How to choose an OFAC screening solution for a startup

For an early-stage team, the right screening solution is the one you can adopt today and grow into without a compliance team.

TL;DR

TL;DR: Look for a free tier with no signup, a simple one-call API, fast integration, and pricing that scales with volume rather than an upfront contract.

Free tier and signup friction

A free tier with no signup and no API key lets a small team prove the integration in minutes. SanctionsAI offers 5 checks per day free, with no signup and no key, so you can start screening before any procurement conversation.

API simplicity and integration time

Choose a solution that is one HTTP call returning clean or flagged in under 100 ms, with integrations for the tools your team already uses, such as MCP, LangChain, CrewAI, and the OpenAI Agents SDK. The faster the integration, the more likely it ships and stays in place.

Pricing that scales

Prefer usage-based plans over large annual contracts. SanctionsAI's Dev plan is $19 per month for 10,000 checks and Pro is $99 per month for 100,000 checks, with $0.05 per check via x402 for overflow. It screens 947 OFAC-listed wallets and 19,218 SDN names across 16 jurisdictions, synced hourly.