World-Check alternatives for small US businesses that only need sanctions screening
If you are a small US business whose obligation is OFAC screening, an alternative to an enterprise risk database like World-Check is a sanctions-only tool that screens against the official lists, re-screens your saved names when the lists change, keeps a dated record of every check, and publishes its price. OFAC's own rule is about not dealing with sanctioned parties and keeping records, which these tools are built for (OFAC FAQ 28, 31 CFR 501.601). Below is a dated comparison of published-price options.
Two different categories
Enterprise risk databases cover many kinds of risk data at once and are generally priced by quote. Sanctions-only tools do one job: check names against government sanctions lists and keep the evidence.
Which one you need depends on what you are required to check. A US car dealer, title company, exporter or accounts payable team typically needs the OFAC lists, and an exporter adds the Commerce and State lists on the Consolidated Screening List (trade.gov CSL). If that is your scope, a sanctions-only tool covers it, and you are not paying for data you will not use.
We do not publish a World-Check price here because it is not listed publicly. Ask the vendor for a quote at your volume if you are comparing.
Published prices, as listed on 9 October 2026
Each figure below was read from the vendor's own pricing page on 9 October 2026. Prices change; check the page before you buy.
| Tool | Entry paid plan | Mid plan | Monitored names on the mid plan | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VerifySanctions (founding offer) | $149 a month or $1,490 a year | same plan | 500 | this site |
| OFACScreen | $49 a month, billed annually | $149 a month, billed annually | 50 saved names, re-screened daily | pricing |
| SanctScan | $19 a month (Solo) | $39 a month (Starter) | 150 | pricing |
| SanctionsLookup | $49 a month (5,000 screenings) | $109 a month (15,000 screenings) | priced by screenings | pricing |
Other details from the same pages: OFACScreen sells a one-time $9.99 report for a single documented screening and offers a 14-day trial (OFACScreen pricing). SanctScan has a free tier of 25 searches a month for ad hoc screening and a $149 Growth plan with 1,000 monitored entities (SanctScan pricing). SanctionsLookup lists a $329 Scale plan with 50,000 monthly screenings (SanctionsLookup pricing).
Our founding plan includes unlimited per-deal records, 500 monitored names, a monthly compliance certificate, a generated OFAC policy and API access, for the first 100 accounts. It is listed on our home page.
What to compare beyond price
Price per month is the easy part. These are the questions that decide whether a tool fits a small compliance program:
- Which lists, and how fresh? At minimum the SDN and Consolidated lists from OFAC (Sanctions List Service). The tool should show the publication date of the list version each check used.
- What happens when a list changes? A saved customer or vendor that was clear last month can be designated today. Monitoring should re-screen saved names on each new publication and tell you only when something moves.
- What does the record contain? You want the name screened, the date, the list versions, every candidate with its score explained, and the decision with a reason. OFAC requires records of transactions subject to its rules to be kept for at least 10 years (31 CFR 501.601).
- Can you clear a false positive in writing? A common name will produce candidates. The tool should let you record why a candidate is not your party; see how to clear an OFAC false positive.
- Is there an API? Useful if screening belongs inside your onboarding or checkout. See screening with the OFAC API.
Our buyer's checklist for sanctions screening software goes through each of these in more detail.
When the free government tools are enough
For a handful of checks a month, OFAC's free Sanctions List Search works. OFAC says it is meant for individual users and should not be driven by automated systems running searches continually (OFAC FAQ 287). It does not keep a record of your search, so if you rely on it, save the result yourself with the date and the list publication date.
Try a check
This is screening data, not legal advice. Run a free check against the SDN and Consolidated lists and see the record format before you compare plans.