
LexisNexis runs one of the largest global consortiums, with thousands of financial institutions in it. The platform was assembled by acquisition. Emailage covers email risk, ThreatMetrix device, BehavioSec behavior and ID Analytics identity risk.
Key strengths:
- Cross-industry fraud signals.
- Strong in North America and Europe.
- Multiple data types (device, email, phone, identity).
- Continuous model updates from consortium learnings.
FICO Falcon Intelligence Network
FICO's Falcon Intelligence Network analyzes hundreds of billions of transactions annually. Tagged fraud data is shared across participating issuers, powering FICO Falcon Fraud Manager models.
Key strengths:
- Focused on card fraud patterns.
- Deep integration with Falcon platform.
- Continuous model updates based on consortium data.
- Decades of issuer relationships.
Sift Digital Trust Network
Sift's consortium leans merchant-side. It publishes "1T+ annual events" and "1.6B authentic digital citizens." There's no site count any more. Treat any you see quoted elsewhere as stale (sift.com).
Key strengths:
- Strong for e-commerce and marketplace fraud.
- Real-time signals across the network.
- Content and payment fraud coverage.
- Good for merchants with similar customer bases.
ActimizeWatch (NICE Actimize)
ActimizeWatch spots patterns across institutions. It reads transaction data from every financial services firm in the network.
Key strengths:
- Part of broader Actimize AML/fraud platform.
- Focus on financial institution patterns.
- Integrated with case management workflow.
Your processor probably already feeds transaction data into a consortium or two. The question is whether you get the signals back, and whether you act on them. Ask your processor which consortium scores or flags reach your authorization stream.
Enterprise Fraud Management Platforms
Enterprise fraud management platforms bundle the full stack. Real-time scoring, rules engines, case management and reporting. Most now fold in AML too.
FICO Falcon Fraud Manager
Profiled in full above. See FICO Falcon for how it sits in the authorization stream and why merchants can't buy it. Pricing isn't published. It's an annual license plus implementation, negotiated per card portfolio.
NICE Actimize
NICE Actimize ties AML and fraud together well. X-Sight is the platform for large financial institutions, Xceed for SMBs.
Key strengths:
- Unified fraud + AML platform.
- AI-powered investigation automation (2024).
- Full case management and SAR filing.
- ActimizeWatch consortium intelligence.
Best for: FIs wanting unified fraud + AML
Feedzai
Feedzai is AI-native and single-platform. Its RiskOps product covers fraud, AML and case management.
Key strengths:
- Modern AI architecture.
- Emphasizes model explainability (TRUST Framework).
- Selected for ECB digital euro fraud prevention pilot.
- Strong in Europe, growing in North America.
Best for: FIs prioritizing modern AI architecture
SAS Fraud Management
SAS brings deep analytics heritage with highly customizable rules and models.
Key strengths:
- Strong data integration capabilities.
- Enterprise-grade scalability.
- Highly customizable.
- Good for organizations with strong analytics teams.
Best for: Organizations with strong analytics teams wanting customization
Forrester and Chartis both put FICO, Feedzai, LexisNexis, NICE Actimize and SAS in the top enterprise segment. The exact ranking moves by wave, region and criteria. Ask for the latest report when you evaluate.
Merchant, not an issuer? Skip the enterprise platforms and network tools below. Go to Merchant-Focused Solutions for guarantees and order screening, or straight to the Vendor Selection Guide.
Card Network Fraud Tools
Visa and Mastercard both ship fraud detection tools. Your processor fee often already covers them, and most issuers underuse them. They see patterns across the whole network that no single issuer could.
Visa Tools
Visa Advanced Authorization (VAA)
VAA returns a real-time risk score with every VisaNet authorization. Most Visa issuers can get it through their processor.
Key capabilities:
- Trained on global Visa transaction patterns.
- Score can be used in authorization rules or case prioritization.
- Often included in processor fees. Check if you're using it.
- No additional integration if already on VisaNet.
Verifi RDR, Verifi CDRN, and Order Insight
All three sit side by side in the alert comparison table above, with response windows and costs.
The short version. RDR refunds qualifying disputes automatically, before a chargeback is filed. CDRN sends you an alert instead and gives you about 72 hours to decide. Order Insight does something different again. It pushes your order detail to the issuer. The cardholder recognizes the charge and never disputes at all.
Mastercard Tools
Decision Intelligence (DI)
DI scores authorizations in real time. It's trained on global Mastercard transaction patterns and reads cardholder behavior.
Key capabilities:
- Available through processors.
- Network-wide visibility on spending patterns.
- Complements issuer-specific models.
Decision Intelligence Pro (2024)
This is the GenAI version of Decision Intelligence. It uses recurrent neural networks to read entity relationships.
Key capabilities:
- Mastercard reports up to ~20% improvement in fraud detection at comparable false-positive rates.
- Analyzes historical spending patterns and merchant relationships.
- Sub-50ms decisioning.
- Uses generative AI for pattern recognition.
Transaction Fraud Monitoring (TFM)
TFM is for acquirers, not issuers. It returns pre-authorization risk scores so acquirers can spot risky merchants and transactions.
Ethoca Alerts and Consumer Clarity
Both are covered in the alert comparison table above.
Ethoca is the alert. You get 24 to 72 hours, you decide each case, and coverage is strongest outside the US. Consumer Clarity is the enrichment product. It puts your logo and an itemized receipt in the cardholder's banking app, before they call.
Mastercard Threat Intelligence (2025)
Mastercard's newest product merges cyber and payment fraud signals. It folds in threat intelligence from Recorded Future, acquired in 2024.
Key capabilities:
- Card testing detection with real-time alerts.
- Digital skimming intelligence.
- Merchant threat intelligence.
- Payment ecosystem threat reports.
Start by auditing what network tools you're already paying for through your processor. Plenty of issuers already get VAA or DI scores. Most never feed them into authorization rules or case management. It's usually the cheapest fraud reduction available.
Merchant-Focused Solutions
This guide is written for issuers. Merchant-side tools still matter to you. They shape the dispute patterns you'll see.
Chargeback Guarantee Providers
Signifyd, Riskified, Forter, ClearSale and Radial are compared in full in the guarantee comparison above. That covers what each one publishes about pricing, and what to ask when they don't. Kount is now an Equifax product line, profiled under Kount.
The short version for issuers. These vendors sit between the cardholder and the merchant's decision to ship. They take on the merchant's fraud chargeback liability on orders they approve. Only Signifyd publishes even the shape of its pricing.
Watch the incentive. Theirs is to decline borderline orders. That's the mirror image of an issuer over-declining.
Market Dynamics & Trends (2024-2025)
The fraud prevention market is evolving rapidly. Key trends affecting vendor selection:
GenAI Adoption
- Mastercard Decision Intelligence Pro uses generative AI.
- NICE Actimize launched AI-Powered Fraud Investigations (Sept 2024).
- Vendors adding GenAI for alert summarization, case drafting, SAR generation.
- Caution: GenAI also enables more sophisticated fraud (deepfakes, synthetic identities).
Deepfake & Synthetic Identity Threats
- iProov reported 704% increase in deepfake face swaps (2024).
- Driving investment in advanced liveness detection.
- Behavioral biometrics gaining importance.
- Document verification alone no longer sufficient.
Market Consolidation
- LexisNexis continues acquisition strategy: Emailage, ThreatMetrix, BehavioSec, ID Analytics all now integrated.
- Equifax acquired Kount, then absorbed the brand. Kount's site now forwards to Equifax. Kount had already absorbed Midigator, which Equifax acquired in 2022, and Midigator's site lands in the same place. Two vendor brands merchants were told to shortlist have quietly become one Equifax product line.
- Accertify is no longer an American Express company. Accertify's own about-us page describes "the successful carve-out of Accertify from American Express" as completed and names no new owner (accertify.com/about-us, checked 2026-08-02). Anywhere you read "Accertify, an American Express company," that's out of date.
- Mastercard acquired Ethoca (2019) and Recorded Future (2024).
- Visa acquired Verifi (2019).
- Trend toward integrated platforms vs. point solutions.
The practical lesson for a buyer: check the vendor's own domain before you shortlist. A 301 redirect is the cheapest, most reliable ownership signal there is,.
First-Party Fraud Focus
- Mastercard First-Party Trust program.
- Enhanced compelling evidence requirements (Visa CE 3.0).
- Growing recognition that "friendly fraud" is a major loss driver.
- Vendors adding return abuse and policy abuse detection.
Regulatory Pressure
- Model governance and explainability requirements increasing.
- Fair lending considerations for fraud models.
- CFPB BNPL interpretive rule extends Reg Z-style protections.
- APP fraud reimbursement rules (UK, expanding).
How these figures were checked
Last verified: 2 August 2026. Every figure carries a source tier. VENDOR is from the vendor's own site. REPORTED comes from a named third party, with its date and source type stated. DERIVED is calculated from published figures. NOT PUBLISHED means the vendor doesn't publish it. The system and why we use it. Claims about network size, approval rates and win rates are vendor marketing, not verified fact.
Exactly one vendor on this page publishes a price. Leaving every other cell blank is the honest-looking option, and it's the wrong one. Blanks leave a merchant with no way to build a budget. They also reward the vendors that publish least.
So reported contract ranges are in, labeled, with sources named. The main one is Vendr, a SaaS buying and negotiation platform. It publishes medians from deals it has worked on. Two caveats. Vendr sells negotiation services, so its discount claims read as achievable rather than typical. And it discloses a sample size for exactly one vendor. Sift's median rests on a stated 50 purchases. The Signifyd, Forter, SEON and Sardine medians carry no sample size at all. Two of them contradict Vendr's own segment descriptions on the same page.
There's one real public percentage benchmark now. Riskified's revenue over GMV works out to 0.237%, derived from its own Q1 2026 results. Use it as the anchor when any guarantee vendor quotes you.
Next Steps
Evaluating vendors by category?
- Review identity verification vendors - Socure, Onfido, Veriff
- Explore device fingerprinting - ThreatMetrix, SEON, BioCatch
- Understand consortium data - LexisNexis, FICO, Sift
Issuers: Using network tools?
- Audit Visa tools - VAA, Verifi RDR, Order Insight
- Check Mastercard tools - Decision Intelligence, Ethoca
- Ask processor what's included - Often bundled but unused
Merchants: Building fraud stack?
- Start with chargeback guarantees - Signifyd, Riskified
- Follow selection guide - Evaluation process
- Layer complementary solutions - 3-5 tools typical
See Also
- Vendor Selection Guide - RFP questions, POC best practices
- Chargeback Vendors - Alert providers, representment services
- Chargeback Alerts - Ethoca, Verifi details
- Risk Scoring - How risk scoring works
- Data Enrichment - IP, email, phone enrichment APIs
- Device Fingerprinting - Device intelligence
- Identity Verification - Document and biometric checks
- Behavioral Analytics - User behavior analysis
- Issuer Perspective - How issuers think about fraud
- Authorization Decisioning - Real-time auth decisions
- Account Takeover - ATO fraud patterns
- Synthetic Identity - Fabricated identity detection
- Dispute Monitoring - VAMP, ECM programs