Didit vs FaceTec: a hosted KYC API against liveness you run yourself
Didit vs FaceTec compared from public pages: a hosted API with its own liveness and public prices, against FaceTec software you run on your servers, with its hardware, 90-day updates and monthly minimum.
In short
Didit gives you liveness, document checks and face match as a hosted API with its own liveness built in: public per-check prices, no server to deploy and no quote to request.[12][13][15] FaceTec sells liveness and face matching software that you run on your own servers, billed monthly for 3D Liveness usage with a minimum monthly commitment.[1]
- With FaceTec, you provide the production servers and the database,[2] move to every new SDK and server version within 90 days of its release,[4] and rotate FaceTec's encryption keys about every 90 days.[11]
- Didit's liveness costs $0.10 (passive) or $0.15 (active) per check in a workflow, and a full ID check with document, liveness and face match is $0.33.[12]
- FaceTec holds the higher liveness certification level, and its software keeps biometric data on your own infrastructure. If you only need liveness and want it on-premise, that matters.[7][8]
Comparing Didit vs FaceTec is not comparing two versions of the same product. FaceTec builds liveness detection, 3D face matching and ID scanning as software development kits plus a server you deploy. Didit runs the whole verification for you: document, liveness, face match, AML screening, business checks and transaction monitoring, behind one API. This post sets out what each model costs you in money, in engineering time and in operations, using FaceTec's own public pages.
We build Didit, and FaceTec is a competitor, so read this as one side. Every FaceTec fact below comes from facetec.com and dev.facetec.com as we read them on 23 October 2026, and each one is cited. FaceTec does not publish prices, so we quote none. Where FaceTec is stronger, we say so.
Didit vs FaceTec at a glance
| Topic | Didit | FaceTec |
|---|---|---|
| What you get | Hosted API: identity checks, AML, KYB, transaction monitoring[12] | Device SDKs plus FaceTec Server for liveness, 3D face matching, ID scan, NFC and age checks[7] |
| Who runs the servers | Didit[15] | You: FaceTec software must run on your servers[1] |
| Pricing | Public per-check prices, pay as you go; Free plan available[12] | No public price; quote on request; billed monthly for 3D Liveness usage, invoiced per check or per user, with a minimum monthly commitment[1] |
| Liveness price | $0.10 passive, $0.15 active in a workflow; $0.05 passive by standalone API[12] | Not published[1] |
| Liveness lab test | iBeta Level 1 PAD (ISO/IEC 30107-3)[14] | iBeta Level 1 and Level 2; plus a Praetorian letter on what FaceTec calls Level 4 spoof detection[8] |
| Updates | Didit runs model and server updates on the hosted service[15] | You must move to each new SDK and server version within 90 days[4] |
| AML, KYB, monitoring | $0.20 AML check, KYB from $2.00, $0.02 per transaction[12][17][18] | Sanctions screening, KYB and transaction monitoring not listed on the FaceTec pages we read[1][7][10] |
| Where biometric data lives | EU by default, retention you set[15] | On your servers; no end-user biometric data or PII is sent to FaceTec, though usage logs are[7][11] |
FaceTec column: facetec.com and dev.facetec.com, read on 23 October 2026. Didit column: docs.didit.me.
Which one fits your team
FaceTec may fit better
If you need
- Liveness certified at iBeta Level 2
- Biometric data kept only on your servers
- Servers and an update calendar you own and staff
- Liveness and ID scan, with AML, KYB and monitoring handled elsewhere
facetec.com, 23 October 2026
Didit may fit better
If you need
- Liveness with no servers to run
- Public per-check prices
- KYC, AML, KYB and monitoring on one API
- SOC 2 Type 2 and ISO/IEC 27001:2022, audited
docs.didit.me
If you already run FaceTec, you can send a share of new users through Didit and compare pass rates and total cost before you change anything else.
Two models: run it yourself, or call an API
FaceTec's pricing page is direct about the model. Organizations of all sizes can use FaceTec, "but they must run the FaceTec software on their servers and will be billed monthly for 3D Liveness usage (minimum monthly commitment required)".[1] The same page says organizations that cannot afford the monthly minimums can go through FaceTec distribution partners instead.[1] Moving to production requires a quote and a signed agreement with FaceTec's commercial team,[6] and FaceTec issues production keys only after you have deployed the server and it has verified your usage logs arriving daily.[11]
Didit works the other way round. You create a verification session through the API, send the user to the hosted flow or open a mobile SDK, and receive the result by webhook. The liveness model, the servers, the database and the updates are Didit's job.[13][15]
FaceTec
You operate the liveness stack
- Integrate the device SDKs in your app
- Deploy FaceTec Server on your infrastructure
- Run the database, scaling and updates
- Build or buy every other KYC check
dev.facetec.com
Didit
You call a hosted API
- Create a session and open the flow
- Didit runs liveness, document and face match
- Results arrive by webhook and in the console
- Add AML, KYB or monitoring as checks
docs.didit.me
What running FaceTec takes, by FaceTec's own documentation
FaceTec's developer site lists the services your backend needs. A database and a production server are required; a production load balancer and a separate development server are recommended.[2] The recommended server hardware is 8 or 16 CPUs of the Intel Xeon Platinum 8000 or AMD EPYC 9000 series, with 2.5 GB of memory per CPU, on a modern Linux distribution. Windows and Mac are supported through Docker for early development only, not for production.[3]
| FaceTec requirement | What FaceTec's docs say |
|---|---|
| Database | Required; MongoDB, S3 and PostgreSQL ship starter code, DocumentDB is supported out of the box, others need code changes[2][3] |
| Production server | Required; sized to your features, users and traffic peaks[2] |
| Baseline cluster | 4 servers, about 2 liveness checks per second per server; clusters are highly recommended, not mandatory[3] |
| Compute cost | FaceTec's own estimate for that cluster: $4,000 to $5,200 a year, before the FaceTec licence[3] |
| Update window | Every SDK and server version within 90 days of release; server first, then device SDKs[4] |
| Encryption keys | Expire about every 90 days and must be rotated[11] |
| Downloads | No automated downloads: a developer logs in to the FaceTec site to get new SDKs and keys[11] |
| Usage logs | A Usage Log Server sends usage to FaceTec; without valid production keys, the servers stop after a short grace period[5][6] |
What the licence does not include
None of the rows above is the FaceTec licence. They are the servers, the database, the load balancer, and the engineering time to keep every SDK and server inside a 90-day window and the production keys valid, since the servers stop after a short grace period without them.[5] FaceTec also says it releases significant security upgrades every 2 to 4 weeks, so the update work is continuous.[4]
Prices as of 23 October 2026
Didit prices in this post are the list prices on docs.didit.me on 23 October 2026. Didit moves to new plans on 1 November 2026, and the full ID check and watchlist screening are still $0.33 and $0.20 at list price on the new plans.[25]
On Didit, none of this is your work. The equivalent of the table above is a price list. The full ID check, with all four checks together, is $0.33.[12] Used on their own in a workflow, passive liveness is $0.10 per check and active liveness $0.15, face match is $0.05,[22] and a server-to-server passive liveness check through the standalone API[21] is $0.05.[12]
Liveness: where FaceTec is stronger, and what Didit brings
FaceTec has focused on liveness for years, and it holds the higher certification level. Its developer site links iBeta letters for ISO/IEC 30107-3 Level 1 and Level 2, a Praetorian letter for what FaceTec calls Level 4 spoof detection, and ISO 27001 certification, with the certificate on request.[8] It runs a $600,000 Spoof Bounty program,[9] and it states a false acceptance rate of 1 in 125,000,000 at under 1% false rejection for 3D face matching.[7]
Where FaceTec is ahead
If your requirement is iBeta Level 2 liveness, a public bounty against spoofs, or biometric data that never leaves your own servers, FaceTec has all three today. Didit holds iBeta Level 1 and processes data in the EU by default, with in-country processing for enterprise customers subject to availability.[14][15]
Didit runs its own liveness models with three methods, set in the workflow: passive, from a single capture; 3D Flash, which reads how projected light falls on a real face; and 3D Action and Flash, which adds a random action such as a blink or a nod.[13] In iBeta's Level 1 test, 360 presentation attacks across six categories got zero through.[14] Didit's certifications page also states that after a supervised test from November 2024 to July 2025, Spain's Tesoro Público, Banco de España, SEPBLAC and CNMV concluded that Didit's NFC and liveness verification is at least as safe as an in-person ID check under anti-money laundering rules.[14] That is a regulator's view of the whole remote onboarding, not only a lab score.
Liveness is one step of KYC, not all of it
A regulated onboarding needs more than proof that a live face is present. It needs the document checked, the face matched to it, the person screened against sanctions and PEP (politically exposed person) lists, and often a business and its owners verified. FaceTec covers the biometric part well, and states that its customers get Photo ID scans, OCR and barcode or NFC reading included.[1][7] The FaceTec pages we read do not list sanctions screening, business verification or transaction monitoring.[1][7][10] Those you build or buy from someone else, and then join together.
1Capture the document and the selfie
FaceTec SDK on your servers, or Didit's hosted flow.
2Liveness and face match
Both vendors cover this step.
Do you also need AML, KYB or transaction monitoring
Didit: same API, priced per check
AML at $0.20, KYB from $2.00, monitoring at $0.02 per transaction.[12][17][18]
FaceTec: add more vendors
Screening, registries and monitoring come from other providers, joined by your code.
Where the two scopes split after the biometric step.
On Didit, those steps share one session. A full ID check covers the document, passive liveness, face match and device and IP analysis for $0.33. AML screening against 1,300+ watchlists is $0.20, registry checks for companies start at $2.00 for the Lite tier, and transaction monitoring scores every fiat or crypto transaction against real-time rules for $0.02, with crypto wallet screening priced separately.[12][16][17][18] Didit lists 14,000+ documents across 220+ countries and territories.[19]
Integration and time to production
| Integration | Didit | FaceTec |
|---|---|---|
| Mobile and web | iOS, Android, React Native, Flutter and a web SDK, or the hosted flow[20][24] | iOS 12+, Android 5+ and webcams; SDKs of about 4 MB[7] |
| Server side | Nothing to deploy; call the API | FaceTec Server, Usage Log Server and a database on your infrastructure[2][5] |
| Path to production | Self-serve sandbox, then live keys | Integrate, request a quote, sign an agreement, deploy the server, pass FaceTec's production review[6] |
| Review of edge cases | Sessions marked In Review land in your Business Console[23] | A separate Dashboard SDK with its own MongoDB, DocumentDB or PostgreSQL database[3] |
FaceTec's free developer account and demo apps make testing easy.[7] The gap opens at production: FaceTec asks you to deploy to a pre-production environment, test every critical scenario and request a final review from your FaceTec contact before going live.[6] With Didit, you start in the self-serve sandbox and go live from the same console.
Moving from FaceTec to Didit
- List what your FaceTec deployment does today: liveness, 3D matching, ID scan, duplicate-face search.
- Note the commitment term and notice period in your FaceTec agreement.
- Rebuild the flow in Didit's workflow builder and pick a liveness method.
- Decide what happens to the 3D FaceMaps stored in your database.
- Route a share of new users to Didit and compare pass rates and total cost.
- Retire the servers, keys and update calendar once traffic has moved and your agreement allows.
How Didit helps teams replacing FaceTec
Didit gives you liveness, document checks, face match, AML screening, business verification and transaction monitoring as one hosted service, with a public price on each check. See the liveness detection page for the methods, or the pricing page to price your workflow.
Didit provides
- Passive and active liveness, face match and document checks
- The servers, scaling, model updates and keys
- Sanctions, PEP and adverse media screening
- Registry checks and transaction monitoring
Stays with you
- Your risk assessment and policies
- The decision to onboard a customer
- The liveness thresholds you approve
- Reports to your financial intelligence unit
Test Didit liveness without deploying a server
Run your own selfies through Didit's liveness methods in the sandbox, with no server to deploy and no quote to request.
Key takeaways
- FaceTec is software you run: production servers, a database, a 90-day update window and key rotation, plus a minimum monthly commitment unless you buy through a FaceTec partner.
- FaceTec publishes no prices; Didit's liveness is $0.10 passive or $0.15 active per check, and a full ID check is $0.33.
- FaceTec holds iBeta Level 2 and keeps biometric data on your servers; Didit holds iBeta Level 1 and a Spanish regulator attestation.
- FaceTec's product pages do not list AML, KYB or transaction monitoring; Didit prices all three on the same API.
Frequently asked questions
What is the main difference between Didit and FaceTec?
The operating model. FaceTec licenses liveness software that must run on your own servers, and Didit is a hosted API that runs liveness and the rest of the verification for you, at public per-check prices.[1][12]
How much does FaceTec cost?
FaceTec does not publish prices. Its pricing page says it bills monthly per 3D Liveness check or per user, with a minimum monthly commitment, and asks you to request a quote. Your own server costs come on top.[1][3]
How much does Didit liveness cost?
In a workflow, passive liveness is $0.10 and active liveness $0.15 per check. The standalone passive liveness API is $0.05, and a full ID check with document, liveness, face match and device and IP analysis is $0.33.[12]
Do I need my own servers to use FaceTec?
Yes. FaceTec's pricing page says customers must run the FaceTec software on their servers, and its docs list a database and a production server as required services.[1][2]
How often do FaceTec deployments need updating?
FaceTec's update policy requires you to move every SDK and server to each new version within 90 days of its release, and its encryption keys expire about every 90 days.[4][11]
Which has the stronger liveness certification?
FaceTec. It links iBeta Level 1 and Level 2 letters and a Praetorian letter. Didit holds iBeta Level 1, with zero successful attacks out of 360, and a Spanish regulator attestation for its NFC and liveness verification.[8][14]
Does FaceTec do AML screening or KYB?
The FaceTec pages we read list liveness, 3D face matching, ID scan, NFC and age checks, not sanctions screening, business verification or transaction monitoring. Didit offers all three on the same API.[10][12]
Is Didit a good FaceTec alternative?
For teams that want liveness without running servers and want the rest of KYC on the same API, yes. If you need iBeta Level 2 or must keep biometric data only on your own infrastructure, FaceTec fits that requirement better.[8][7]
Where does Didit store biometric data?
Didit processes and stores data in the EU by default, with retention you set from 1 month to 10 years. Enterprise customers can request in-country processing, subject to availability.[15]
Can I run Didit next to my FaceTec deployment while I switch?
Yes. They are separate integrations, so you can send a share of new users through Didit, compare pass rates and total cost, and retire the FaceTec servers when your agreement allows.
Sources
- Pricing, FaceTec, read 23 October 2026.
- FaceTec Integration: Required Services, FaceTec developer site, read 23 October 2026.
- FaceTec General Technical Info, FaceTec developer site, read 23 October 2026.
- FaceTec's Update Policy and Info, FaceTec developer site, read 23 October 2026.
- Development and Production Keys, FaceTec developer site, read 23 October 2026.
- Moving To Production, FaceTec developer site, read 23 October 2026.
- Developers, FaceTec, read 23 October 2026.
- Studies, Reports, Tests and Certifications, FaceTec developer site, read 23 October 2026.
- Spoof Bounty Program, FaceTec developer site, read 23 October 2026.
- 3D Liveness, KYC and 3D Face Verification Software, FaceTec home page, read 23 October 2026.
- FAQ, FaceTec developer site, read 23 October 2026.
- Pricing, Didit docs, read 23 October 2026.
- Liveness detection, Didit docs.
- Certifications and attestations, Didit docs.
- Security and compliance, Didit docs.
- AML screening overview, Didit docs.
- KYB registry pricing, Didit docs.
- Transaction monitoring overview, Didit docs.
- User documents and supported document types, Didit docs.
- Native SDKs overview, Didit docs.
- Passive liveness API, Didit docs.
- Face match, Didit docs.
- Manual review, Didit docs.
- Web SDKs overview, Didit docs.
- New pricing from 1 November 2026, Didit blog, read 23 October 2026.
To see the liveness methods and try them on your own selfies, start from the liveness detection page.
Replace a server rollout with an API call
Start in the sandbox with your own users' selfies and documents, or talk to us about your volumes.
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