Certivus vs. Xama: Which Has Better Value?
How does Certivus compare with Xama?
Certivus publishes every rate: monthly plans or pay as you go with no platform fee, £5.99 for a full KYC and AML check (after 2 free checks) with AML screening included in that price, and ongoing monitoring at £1.49 per client per year on pay as you go. Xama publishes monitoring at £1.58 per entity per year. Certivus routes a hit into the MLRO queue, re-rates the client's risk and writes the audit entry, so the firm can review and resolve the hit. Xama is a UK-accountant tool with an unbundled model; an indicative ~£13/mo platform fee plus ~£2.10 per AML check and ~£1.58 per entity per year for monitoring, so the true cost climbs with volume. Xama's accounting-software integrations are a genuine strength; Both publish rates, so compare the checks and workflow your firm needs.
- Use Certivus for published pricing; AML screening is included in the check price, and monitoring at £1.49 a client a year on pay as you go is handled rather than just alerted.
- Consider Xama if its accounting-software integrations are your primary buying driver.
- Xama's ~£13/mo is platform access only; verify current per-check and monitoring fees before comparing.
In short
- Certivus is £5.99 for a full KYC and AML check on pay as you go, with monthly plans also available (and 2 free checks to start), falling to £2.72 on a retainer, with AML screening included in that price.
- Xama's ~£13/mo is platform access only; AML checks (~£2.10 each) and monitoring (~£1.58/entity/yr) are billed on top (indicative; verify current pricing).
- ongoing monitoring is £1.49 per client per year on pay as you go with Certivus, and billable to your clients at a recommended ~£15/client/yr.
- Certivus offers 2 users on pay as you go; 2 users on Starter; 10 users on Professional; unlimited users on Scale; no per-seat fees; the honest trade-off is that Xama's accounting-software integrations are its core strength.
Feature
Certivus
Xama
Pricing
£5.99 for a full KYC and AML check, no platform fee on pay as you go. Monthly plans are also available. 2 free checks to start. Public and self-serve.
£13/mo platform access + ~£2.10 per AML check (indicative; verify current pricing).
Standard check (identity + AML)
Included in the check price.
ID £2.63 + biometric £1.05; proof of address £1.05 and AML £2.10 separately. Platform terms also apply.
Ongoing monitoring
Monitoring included on every plan; £1.49 per client per year on pay as you go, billable back to your clients (recommended ~£15/client/yr).
Charged ~£1.58 per entity per year (indicative; verify current pricing).
Integrations
CSV import + bulk export.
Accounting-software integrations; a core strength.
Free trial / self-serve
2 free checks, no card, plus a 14-day money-back guarantee.
Free plan + trial credits (expire after 90 days).
Team size and seat fees
2 users on pay as you go; 2 users on Starter; 10 users on Professional; unlimited users on Scale; no per-seat fees
Verify seat terms with Xama.
What 30 checks a month actually costs
Xama's ~£13/mo is platform access only. Its £2.10 AML screening is a different scope from a full identity and AML check; compare equivalent services and monitoring before calculating a total. Certivus offers monthly plans or pay as you go, from £0.99 for AML screening to £7.99 for EDD (Enhanced due diligence), with AML screening included in the check price and ongoing monitoring at £1.49 a client a year on pay as you go. See Certivus pricing.
The Verdict
Choose Certivus if:
- •You want published per-check pricing, with AML screening included in the check price
- •You'd rather bill ongoing monitoring back to your clients (~£15/client/yr) than absorb per-entity fees
- •You want 2 free checks, self-serve, and no per-seat fees
Choose Xama if:
- •Its accounting-software integrations are your primary buying driver
- •Your check volume is very low and you prefer an unbundled, pay-per-check model (check current fees)
Who should compare Certivus with Xama?
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 Xama
- 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 Xama where accounting-software integrations are the main buying criterion and you have checked total cost at your expected verification volume; use Certivus where UK-accountancy workflow, transparent pricing, and audit-ready evidence are the deciding factors.
Certivus vs Xama questions
Is Certivus or Xama cheaper for accountants?
It depends on how you count. Xama's headline is around £13 per month, but that is platform access only; AML checks are charged at roughly £2.10 each and ongoing monitoring at around £1.58 per entity per year on top (indicative figures; verify current pricing with Xama). Certivus offers monthly plans or pay as you go with no platform fee: you top up a wallet and each check draws its own rate, from £0.99 for an AML screening to £5.99 for a full KYC and AML check, with ongoing monitoring at just £1.49 per client per year on pay as you go. New accounts start with 2 free checks. For a practice running a regular flow of checks, Certivus is usually more predictable because every rate is published and there is no platform fee to cover before the first check.
What does Xama's monthly price actually include?
Xama's platform fee (indicatively ~£13/mo) covers access to the tool; per-check AML screening and per-entity ongoing monitoring are billed separately. An AML-only screening is not equivalent to a full identity, proof-of-address and AML check. Certivus pay as you go has no platform fee and charges £1.49 per client per year on pay as you go for monitoring, so 30 full KYC and AML checks cost £179.70 at the standard rate before monitoring or top-up bonuses. Always verify current Xama pricing directly, as list prices change.
What matters more: integrations or published pricing?
It depends on the practice. Xama's accounting-software integrations are a genuine strength and can reduce duplicate data entry. Certivus prioritises transparent, published pricing with AML screening included in the check price, ongoing monitoring at £1.49 a client a year on pay as you go, a structured evidence trail, and audit-ready exports. Weigh the integration you need against total cost at your expected check volume.