Stripe Identity Review
Programmatic ID document and selfie verification, billed per verification, built on the Stripe API
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Looking for a Stripe Identity alternative? See our ranked comparison.→What is Stripe Identity?
Stripe Identity is an API and hosted-flow product for verifying that a user is who they claim to be, using a government ID photo plus a selfie match. It runs on the same account and billing as the rest of Stripe, so if you already take payments through Stripe, adding Identity is mostly a matter of calling another API rather than standing up a new vendor relationship.
It covers document capture and liveness-checked selfie matching across more than 120 countries, with a prebuilt, brandable UI component (web and mobile) and 53 supported languages. It also does a narrower US-only check: validating a name, date of birth, and SSN against a database without a document upload, for cases where a full document scan is overkill. Address and phone checks exist too, but they are invite-only and need a request to Stripe support before you can turn them on.
It is deliberately scoped as document and selfie verification, not a full compliance suite. There is no built-in AML or sanctions-list screening, no ongoing transaction monitoring, and no business (KYB) verification in the product itself. If your compliance program needs those, you are pairing Stripe Identity with something else or building it yourself.
Who it's for
- ✓ Teams already on Stripe for payments who want ID verification added to onboarding without a new vendor contract or separate billing relationship
- ✓ Marketplaces and platforms that need document plus selfie verification for a subset of higher-risk users, not every signup
- ✓ Engineering teams that want a drop-in, prebuilt verification UI instead of building document capture themselves
Who should look elsewhere
- ✗ Regulated fintechs or crypto businesses that need AML/sanctions screening, ongoing monitoring, or KYB alongside identity checks in one platform
- ✗ Businesses whose Stripe account isn't based in one of the roughly 34 supported countries (mostly the US, Canada, the UK, EU member states, Switzerland, Norway, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand), since Identity can only be activated on an account in one of those countries even though it can verify documents from users anywhere
- ✗ High-volume consumer apps verifying most or all signups, where $1.50 per verification adds up fast against dedicated KYC vendors priced lower per check
Pros
- + Same account, dashboard, and monthly invoice as Stripe payments, so no separate vendor to onboard or reconcile
- + Prebuilt, brandable capture UI for web and mobile in 53 languages, so you are not building document-scan UX from scratch
- + Pay-per-verification with no subscription commitment, which suits products that only need to verify a fraction of users
- + Machine-learning checks for fake or spoofed documents and live capture enforcement built into the flow
Cons
- – Only Stripe accounts based in one of about 34 supported countries can activate Identity at all, so merchants outside that list are locked out even though the product can verify end-user documents from over 120 countries
- – No AML/sanctions screening, ongoing monitoring, or KYB in the product itself, so regulated teams still need to bolt on another tool
- – $1.50 per document+selfie verification is charged for both verified and unverified results, so failed attempts still cost money
- – Pricing is metered per check with no published subscription tier, so at high volume you are negotiating custom pricing rather than reading it off a page
Stripe Identity pricing
You pay for what you consume rather than a per-seat fee, so cost scales with usage.
| Plan | Price | Highlights |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing is quote-only. Contact the vendor for a quote. | ||
Stripe Identity is not tiered plans, it is metered usage. Document verification with a selfie is $1.50 per completed verification (charged whether the result is verified or unverified). A standalone ID number lookup (name, DOB, and government ID against a database, currently US SSN only) is $0.50 per lookup. Fees are deducted from your Stripe balance monthly based on the prior month's usage. Stripe's own identity page states the first 50 verifications are free, but that is a one-time allowance, not a recurring free plan, so freeTier is false here. Teams doing 2,000+ verifications a month can ask Stripe for custom volume pricing. Prices confirmed on stripe.com/pricing on 2026-08-05.
Pricing verified August 5, 2026 · source
How Stripe Identity's pricing compares
Stripe Identity next to its closest alternatives on entry price, billing, and whether pricing is public.
| Tool | Starting price | Billing | Free option | Pricing disclosed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stripe Identity | $1.5/verification | usage-based | No | Public |
| Persona | $250/mo | usage-based | Trial (60 days, up to 50 services, sandbox only (no credit card, production access needs a business verification review)) | Partly public |
| Veriff | Usage-based | usage-based | Trial (15 days, up to 50 live verification sessions, no credit card required) | Partly public |
| Sumsub | $1.35/check | usage-based | Trial (14 days, includes 50 free checks) | Partly public |
| Onfido | Custom / quote | quote-only | No | Not disclosed |
| Jumio | Custom / quote | quote-only | No | Not disclosed |
| Didit | Usage-based | usage-based | Yes | Partly public |
Is Stripe Identity still actively developed?
Last significant update: June 2026. Identity's redaction status enum gained a new "validated" value, an API change for how verification data redaction state is reported.
Top Stripe Identity alternatives
Stripe Identity FAQ
How much does Stripe Identity cost per verification?+
A full document plus selfie verification is $1.50, charged whether the check comes back verified or unverified. A standalone ID number lookup (US SSN only, no document) is $0.50.
Is there a free plan?+
Not an ongoing one. Stripe's product page notes the first 50 verifications are free, but that is a one-time allowance, not a recurring monthly free tier.
Does Stripe Identity include AML or sanctions screening?+
No. It verifies documents and matches selfies, but it does not do AML/sanctions-list screening, ongoing monitoring, or business verification (KYB). You would need to add a separate tool for those checks.
Which countries does Stripe Identity support?+
Document verification covers ID documents from more than 120 countries, but you can only activate Stripe Identity on a Stripe account based in one of about 34 supported countries, mostly the US, Canada, the UK, EU member states, Switzerland, Norway, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand.