Cheapest Anti-Money Laundering Check in the UK (2026 Cost Comparison)
We compared six UK AML providers' published prices for the full AML workflow. See the method, the formula and the cost at 30, 100 and 250 clients.
- Among UK providers that publish their prices, FigsFlow has the lowest first-year cost for the full AML workflow at 30, 100 and 250 clients.
- A 100-client practice pays £529.50 with FigsFlow, against £922 to £6,000 with the other providers compared (excluding VAT).
- Certivus costs less for checks alone, but its pricing page includes no client or firm-wide risk assessment.
- Until 28 February 2027 FigsFlow charges only for AML checks: £3.50 each, £3.00 from the 100th.
Among UK AML providers that publish their prices, FigsFlow is the lowest-cost way to run the full AML workflow an accounting practice needs: identity checks, PEP and sanctions screening, ongoing screening, client and firm-wide risk assessments and an enhanced due diligence workflow. A 100-client practice pays £529.50 plus VAT in the first year, against £922 to £6,000 at the other providers we compared.
This guide shows exactly how we compared six providers: what we counted as a complete AML workflow, the published price we used for each, the formula, and the result at 30, 100 and 250 clients. Every price comes from the provider's own website, checked on 14 October 2026, and every source is linked so you can check it yourself.
What is the Cheapest AML Check Software in the UK?
FigsFlow charges £3.50 plus VAT per AML check, falling to £3.00 from a firm's 100th check, plus the Compliance Programme at £15 a month billed annually (£19 on monthly billing). The check covers electronic identity and address verification, PEP and sanctions screening, the Amberhill check and 24 months of ongoing screening. The programme adds client and firm-wide risk assessments, the enhanced due diligence workflow, and policies, controls and MLRO roles.
Until 28 February 2027 every FigsFlow module, including the Compliance Programme, is free. Only AML checks are charged.
First-year cost to check every client once, after the launch offer ends (excluding VAT):
| Provider | Risk assessments in the published price? | 30 clients | 100 clients | 250 clients |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FigsFlow | Yes: client and firm-wide | £285.00 | £529.50 | £979.50 |
| FirmCheck | Yes: client and firm-wide | £300 | £1,000 | £2,500 |
| IRIS Elements | Yes: client risk profiles and a firm-wide assessment feature | £370 | £922 | £2,057 |
| Thirdfort (Essentials) | Not stated on its pricing page | £1,446 | £2,496 | £4,746 |
| Amiqus | Not stated on its pricing page | £6,000 | £6,000 | £6,000 |
| Certivus | No: checks and monitoring only | £224.40 | £590.00 | £649.90 |
Certivus costs less for checks alone at 30 and 250 clients, but its pricing page lists no client or firm-wide risk assessment, so a practice would need a second tool for those. Thirdfort's figures use its undiscounted check price; it offers volume discounts on request. The method and every formula are below.
How we compared: scope, prices and formula
Step 1: what counts as a complete AML workflow
Under the Money Laundering Regulations 2017 (MLR 2017) a practice needs more than an identity check. We looked for these parts in each provider's published pricing:
- Identity and address verification of the client, as part of customer due diligence (regulation 28).
- PEP and sanctions screening, with ongoing monitoring after onboarding (regulations 28 and 35).
- A risk assessment of each client (regulation 28).
- A firm-wide risk assessment (regulation 18).
- An enhanced due diligence process for higher-risk clients (regulation 33).
- Records kept for five years (regulation 40).
Step 2: the published price for each provider
| Provider | Price we used | What the published price covers | What the page doesn't say |
|---|---|---|---|
| FigsFlow | £3.50 a check (£3.00 from the 100th) + Compliance Programme £15 a month billed annually (£180 a year) | Check: electronic identity and address, PEP and sanctions screening, Amberhill check, 24 months of ongoing screening, Companies House ID verification workflow, inspection-ready record. Programme: client and firm-wide risk assessment, EDD workflow, policies, controls and MLRO roles | Screening after 24 months is £1 a person a year, opt-in |
| FirmCheck | Compliance plan 50p per client a month + biometric ID check £4 each (shown reduced from £8) | Electronic ID, PEP, sanctions and adverse media checks, ongoing monitoring, client and firm-wide risk assessments, AML policies | Enhanced due diligence not mentioned |
| IRIS Elements | Licence £250 (30 clients), £522 (100), £1,057 (250) on a 12-month contract + UK ID check £4.00 each | Biometric ID check (document, facial recognition and liveness) with PEP and sanctions screening; client risk profiles; firm-wide risk assessment feature | Continuous monitoring not described; whether the firm-wide assessment is in the licence not stated |
| Certivus | Pay as you go: CDD check £5.99 + monitoring £1.49 per client a year. Starter plan: £590 a year with 20 checks a month and monitoring included | Document, liveness, face match, proof of address and AML screening including adverse media | Client and firm-wide risk assessments not mentioned |
| Thirdfort | Essentials plan from £83 a month + £15 per biometric ID check before volume discounts; 12-month contract | Biometric and cryptographic ID checks, AML screening | Risk assessments and ongoing monitoring not mentioned; discounted credit prices not published |
| Amiqus | Client onboarding Standard plan from £15 per client, £500 a month minimum | Client onboarding journeys | Which checks the per-client price includes |
Step 3: the formula
We costed the first year for a practice that checks every client once. n is the number of clients. All figures exclude VAT.
| Provider | Year-1 cost |
|---|---|
| FigsFlow | £180 + £3.50 × (clients 1 to 99) + £3.00 × (clients from the 100th) |
| FirmCheck | £0.50 × n × 12 + £4 × n |
| IRIS Elements | Licence for the client band + £4.00 × n |
| Certivus | The lower of: (£5.99 + £1.49) × n, or £590 + £5.99 × (checks above 240) |
| Thirdfort | £83 × 12 + £15 × n |
| Amiqus | The higher of: £15 × n, or £500 × 12 |
Worked example: a 100-client practice
- FigsFlow: £180 + (99 × £3.50) + (1 × £3.00) = £529.50
- IRIS Elements: £522 + (100 × £4.00) = £922
- FirmCheck: (£0.50 × 100 × 12) + (100 × £4) = £1,000
- Thirdfort: (£83 × 12) + (100 × £15) = £2,496
- Amiqus: £500 × 12 = £6,000, which is higher than 100 × £15 = £1,500
- Certivus (checks only): the Starter plan at £590 covers up to 240 checks a year, which is lower than pay as you go at (£5.99 + £1.49) × 100 = £748
Step 4: assumptions and limits
- Each client is checked once in year 1. A FigsFlow check includes 24 months of ongoing screening, so year-1 clients need no further screening charge in year 2.
- Certivus' Starter plan allows 20 checks a month, so its plan figures assume checks are spread across the year.
- Thirdfort does not publish its discounted credit prices, so we used its undiscounted £15 check. A quote may be lower.
- We left out providers that don't publish prices (SmartSearch, First AML and Xama) and services without risk-assessment tools for firms (TaxCalc's AML search and ComplyCube).
- FigsFlow figures are after the launch offer. Until 28 February 2027 the programme is free, so the same practices pay £105.00, £349.50 and £799.50.
Over two years
Year 2 assumes the client list grows by 10% and each new client needs a check.
| Provider | 30 clients | 100 clients | 250 clients |
|---|---|---|---|
| FigsFlow | £475.50 | £739.50 | £1,234.50 |
| FirmCheck | £510 | £1,700 | £4,250 |
| IRIS Elements | £842 | £1,816 | £3,661 |
| Thirdfort | £2,487 | £3,642 | £6,117 |
| Amiqus | £12,000 | £12,000 | £12,000 |
| Certivus (checks only) | £291.54 | £813.80 | £1,209.40 |
Year-2 basis: FigsFlow charges £180 plus checks on new clients; FirmCheck charges 50p a month on the whole client list; IRIS renews the licence at the next client band (£460, £854 and £1,504); Thirdfort renews Essentials at £996; Certivus uses whichever is lower: pay as you go (checks on new clients plus £1.49 monitoring on every client) or renewing a plan. Work out your own figures with our AML check cost calculator.
FigsFlow publishes this comparison. Prices were checked on each provider's website on 14 October 2026 and exclude VAT. Prices change, so check the provider's own page before you buy.
Why Does AML Check Pricing Vary So Much?
Wide pricing ranges are not arbitrary. They reflect four structural differences across providers.
- Volume tier discounts and minimum commitments. Some providers offer the lowest per-check rate only after the firm commits to a bundle of 100 or 250 checks. A practice running 30 checks a year still pays for the bundle
- Bundled versus unbundled features. The headline per-check rate may exclude PEP screening, ongoing monitoring, or EDD workflows. Once these are added, total cost per client can double
- International coverage premium. UK-only checks are cheaper than checks that cover non-UK identity documents, foreign PEP databases, or cross-border sanctions screening. A firm with mostly UK clients pays for capability it never uses
- Per-user versus per-check pricing. Some platforms scale by user seat. Adding a junior accountant increases the AML cost even if check volume stays flat. Per-check pricing keeps cost tied to actual usage
A useful test before signing: ask the provider for the all-in annual cost for the firm’s expected check volume, including every module needed to meet MLR 2017 obligations. If they cannot quote it, the headline rate is not the real rate.
Pay-As-You-Go or Subscription: Which AML Check Pricing Suits Your Firm?
The break-even point sits lower than most practices expect. Pay-as-you-go means buying credits and drawing them down with no monthly commitment, which suits a firm running fewer than about 30 AML checks a year, a practice with seasonal onboarding, or anyone testing a provider before committing. The trade-off is a higher headline rate per AML check and, at some providers, credits that expire (TaxCalc's AML search credits expire twelve months after purchase).
A subscription means a monthly or annual platform fee with a lower rate per AML check, and usually the inclusions that pay-as-you-go leaves out: risk assessments, EDD workflows, ongoing monitoring and the audit trail. On FigsFlow’s own rate card, pay-as-you-go runs £4.50 a check with no platform fee, against £3.50 a check (falling to £3.00 from the 100th) plus £15 to £19 a month on the Compliance Programme. At 30 AML checks a year, the platform fee costs £180 to £228 and saves £30 on check fees, so the arithmetic alone can favour pay-as-you-go at low volume. Work out your own break-even point against the provider you are comparing.
Which is why the arithmetic is the wrong test. The reason to sit on a subscription even at modest volume is not the per-check saving; it is that the Firm-Wide Risk Assessment, the client risk assessments and the EDD workflow come with it, and buying those separately costs more than the subscription does. Three things to confirm in any quote: whether unused AML checks roll over, whether the fee is per user, per client or per firm, and how much annual billing saves against monthly.
What Is an AML Fee & What Does It Actually Cover?
An AML fee is the charge for running an AML check on a client. It travels under several names, AML search fee, AML verification fee, ID check fee, compliance fee, and the wording tells you nothing about what you are buying. What matters is which components of a compliant AML check sit inside the fee, and which are billed on top.
Three different things get called an AML fee, and they cost very different amounts. The first is the software cost per AML check: what a provider charges your firm to run one, which ranges from £3.50 at FigsFlow to £15 before discounts at Thirdfort for a full identity and screening check, among the providers compared above. The second is the fee a firm charges its own client, some practices absorb the AML check as an overhead, others recharge it at cost or with a handling margin. That is a commercial decision rather than a regulatory one, and it belongs in the engagement letter rather than appearing as a surprise on the first invoice. The third is HMRC’s supervision fees, payable whether you run one AML check or a thousand.
If an estate agent, conveyancer or letting agent has charged you an AML fee on a property transaction, that is the second category, and the amount is set by that firm rather than by any regulation. This guide is written for the practices running the AML checks.
Is There a Free AML Check in the UK?
No, not one that discharges your customer due diligence obligations. Free tools exist and they are useful as far as they go. Companies House gives you registered details, officers and PSC data at no cost. The UK sanctions list is published by OFSI and searchable free. Some providers let you try a few checks: Certivus offers two free checks, and FirmCheck's free plan includes one of each check type. At FigsFlow every module is free until 28 February 2027, but AML checks are charged from the first one.
What none of them produces is the thing a supervisor asks to see: a verified identity document checked against the issuing authority, screened against maintained PEP and sanctions data, monitored for change, and recorded with a timestamp and a risk decision you can still produce five years later. Free sources are inputs to an AML check. They are not the AML check.
There is a second reason free searching does not hold up. PEP and sanctions data has to be licensed and maintained, and designations change weekly. A free list is a snapshot, and a snapshot cannot support ongoing monitoring, if your process depends on someone remembering to re-search, it is not a process.
How to reduce your AML compliance costs
Six changes that cut the bill without cutting the standard.
Stop paying for international coverage you never use. If your client base is domestic, check whether the rate card prices UK and international checks differently, and buy the tier you actually need.
Consolidate the stack. A typical practice pays for an AML check tool, a proposal tool, an engagement letter tool and an e-signature tool. Four subscriptions, four renewal dates, and client data retyped between them. Where those sit in one platform, the saving is not only the licence fees — it is the rekeying, and the records that stop disagreeing with each other.
Re-tier on last year’s actual volume. Licences priced by client count are usually sized on a projection that never arrived. Count the AML checks you genuinely ran and renegotiate at renewal.
Check whether ongoing monitoring is billed per client per month. This is where an annual bill grows quietly: 100 monitored clients at £1 a month is £1,200 a year, often more than every initial AML check combined.
Apply EDD on a risk basis, not as standard. Enhanced due diligence is required for high-risk clients, not for all of them. Running it by default is not caution, it is spend.
Claim the small business refund. Firms with turnover below £5,000 can recover £500 once an application or annual declaration has been accepted, on submitting evidence of turnover. It is not automatic — you have to ask.
The Costs Around an AML Check
Software is not the only AML cost. Three others to budget for:
HMRC Supervision Fees
Accountancy firms not supervised by a professional body are supervised by HMRC. HMRC's fees changed from 1 December 2025:
- Application fee: £300, one-off and non-refundable, when you first register.
- Premises fee: £400 for each premises at registration, and an annual declaration fee of £400 for each premises after that.
- Approval process fee: £40 for each person tested in an accountancy service provider. The £500 fit and proper test fee applies to money service businesses and trust or company service providers.
- Small business reduction: if your turnover is under £5,000, HMRC refunds £500 once your application or annual declaration is accepted. You have to apply for it.
Firms supervised by a professional body such as ICAEW, ACCA or AAT pay that body's AML supervision fee instead.
Multiple Subscriptions & Add-On Costs
Finding the cheapest AML checks in the UK becomes harder when providers split costs across multiple charges:
- Platform fees on top of checks: Thirdfort's Essentials plan starts at £83 a month plus credits for each check, on a 12-month contract.
- Licences sized by client count: IRIS Elements charges £250 to £4,578 a year depending on the number of clients, with UK ID checks billed separately at £4.00.
- Monthly minimums: Amiqus's client onboarding plan starts at £15 per client, with a £500 a month minimum.
- Add-ons priced separately: Certivus charges £1.49 per client a year for ongoing monitoring on pay as you go and £7.99 for an EDD check. FirmCheck charges £4 for a biometric check on top of its 50p per client subscription.
Add the platform fee, the checks, the monitoring and any risk-assessment tool together before comparing providers.
What a Single Check Costs
Published prices for a full anti-money laundering identity and screening check range from £3.50 at FigsFlow and £4.00 at IRIS Elements to £5.99 at Certivus and £15 before discounts at Thirdfort. FirmCheck includes electronic checks in its 50p per client subscription and charges £4 for a biometric check.
Multiplied across a client list, those differences become hundreds or thousands of pounds a year, as the comparison above shows.
That is why the all-in annual cost, not the headline rate, is the number to compare.
Why FigsFlow Costs Less for the Full Workflow
FigsFlow prices AML as one module inside a practice platform, so its price is built differently from a standalone AML tool.
- One price per check. Identity and address verification, PEP and sanctions screening, the Amberhill check and 24 months of ongoing screening are in the £3.50. There is no separate charge for screening or for monitoring during those 24 months.
- A flat fee per firm, not per client. The Compliance Programme is £15 a month per firm, billed annually, whatever the size of the client list. Per-client subscriptions and client-band licences rise as the practice grows.
- Risk assessments included. Client and firm-wide risk assessments and the EDD workflow come with the programme, not in a separate tool.
- Companies House identity verification. The Companies House ID verification workflow is part of the check.
The credentials behind the platform:
- Proposal Software of the Year 2026, SME 500 UK Awards
- AML/KYC Solution of the Year 2026, SME 500 UK Awards
What's Included in FigsFlow's AML Pricing
Identity and address verification
Electronic verification of the client's identity and address, in every £3.50 check.
PEP and sanctions screening
Every check screens the client against politically exposed persons and sanctions lists, and includes the Amberhill check.
24 months of ongoing screening
Each checked person is screened for 24 months at no extra cost. Screening after that is £1 a person a year, only if you ask for it.
Compliance Programme, £15 a month per firm
Client and firm-wide risk assessments, the enhanced due diligence workflow, policies, controls and MLRO roles, monitoring alerts and a training log. Billed annually; £19 a month on monthly billing.
Inspection-ready record
Every check is kept on the client record, together with the Companies House ID verification workflow.
Pay as You Go or the Compliance Programme?
| Checks a year | Pay as you go: £4.50 a check, no programme | Compliance Programme: £180 a year + £3.50 a check |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | £45 | £215 |
| 30 | £135 | £285 |
| 100 | £450 | £529.50 |
| 200 | £900 | £829.50 |
On checks alone, pay as you go costs less below 153 checks a year. The programme is what adds client and firm-wide risk assessments and the EDD workflow.
Pay-as-you-go credits are sold in packs of 10 and never expire. Programme figures use £3.50 a check up to the 99th and £3.00 from the 100th. Until 28 February 2027 the programme is free, so a check costs £3.50 during the launch offer.
Beyond AML checks: what else FigsFlow does
FigsFlow is a complete client onboarding platform handling every stage of the client journey from initial proposal through ongoing compliance.
Proposals & Engagement Letters in 9 Clicks
Generate professional proposals and engagement letters with customisable templates, consistent pricing structures, and built-in e-signature workflows. Your signature automatically populates letters before they are sent to clients.
Automated Payment Collection
- GoCardless integration: Configure direct debit so clients can add bank details when signing engagement letters. Payments are deducted automatically from then on unless the client disengages.
- AdFin integration: Streamlined payment collection across all client services.
Disengagement Management
Generate disengagement letters automatically for services clients want to end. Edit before sending and maintain complete audit trails of service changes.
Company Data Import
Companies House and Irish CRO integration: Import organisation contact details and associated contacts directly into FigsFlow without manual data entry.
Team Collaboration & Integrations
Role-based access and permissions, HubSpot, Xero, QuickBooks, and Stripe integrations.
Every FigsFlow module is free until 28 February 2027, apart from AML checks. Start free, no card needed.
How to Choose AML Check Software: 6 Questions to Ask
Before committing to any AML provider, get a written answer to each of these:
- Is PEP and sanctions screening included in the per-check fee, or charged separately? If separately, what is the all-in cost?
- Is ongoing monitoring included, or is it priced as a monthly add-on per client? This is where annual cost balloons quietly.
- Is there a monthly minimum, a volume commitment, or a bundle that has to be purchased upfront? Pay-as-you-go protects low-volume practices.
- Are CDD and EDD workflows built into the platform, or do these have to be built manually? EDD under Regulation 33 is not optional for high-risk clients.
- Does the platform produce an audit-ready record for every check, retained for the required period and exportable on demand? Supervisors expect this.
- Does the AML module integrate with the proposal and engagement letter workflow, or does it sit in a separate platform? Integration removes manual data entry and prevents records falling out of sync.
A provider that cannot answer all six in writing is not the right provider.
That is the pricing settled. The rest of this guide is the compliance ground underneath it, what an AML check actually is, what a compliant check has to contain, who carries the obligation, and when it has to be done. If you are registering for the first time, or sense-checking a process you inherited, start here.
What is an AML check?
An AML (anti-money laundering) check is the process a regulated firm uses to verify a client’s identity and screen them for financial crime risk before providing services. For UK accountants, tax advisers, and bookkeepers, this forms the core of Customer Due Diligence under the Money Laundering Regulations 2017.
Every AML check answers the same question: can you lawfully act for this person, and what risk does taking them on create for the firm.
What does an AML check include?
A compliant AML check covers three components. Some providers bundle all three. Others charge separately for each.
Identity verification
The client’s identity document, typically a passport or driving licence, is validated against the issuing authority’s records. Biometric checks add a liveness step that matches a live selfie to the document photo to confirm the person presenting the ID is the genuine holder.
PEP and sanctions screening
The client is screened against politically exposed persons databases and UK and global sanctions lists. A match does not automatically disqualify the client, but it triggers Enhanced Due Diligence under Regulation 35 of the MLR 2017 and senior management sign-off before the engagement can proceed.
Ongoing monitoring
A check at onboarding is not enough on its own. Client circumstances change, new sanctions designations appear, and PEP status can shift. Ongoing monitoring runs automated rechecks and flags any change so the firm acts on it without rerunning checks manually. Several providers price this as a separate module.
Is an AML check mandatory for UK accountants?
Yes. Any firm providing accountancy, tax, audit, or bookkeeping services in the UK falls under the Money Laundering Regulations 2017 and must conduct Customer Due Diligence on every client before regulated work begins. This applies equally to sole practitioners and large firms. Size and turnover are not relevant. The obligation is the same.
Supervisory bodies (HMRC, ICAEW, ACCA, AAT, CIOT, IFA) expect documented AML procedures and evidence that checks have been carried out and reviewed.
What happens if you do not carry out AML checks?
The consequences fall into two categories: regulatory and reputational.
Supervisors can impose financial penalties for breaches of the MLR 2017, and HMRC can suspend or cancel a firm's registration, which stops it providing regulated services. A failed inspection or supervisory review stays on the firm's record.
The reputational hit is harder to measure but often costs more in the long run. If a client onboarded without proper diligence is later linked to financial crime, the firm’s name attaches to the case.
Who is responsible for AML checks in a practice?
In a sole trader practice, the principal is personally responsible. In any firm with staff, responsibility sits with the nominated officer, commonly the Money Laundering Reporting Officer (MLRO). The MLRO oversees compliance across the practice, reviews flagged cases, and reports suspicious activity to the National Crime Agency where required.
Software handles execution. The named officer holds oversight, sign-off, and escalation decisions.
When should an AML check be carried out?
Before any regulated work begins. Not after the first meeting. Not once the engagement letter is signed. Before.
Re-verification is required when:
- The scope or nature of services changes materially
- There is a change in beneficial ownership or control
- A transaction appears unusual given what the firm knows about the client
- The client has not been reviewed for a defined period under the firm’s own policy (typically annually)
Additional Resources
The six AML tools accountants shortlist most often, and what separates them: Best 6 AML Software Every Accountant Needs
The five features that matter most when comparing AML software: 5 Must-Have AML Software Features for Accountants
A wider round-up of AML software for UK firms, by budget: Best AML Software: Leading AML Solutions for UK Firms
Why accountancy practices pick FigsFlow for AML compliance: Best Anti-Money Laundering Software for Accountants
HMRC’s current supervision fees, in force from 1 December 2025: Fees you’ll pay for money laundering supervision
Sources
Every price and rule in this article comes from these pages, checked on 14 October 2026.
- FigsFlow UK pricing
- FirmCheck pricing
- IRIS Elements AML pricing and IRIS help centre: AML checks
- Certivus pricing
- Thirdfort pricing for accountants and Thirdfort ID verification for ACSPs
- Amiqus pricing
- GOV.UK: fees for money laundering supervision
- The Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing and Transfer of Funds (Information on the Payer) Regulations 2017
Conclusion
The headline per-check rate is not the cost of AML compliance. The cost is the platform fee, the checks, the monitoring and the risk-assessment tools added together for your client list.
On that basis, among providers that publish their prices, FigsFlow is the lowest-cost full AML workflow at 30, 100 and 250 clients: £285.00, £529.50 and £979.50 plus VAT in the first year.
Every FigsFlow module is free until 28 February 2027, with no card needed. Only AML checks are charged.