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For occasional checks, start with OFAC’s free Sanctions List Search; for recurring screening, batch work, saved-name rescreening, or integration, compare a paid service against your actual workflow. OFACScreen publishes prices and usage limits, while Visual OFAC offers modular services with quote-based pricing. Neither a search result nor a software subscription makes a business compliant: an alert is only a potential match, and sanctions obligations depend on the people, transaction, jurisdiction, and applicable rules.
Can I check a customer against the OFAC list for free?
Yes. The U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) provides a free Sanctions List Search. It uses fuzzy logic to search the Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list and the Non-SDN Consolidated list. OFAC’s Sanctions List Service also provides downloadable list data, customized datasets, and archives.
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The public search is designed for individual lookups, not software configured to search continually. OFAC directs users building automated workflows to its machine-readable data files, which include XML, CSV, PIP, DEL, and flat-file formats. A free manual search can help with an occasional check, but it does not rescreen your customer records when lists change.
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There is no universal best choice. A business screening a few counterparties manually may find the government search sufficient for its workflow. A business that needs saved names checked again, batch processing, an API, or more structured records should compare paid services. The key is whether the tool fits the business’s screening points, relevant lists, volume, review process, and budget—not how many features or lists it advertises.
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| Option | What it offers | Useful for | Important limitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| OFAC Sanctions List Search and Sanctions List Service | Free fuzzy-logic search of SDN and Non-SDN Consolidated lists; downloadable data and customized datasets. | Occasional manual checks and access to official list data. | The public search is not intended for continual automated screening. |
| OFACScreen | The vendor advertises eight U.S. and international lists, fuzzy matching, daily list refresh, saved-name rescreening, alerts, CSV batch screening, audit history, and a REST API. | Self-serve screening that needs monitoring, batch checks, records, or API access. | Confirm list coverage, service levels, limits, false-positive workflow, and fit for your use before relying on vendor claims. |
| Visual OFAC | The vendor describes recurring customer and contact screening, transaction monitoring, integrations, screening records, and modular services. | Businesses seeking integrations, support, or a tailored deployment. | The vendor’s public FAQ directs prospects to request a quote; it does not state a small-business entry price. |
How much do the paid options cost?
OFACScreen’s pricing page lists plans billed annually. The prices and allowances below are vendor-published terms observed on the reviewed page; they can change, so verify them directly before purchase.
| OFACScreen plan | Published price | Published limits and features |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | $49/month, billed annually | Up to 1,000 searches monthly, daily rescreening of up to 10 saved names, CSV batches up to 100 rows, API access, and up to three users. |
| Professional | $149/month, billed annually | Up to 2,000 searches monthly, daily rescreening of up to 50 saved names, CSV batches up to 10,000 rows, and up to ten users. |
The same page describes free search and trial options. Check the current terms, including any limits that apply to those options, at OFACScreen’s pricing page. Visual OFAC describes its services as modular and asks prospects to request a quote; there is no supported public price to compare with the listed OFACScreen plans.
What should you compare before choosing?
Write down who needs screening, when checks occur, how often existing records should be revisited, and whether your work is mostly individual searches or batches. Then assess the following against that workflow.
- Coverage: Identify the OFAC lists and any non-OFAC lists or jurisdictions relevant to your transactions. More lists are not automatically better; OFAC lists have different purposes and prohibitions, and other government lists can impose different requirements.
- Freshness and rescreening: Ask how quickly list changes are incorporated, whether saved names are rescreened, how often, and how the service reports delays or outages. Confirm important timing commitments with the vendor.
- Matching and alert review: Check how the service handles aliases, alternate spellings, transliterations, and identifiers, and whether staff can see why an alert appeared and record how it was resolved.
- Workflow and records: Match features such as CSV batches, APIs, user access, saved records, audit exports, case management, and integrations to the way your staff onboard customers or process payments.
- Total cost and capacity: Compare expected screening volume with search allowances, batch limits, saved-name limits, users, overage charges, setup, support, and implementation costs—not just the headline monthly price.
How should staff handle a potential match?
A hit is an alert to investigate, not a final legal determination. OFAC’s FAQ says, “Many potential matches identified through screening are false positives.” Staff should compare the full list entry with information available about the person or entity, rather than relying on a name alone.
- Review the complete listing. Compare the name and aliases along with available details such as nationality, identification numbers, addresses, and other relevant identifiers.
- Record the reasoning. Document the details reviewed, why the alert was cleared or escalated, and who made that decision. A screening tool’s audit history is useful only if it captures the information your process needs.
- Escalate unresolved close matches. If meaningful details corroborate a listing or the available information is inconclusive, pause the routine disposition and use an appropriate compliance or legal review process.
Do not treat no alert as proof that a transaction is permitted, or fuzzy matching as a way to eliminate false positives. Screening software supports review; it does not replace it.
Why a name search is not the whole sanctions check
OFAC’s lists and sanctions programs are not interchangeable. The applicable prohibition can depend on a program or transaction context, and issues such as a person blocked by operation of law under OFAC’s 50 Percent Rule may not be resolved by searching a name. Authorizations, exemptions, ownership, jurisdiction, and the details of a transaction can also matter.
OFAC also distinguishes its sanctions lists from lists maintained by the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), which serve different purposes and have different legal requirements. A service’s coverage should therefore be judged against the business’s actual obligations, not treated as a universal check for every trade or sanctions rule.
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Quick Recap
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