What is the difference between SmartSearch, Veriphy, and Stratum?

All three are UK AML / KYC tools with overlapping coverage but different shapes.

**SmartSearch** is a bundled AML platform aimed at regulated firms (estate agents, conveyancers, accountants, financial advisors). It bundles sanctions + PEP + adverse-media + ID verification + ongoing monitoring into a per-firm subscription with usage tiers. Pricing typically starts £50-£200/month for small firms; per-check fees on top scale with volume. Strengths: end-to-end workflow integration, branded customer-facing flows, established compliance team familiarity. Weaknesses: monthly minimum is wrong shape for small/seasonal usage; depth of beneficial-ownership screening on corporate counterparties is shallow; pricing isn't published.

**Veriphy** is a per-check AML tool focused on letting agents + estate agents + conveyancers. Per-check cost is ~£3-£5 retail for the bundled sanctions + PEP + ID check. Strengths: per-check pricing fits low-volume firms; UI is fast for one-off checks. Weaknesses: limited corporate-onboarding depth (no PSC tree walk); no programmatic API for high-volume integration.

**Stratum APIs** is per-call API for compliance + property + corporate data, sister-branded as Certaby for the non-developer surface. Pricing is per-call with no monthly minimum: standalone APIs from £0.69 per check; suite endpoints £4.95-£19.95 per pack. Strengths: per-call pricing right-sizes to actual workload; depth on corporate counterparties (PSC tree walk to depth 5, every UBO screened) matches what LSAG-2025 §B requires; bundles property + environmental risk into the conveyancer + letting-agent suites alongside AML in one signed PDF. Weaknesses: API-first orientation means small non-technical firms lean on Certaby.com instead; no end-to-end branded customer flow (we ship the data, the buyer's UI ships the customer experience).

For a 50-let-per-month letting agent, Stratum's £4.95/check letting-agent suite undercuts SmartSearch + Veriphy combined while delivering deeper corporate-landlord coverage. For a 5-corporate-onboarding-per-year accountant, Stratum's £14.95/full-pack accountant suite (S3, scoping 2026-05-06) at PAYG matches Veriphy on price + adds the SM&CR + IDV cross-checks.

Last updated 2026-05-06.