Certivus vs Creditsafe: which fits your practice?
Creditsafe is a business credit bureau with AML and identity add-ons, and it doesn't publish pricing — everything is quote-led. Certivus is an AML-native UK compliance workspace with transparent pricing from £49/mo, a free tier, and monitoring included.
Answer-first summary
How does Certivus compare with Creditsafe?
Creditsafe is primarily a business credit bureau — strong on company credit data and financial risk — with AML, PEP, sanctions, and identity verification offered as add-ons, and it prices everything quote-led ('Get Quote') rather than publishing rates. Certivus is an AML-native compliance workspace purpose-built for UK accountancy and law practices, with the standard identity and AML check and ongoing monitoring included, onboarding, SAR prep, an evidence vault, and one-click HMRC-ready audit exports — all on transparent, public GBP pricing from a free tier and £49/mo. Choose on whether your primary need is business credit data or a purpose-built, transparently priced AML compliance workflow.
- Choose Certivus for a transparently priced, AML-native UK compliance workspace with the check and monitoring included, and HMRC-ready audit.
- Consider Creditsafe if your primary need is business credit data and company financial risk, with compliance add-ons.
- Creditsafe doesn't publish pricing — it's quote-led; Certivus publishes its full pricing ladder, starting free.
TL;DR — Quick Summary
- •Certivus publishes its pricing — a permanent free £0/5-check tier, then £49/mo for 30 checks in GBP; Creditsafe doesn't publish pricing — everything is quote-led ('Get Quote').
- •Certivus is AML-native: the standard AML check and ongoing monitoring are included on every plan; Creditsafe offers AML, PEP, sanctions, and IDV as quote-led add-ons.
- •Creditsafe's core strength is business credit data and international company information; Certivus's is a UK-accountancy AML compliance workflow with SAR prep, evidence vault, and HMRC-ready audit.
- •Certivus has a permanent, self-serve free tier; Creditsafe has no public free tier and requires a quote.
Feature
Certivus
Creditsafe
Pricing
Transparent, public — Free £0/5 checks, then £49/mo for 30 checks. Standard identity + AML check included.
Not published — quote-led. Creditsafe prices everything on a 'Get Quote' basis.
Free tier
Permanent free tier — 5 free verifications, no card.
No public free tier — quote and demo.
Primary product
An AML-native compliance workspace — onboarding, screening, evidence, monitoring, HMRC-ready audit.
A business credit bureau — company credit data and financial risk, with compliance add-ons.
AML / screening
Standard AML (PEP & sanctions) check included on every plan.
AML, PEP, sanctions, and IDV available as add-ons — quote-led.
Ongoing monitoring
Included on every checked client (billable to your clients ~£15/client/yr).
Available within its data services — pricing quote-led.
Credit / company data
Focused on AML/KYC compliance rather than business credit reporting.
Strong business credit data and international company information.
Primary sector
Built for UK accountancy and AML-supervised practices.
Credit risk and compliance across many industries, globally.
Audit export
1-click PDF — timestamped, HMRC-ready.
Reporting available — credit and compliance data, not HMRC-specific.
Transparent pricing vs quote-only
You can see exactly what Certivus costs before you talk to anyone — a permanent free tier, then £49/mo, with per-check and monitoring figures on the page. Creditsafe doesn't publish pricing: every number is a quote, so budgeting means a sales conversation first. Creditsafe is the stronger pick if business credit data is your main use case; Certivus wins on transparency and a self-serve AML workflow. See Certivus pricing.
When to choose each platform
Choose Certivus if...
- AML/KYC compliance is your primary need — you want onboarding, screening, evidence, and monitoring, not a credit bureau.
- Transparent, published pricing matters: you want to see the cost — free tier, then £49/mo — before any sales conversation.
- You want the standard AML check and ongoing monitoring included, not priced as quote-led add-ons.
- One-click HMRC-ready audit exports and an evidence vault are the deciding factors for your practice.
Consider Creditsafe if...
- Business credit data and company financial risk are your primary use case, not AML workflow.
- You want a combined credit-and-compliance data provider, with AML/PEP/sanctions/IDV as add-ons.
- You need international company data and are set up for a quote-led, enterprise procurement process.
- Credit-risk decisioning across many counterparties matters more than a UK-accountancy AML workspace.
Who should compare Certivus with Creditsafe?
The best AML software choice changes depending on who carries the risk, who controls the budget, and who has to run the work every week.
Managing partner
Compare predictable cost, inspection exposure, client acceptance risk, and whether the tool will be adopted across the firm.
ContinueMLRO / MLCO
Compare evidence quality, risk decisions, escalation routes, sanctions audit trail, and SAR-ready record keeping.
ContinueOperations lead
Compare setup time, client friction, staff training load, exports, and how cleanly the workflow fits day-to-day onboarding.
ContinueDecision checklist before choosing Certivus or Creditsafe
- Ask for the current pricing model in writing, including checks, screening, users, exports, and support.
- Run one realistic client file through each workflow: individual, company, higher-risk client, and evidence export.
- Check whether the AML record would satisfy HMRC, SRA, or professional-body inspection without manual reconstruction.
- Use Creditsafe where business credit data and company financial risk are the primary use case, combined with compliance add-ons under an enterprise quote; use Certivus where UK-accountancy workflow, transparent pricing, and audit-ready evidence are the deciding factors.
Certivus vs Creditsafe — common questions
Is Certivus or Creditsafe better for UK accountants?
It depends on what you need. Creditsafe is primarily a business credit bureau — its core strength is company credit data and financial risk, with AML, PEP, sanctions, and identity verification available as add-ons. Certivus is an AML-native compliance workspace built for UK accountancy and law practices: client onboarding, the standard identity and AML check, ongoing monitoring, an evidence vault, and one-click HMRC-ready audit exports, all with transparent, published GBP pricing from a free tier. If your primary need is AML/KYC compliance, Certivus is the closer fit; if you primarily need business credit data, Creditsafe is strong.
How much does Creditsafe cost?
Creditsafe does not publish pricing — everything is quoted on a 'Get Quote' basis, so you'd contact their team to price a package for your usage. That makes a like-for-like comparison hard until you have a quote in hand. Certivus, by contrast, publishes its full pricing: a permanent free tier of 5 checks, then plans from £49/mo for 30 checks, with per-check overage rates and a recommended monitoring bill-back figure all on the page. Being able to see the cost up front, without a sales call, is a core difference.
Does Creditsafe do AML screening?
Yes — Creditsafe offers AML, PEP, sanctions, and identity verification alongside its core business credit data, typically as add-ons within a quoted package. Its centre of gravity, though, is credit and company data rather than a purpose-built AML compliance workflow. Certivus includes the standard AML (PEP and sanctions) check and ongoing monitoring on every plan, wrapped in an accountancy-native workflow with SAR prep, an evidence vault, and HMRC-ready audit exports.
Why does transparent pricing matter here?
Because Creditsafe is quote-led, budgeting for it means a sales conversation before you know the cost, and packages vary by negotiation. Certivus publishes everything — free tier, £49/mo entry, per-check overage, and a recommended monitoring charge — so a UK firm can size the cost, start on the free tier, and self-serve without waiting on a quote. For a smaller or mid-sized practice, that transparency and low, visible entry point is often the deciding factor.