The Gap
Public data ≠ Production screening
Free Public Data
Downloading the XML/CSV from the Treasury website provides the raw entity lists.
- Free to download
- No fuzzy matching (only exact string match)
- No monitoring or webhooks
- No evidence generation or audit logs
- You must build the API and host it
Paid Screening API
A managed service that handles the complexity of compliance engineering.
- Advanced fuzzy matching algorithms
- Automatic daily list updates
- Cryptographic evidence for every screen
- 99.9% uptime SLA for transactions
- Continuous monitoring webhooks
Value
Why screening APIs are paid
Data normalization infrastructure
OFAC provides XML and CSV files. Paid APIs ingest, parse, normalize, and index this data constantly so you don't have to build and maintain data pipelines.
Fuzzy matching algorithms
A simple string match is useless for sanctions. Paid APIs provide advanced fuzzy matching, transliteration handling, and contextual scoring.
Uptime and reliability SLAs
The Treasury website occasionally goes down or changes formats. A paid API provides a stable, redundant interface for mission-critical transactions.
Evidence and audit logs
Regulators don't just want to know you screened; they want proof. Paid APIs generate cryptographic evidence and audit logs for every check.
Batch screening capabilities
Processing thousands of legacy users against new list updates requires distributed computing infrastructure.
Continuous monitoring
Paid APIs offer webhook alerts the moment an entity in your database is added to or removed from the OFAC list.
Developer integration
SDKs, detailed documentation, typed responses, and developer support significantly reduce engineering time.
When free is enough
Building your own tool on top of the raw Treasury files or using a free tier makes sense when:
- 1You are building a proof of concept or local testing environment.
- 2You only need to run a handful of manual checks per month.
- 3You don't face strict regulatory scrutiny requiring audit trails.
When a paid API is justified
Investing in a commercial screening infrastructure is necessary when:
- 1You are onboarding users in a production environment.
- 2Regulators or bank partners require demonstrable evidence of screening controls.
- 3Your engineering team's time is better spent building your core product rather than maintaining compliance pipelines.
Verifex Pricing
We offer a generous free tier of 50 screens per month so developers can build and test with production-grade tools. Paid plans start only when you scale.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Is OFAC data really free?
Yes. The US Department of the Treasury publishes the Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list and other sanctions lists completely free of charge on their website. Anyone can download them.
Why do APIs charge for public data?
You are not paying for the data itself; you are paying for the infrastructure that makes the data usable in production. This includes fuzzy matching algorithms, 99.9% uptime, data normalization pipelines, and audit-ready evidence generation.
What does a free tier include?
Verifex offers a free tier of 50 screens per month. This provides full access to our API, fuzzy matching engine, and evidence capsules, making it perfect for development, testing, and very low-volume needs.
When should I upgrade from free?
You should upgrade when you are launching into production, need to screen higher volumes (more than 50/month), require enterprise SLAs, or need advanced features like batch screening and continuous monitoring webhooks.