6 industry workloads · verified June 2026
KYC Cost by Industry 2026
Per-vertical procurement math. AML screening share, liveness requirements and manual review share differ 3-5x across crypto exchange, neo-bank, iGaming, lending, marketplace and gig-worker workloads. Each industry has a fit-vendor shortlist.
Direct Answer
Why does KYC cost vary so much by industry?
AML screening share, liveness mandate and manual review share are the three swing factors. Crypto and iGaming run 100% AML; marketplace seller onboarding rarely needs it. That single difference can triple the per-check effective rate before any vendor pricing comparison.
Six industry workloads
For each industry, we list the typical monthly verification volume, AML screening share, liveness need, primary cost driver, an illustrative monthly spend at 25,000 verifications, and the vendor shortlist that fits the workload. Numbers use published list prices where available and flag quote-only vendors as quote.
Crypto exchange
Typical volume
10,000 to 100,000 verifications/month
AML share
100% (FinCEN MSB obligation + EU MiCA Title III)
Liveness need
Mandatory; deepfake risk on account takeover
Primary cost driver
AML add-on dominates; Sumsub Compliance tier or iDenfy + PEP
Illustrative monthly spend at 25,000 verifications
Veriff Essential + PEP: ~$20,000. Sumsub Compliance: ~$46,250. Didit Full + module: ~$10,500. iDenfy Basic + PEP + liveness: ~$52,500.
Illustrative example, not a real company. Numbers chosen to demonstrate methodology; re-run on the calculator with your own volume.
Fit vendors
Sumsub, Veriff, Didit, iDenfy, plus quote-only Persona and Jumio
Neo-bank / challenger bank
Typical volume
5,000 to 50,000 verifications/month
AML share
100% (FCA SYSC 6.3, EU AMLR 2024/1624)
Liveness need
Standard; required for first deposit
Primary cost driver
Per-check rate plus EDD on high-risk customers
Illustrative monthly spend at 25,000 verifications
Same base as crypto; less spike on EDD escalation; Sumsub or Onfido (Entrust quote) most common.
Illustrative example, not a real company. Numbers chosen to demonstrate methodology; re-run on the calculator with your own volume.
Fit vendors
Onfido (Entrust), Sumsub, Veriff, Alloy (orchestration), Plaid IDV
Lending / BNPL
Typical volume
10,000 to 200,000 applications/month
AML share
30-60% (regulated lending only, not BNPL under most regulators)
Liveness need
Standard for borrower verification; lower bar for soft-credit-check flows
Primary cost driver
Decisioning orchestration; ID + credit + fraud signals combined
Illustrative monthly spend at 25,000 verifications
Plaid IDV + Plaid platform (quote) most common in US; Alloy + upstream signals for orchestration; Socure for ML-based decisioning at $0.80-$1.30 per evaluation.
Illustrative example, not a real company. Numbers chosen to demonstrate methodology; re-run on the calculator with your own volume.
Fit vendors
Plaid IDV, Alloy, Socure, Onfido (Entrust)
iGaming / sports betting
Typical volume
5,000 to 50,000 verifications/month
AML share
100% (UK Gambling Commission, US state regulators, EU Gaming Acts)
Liveness need
Mandatory; age verification is the regulatory hot spot
Primary cost driver
AML + age verification; jurisdiction-specific licensing checks
Illustrative monthly spend at 25,000 verifications
Similar to crypto exchange; Sumsub strong in iGaming compliance bundle; Veriff and Jumio also common.
Illustrative example, not a real company. Numbers chosen to demonstrate methodology; re-run on the calculator with your own volume.
Fit vendors
Sumsub, Veriff, Jumio (quote), Onfido (Entrust quote)
Marketplace seller onboarding
Typical volume
500 to 10,000 verifications/month
AML share
5-20% (only for regulated goods, payment account holders, or above-threshold sellers)
Liveness need
Optional; document verification often sufficient
Primary cost driver
Volume keeps total spend low; per-check rate is dominant
Illustrative monthly spend at 25,000 verifications
Lowest band; Didit (with free tier covering pilot), Stripe Identity for Stripe Connect sellers, Veriff Essential for higher volumes.
Illustrative example, not a real company. Numbers chosen to demonstrate methodology; re-run on the calculator with your own volume.
Fit vendors
Didit, Stripe Identity, Veriff, Shufti Pro
Gig-worker / contractor onboarding
Typical volume
1,000 to 50,000 verifications/month
AML share
Variable; full AML if marketplace pays out earnings, basic ID if pure introduction model
Liveness need
Standard; safety / trust framing rather than regulatory
Primary cost driver
Per-check rate plus background check (separate provider)
Illustrative monthly spend at 25,000 verifications
Persona quote-only common in US gig; Onfido (Entrust quote) common in UK/EU; Veriff and Sumsub also fit.
Illustrative example, not a real company. Numbers chosen to demonstrate methodology; re-run on the calculator with your own volume.
Fit vendors
Persona (quote), Onfido (Entrust quote), Veriff, Sumsub
Regulatory anchors
Each industry above is shaped by named regulation. We do not interpret these for you; cite your in-house compliance function or qualified counsel for specifics.
- FATF Recommendations 10 and 22: global baseline for Customer Due Diligence and CDD on Designated Non-Financial Businesses and Professions. Source: fatf-gafi.org/Fatfrecommendations.
- US FinCEN CDD Final Rule (31 CFR 1010.230): beneficial ownership and CIP requirements for covered US financial institutions. Source: fincen.gov/cdd-final-rule.
- UK FCA Handbook SYSC 6.3: financial-crime and AML obligations for FCA-regulated firms, including CDD on customer onboarding. Source: handbook.fca.org.uk/SYSC/6/3.
- EU AML Regulation 2024/1624 and AMLD6: uniform CDD obligations across EU member states. Source: ec.europa.eu/AML framework.
Run your own numbers
The illustrative spends above are based on the methodology in /methodology. To plug in your actual monthly volume, AML share and liveness requirements, use the calculator. To understand why the quote-only vendors don't fit a calculator, see quote-only vendors.
Last verified June 2026 · Next refresh September 2026