OFAC data is public. But is that enough for production screening?
The US Treasury provides sanctions lists for free. Learn why financial institutions choose to pay for screening APIs instead of building it themselves.
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.
- Candidate retrieval with identity-evidence context
- Served coverage and source-execution state
- Evidence availability and recorded decision context
- Published operational status and commercial terms
- Monitoring and webhook options where configured
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
A screening service can return recorded source and decision context. Check evidence availability and the applicable recordkeeping terms before relying on a capsule.
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 trial 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
Every new account gets a free trial of 5 screens on the Starter source set, so you can test with production-grade tools before you pay. After that, Starter is a monthly subscription.
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?
A service can add ingestion, normalization, candidate retrieval, response contracts, and recorded decision context around public source data. Review its actual source scope, availability, and contractual terms rather than assuming a universal service level.
What does the free trial include?
Every new account gets 5 screens in total on the Starter source set (sanctions, PEP and watchlists), with no credit card. The trial does not renew; after 5 screens you subscribe to keep screening. Validate the response coverage and evidence state in the workflow you intend to use.
What happens after the free trial?
The trial ends after 5 screens. To keep screening, subscribe to a paid plan; review the current plan limits, source scope, and feature availability before selecting one. Enterprise support or commercial terms should be agreed separately where required.