Comparison
Age verification software, compared
Twenty-seven US states and the UK Online Safety Act created this purchase inside three years, which means most buyers are making it for the first time with no established shortlist to inherit. The method you choose matters more than the logo.
The short answer
Choose the method first, then the vendor. Facial age estimation clears most users without collecting a document and converts far better than a document upload. If your markets accept it, that decision will do more for your funnel than any vendor comparison.
On names: Yoti is the most widely recognised and the one regulators tend to reference. VerifyMy is built tightly around the UK regime. Persona and Incode are general identity platforms where age assurance is one capability among many — more powerful, and more work.
The vendors
Who does what.
Positioning only. No pricing and no compliance guarantees: the rules differ by state and by country, they are still moving, and we are not your counsel.
| Vendor | Method | What it is known for |
|---|---|---|
| Yoti | Facial age estimation, digital ID, document check | The most widely recognised name, and the one regulators tend to cite. Strong in the UK. |
| VerifyMy | Facial estimation, email-based estimation | Built around the Online Safety Act; email estimation avoids collecting a document at all. |
| AgeChecked | Multi-method, document, database lookup | Long-established, broad method coverage, aimed at operators who want options per market. |
| Incode | Document plus biometric verification | A general identity platform rather than an age specialist. Heavier, more capable. |
| Persona | Configurable identity workflows | Developer-first and highly configurable. Strong if you have engineers to spend on it. |
| Veratad | Database and document verification | US-focused, long history in regulated verticals including gaming. |
What actually decides it
Five things that matter more than the shortlist.
| Consideration | Why |
|---|---|
| Method matters more than brand | Facial estimation clears most users without collecting a document. Document checks convert worse but satisfy stricter rules. Pick on which your market demands. |
| Conversion loss is the real cost | Every verification step loses users. The difference between a good and a bad implementation is far larger than the difference between two vendors. |
| Data retention is a liability | A vendor that does not retain the document is a smaller breach surface than one that does. Ask what is stored and for how long, in writing. |
| Per-market coverage | Rules differ by US state and by country. A vendor strong in the UK may not satisfy Louisiana. Check the markets you actually serve. |
| Who carries the obligation | The platform does, not the vendor. Buying software does not transfer liability, whatever a sales deck implies. |
If you are the vendor rather than the buyer
This category is being shortlisted by AI engines right now, from thin evidence, with no incumbent answer to displace. A measured look at which vendors get named and which sources the engines cite is on the age verification vendors page. That window closes as the market settles.
5 questions
Questions we get asked
Which age verification vendor is best?
There is no single best. Yoti has the broadest recognition, VerifyMy is built closely around the UK Online Safety Act, and Persona and Incode are general identity platforms that do age as one capability. The right choice is decided by which markets you operate in and which verification method your users will tolerate.
Does buying this make us compliant?
No. The legal obligation sits with the platform, not the vendor, and no software purchase transfers it. A vendor can give you a verification step and an audit trail. Whether that satisfies a given regulator is a question for counsel in that jurisdiction.
How much traffic will we lose?
Materially, and anyone quoting you a precise figure is guessing. Reported drops after enforcement have been severe — Aylo withdrew from the UK after a reported 77% fall. Method choice and implementation quality move this far more than vendor choice does.
Is facial age estimation good enough?
In several markets, yes, and it converts far better than a document upload because the user hands over nothing they consider sensitive. Some jurisdictions require stronger assurance. This is the single decision that most affects both your compliance position and your funnel.
Do you take commission from any of these vendors?
No. We have no affiliate or referral relationship with any vendor listed, and would state it here if we did. Several of them are companies we would like as clients, which is a bias worth knowing about when you read this page.
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