Three ways firms do AML today — and where CompliDesk fits
We compare categories of approach, not named vendors — every market has good and bad examples of each, and you should evaluate any specific product on its own claims. What follows is how the three common approaches differ in shape, and what CompliDesk is built to be instead.
The comparison, category by category
The CompliDesk column states only what the platform includes and our published indicative launch pricing. The other columns describe categories in general terms — no claim is made about any specific vendor.
| CompliDesk | Per-check ID tools | Enterprise compliance suites | Manual (Word & spreadsheets) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Identity verification (KYC/KYB) | Built in, via Didit — captured onto the client file | Yes — this is the product | Typically included | Photocopies and certified copies, filed by hand |
| Sanctions & PEP screening | Built in, via OpenSanctions — EU consolidated list, UN, PEPs, at onboarding and ongoing | Often available per check; ongoing re-screening varies | Typically included | Manual list checks, if done at all |
| Business-Wide Risk Assessment & AMLR policy pack | Generator mapped to Regulation (EU) 2024/1624 | Not the product — verification only | Varies; often geared to financial-institution frameworks | A Word template someone must keep current |
| STR workflow (goAML + Revenue ROS) | STR builder, goAML-compatible XML export, dual-submission tracker | Not the product | Reporting modules typically built around bank-style workflows | Drafted from scratch each time |
| RBO extract workflow | Guided workflow with evidence storage and discrepancy log | Not the product | Varies | Left to whoever remembers |
| Audit trail & five-years-then-delete retention | Time-stamped decision log per client file; AMLR retention lifecycle built in | A record of the check itself — not the compliance decisions around it | Typically strong | No audit trail; retention left to housekeeping |
| Pricing model | €19 / €49 / €79 + VAT per month (indicative launch pricing) — free early access now, unlimited clients on every plan | Per check — costs scale with volume | Built and priced for banks and large institutions | “Free” — until staff time and inspection risk are counted |
| Built for | Irish designated persons — small firms and practices, AMLR-native from day one | Anyone needing a one-off identity check | Banks, funds and large regulated institutions | Firms that have not yet been inspected |
Indicative launch pricing, exclusive of VAT; early access is free during the pre-launch period. Data is hosted in the EU — AWS eu-west-1 (Dublin).
What each approach actually gives you
Per-check ID tools
These tools do one thing — verify an identity — and many do it well. But verification is one step of the obligation, not the obligation. A per-check tool gives you no Business-Wide Risk Assessment, no policy pack, no STR workflow and no audit trail around the checks it runs. You still need somewhere for the rest of your compliance to live, and per-check pricing means costs climb with every client you onboard.
Enterprise compliance suites
Full-featured platforms exist for banks, funds and large institutions — with implementation projects, transaction-monitoring engines and pricing to match. For a small Irish practice, that is the wrong shape: you would be paying for capability you will never switch on, configured around workflows designed for a financial institution rather than a designated person with a client book.
Manual — Word and spreadsheets
The default today. A policy document from a course, a spreadsheet of clients, ID copies in a drive. It can hold together until someone asks you to evidence it: there is no audit trail, no screening automation, no retention discipline — deletion after five years happens only if someone remembers — and the whole system lives in one person’s head.
Where CompliDesk sits
CompliDesk is built for the gap between those extremes: the whole obligation — onboarding and CDD, screening, BWRA and policy pack, RBO workflow, STR preparation and the audit trail around all of it — at small-practice pricing, AMLR-native from day one rather than retrofitted, with unlimited clients on every plan.
When we’re not the right fit
A comparison page that only ever concludes “choose us” isn’t a comparison. CompliDesk is the wrong choice for some firms, and it’s better for everyone if you find that out here.
Banks, funds and payment institutions
Firms supervised by the Central Bank for prudential purposes typically need enterprise-scale transaction monitoring, case management and regulatory-reporting infrastructure that CompliDesk does not provide. An enterprise suite is the right category for you.
Firms needing real-time transaction monitoring
CompliDesk supports client due diligence, screening, risk assessment and STR preparation. It is not a transaction-monitoring engine that scores payment flows in real time.
Firms that need a public API today
CompliDesk does not currently offer a public API for custom integrations. If deep systems integration is a hard requirement, confirm with us before committing — see the integrations page for exactly what connects to what.
See whether CompliDesk fits your practice
Book a demo and compare it against whatever you use today — or join the waitlist for free early access and founding-member pricing.