OFACScreen

OFACScreen is a sanctions-screening service for US businesses, offered through a web app and REST API. It is strongest for teams that need recurring checks across several major sanctions lists and can work within plan-based search and monitoring caps. The no-account search is useful for occasional checks, but it keeps no history or audit trail.

Overview

OFACScreen checks individuals and entities against eight lists: OFAC SDN and Non-SDN, BIS, UN, EU, UK OFSI, Canada SEMA, and Swiss SECO. They refresh automatically each day. Fuzzy matching is designed to catch transliterations, aliases, alternate spellings, and other name variations, making it more suitable for inconsistent names than a strict exact-match check.

Screening is available through individual searches, CSV uploads, or the REST API. Saved names are re-screened daily against all eight lists, with email alerts when a match appears. That ongoing review is useful when risk can change after onboarding, but the monitored-name allowance may constrain teams with larger portfolios.

Paid plans record account searches with timestamps and let users export the audit trail as CSV. The privacy policy says audit logs are retained for seven years and uploaded CSV files are deleted within 30 days. It also says data is stored on US servers, with encryption in transit and at rest, access controls, secure password hashing, and regular security audits. Stripe handles payment processing; OFACScreen says it does not store full card numbers.

Key features

Batch screening and API

CSV uploads support batch checks, with row limits that matter when screening large files: 25 rows on the 14-day trial, 100 on Starter, and 10,000 on Professional and Business. The API is available on every plan, including the trial, and its batch endpoint accepts up to 100 names per request. That makes it practical to evaluate or integrate the API without first buying a paid tier, though API batches do not remove the monthly search quotas.

Daily monitoring and records

Daily re-screening and email alerts help teams keep existing names under review instead of relying on a one-time onboarding check. Paid-plan search records and CSV export provide a more usable audit trail than the no-account search, which has no saved history. Starter’s 10 monitored names suit a small book of ongoing checks; teams needing more will have to consider Professional’s 50, Business’s 500, or Enterprise’s unlimited allowance.

Pricing

The free search costs nothing and allows 25 searches per day per IP, with all eight lists and no account requirement. It is appropriate for occasional lookups, but the lack of saved history or an audit trail makes it a poor fit for a team that needs documented screening.

The 14-day trial costs nothing, billed for 14 days, and includes 25 searches, 3 users, 5 monitored names, CSV uploads up to 25 rows per file, and the REST API. It gives a small team a way to assess account-based workflows, but its quotas are too low to judge higher-volume operations on their own.

A one-time screening report costs $9.99, paid once. It provides one screening, a timestamped PDF, and a permanent link without requiring an account. This is a better fit for a single documented check than for repeat screening; it does not substitute for a monitored workflow.

Starter costs $49 a month billed annually. It includes 1,000 searches per month, 3 users, 10 monitored names, CSV files up to 100 rows, the REST API, and email support. It is the entry point for a small team that needs recurring use, but annual billing and the modest monitoring and file caps are meaningful constraints.

Professional costs $149 a month billed annually, with 2,000 searches per month, 10 users, 50 monitored names, CSV files up to 10,000 rows, and priority support. The larger upload allowance is a substantial step up from Starter, though the search quota only doubles. Business costs $349 a month billed annually and raises the allowances to 10,000 searches, 25 users, 500 monitored names, and 10,000-row CSV files; it also adds per-user activity and priority support. That tier better suits a larger operation needing more volume and accountability across users.

Enterprise has custom pricing for volume. It includes unlimited searches and monitored names, up to 999 users, custom integrations, an uptime SLA, and a dedicated account manager. It is the logical option when fixed quotas or integration requirements rule out the published tiers. Starter, Professional, and Business include annual billing; buyers should weigh that commitment against their expected monthly usage.

Platforms

OFACScreen supports web access and an API. The API’s availability across plans is helpful for teams that want to automate screening, while the 100-name request limit remains in place on every tier.

Who it's for

The maker describes the service for regulated US industries including banking, fintech and payments, insurance, auto sales, lending, real estate, gaming, and cryptocurrency. Its combination of multi-list screening and daily monitoring fits organizations that need to check both new and existing relationships. It is less compelling for teams that need very high screening volume but cannot commit to annual billing, or that need CSV batches larger than Starter permits without moving to a higher tier.

Pros and cons

Broad fixed coverage: eight US and international sanctions lists refresh daily, with fuzzy matching for common name variations.

Ongoing checks: saved names are re-screened each day and can trigger email alerts, rather than leaving teams with only an initial result.

API access on every plan: teams can evaluate programmatic screening during the trial, though monthly search and batch limits still apply.

Useful tier separation: Business adds per-user activity, while Enterprise offers unlimited volume, custom integrations, an uptime SLA, and a dedicated account manager.

Annual commitment at paid tiers: even Starter’s $49 a month price is billed annually, and lower tiers cap searches, seats, monitored names, or upload size.

Free search is not an audit workflow: it has no saved history or audit trail, despite its 25-search-per-day-per-IP allowance.

Alternatives

ScreeningHub is worth comparing if self-hosting is important or a small monthly free allowance is enough: it supports API, self-hosted, and web deployments, with a free tier of 100 screens per month and a €79 a month Starter plan.

SanctionsScreening.io may suit buyers looking for a lower-priced paid entry point: it offers web and API access, a free plan, and a Pro plan at $29 a month. OFACScreen instead emphasizes daily monitoring across its eight lists.

OpenSanctions is an option for teams considering self-hosted or API-based screening, with a freemium model and Screening API pricing of €0.10, paid once per query. FinCrimeRadar is a free web-based alternative for readers who want to compare a no-cost option.

Lexis+ is a paid alternative with web, Android, and iOS access and organization-specific pricing. yente is a free alternative with API, Linux, self-hosted, and web availability.

AML Watcher is another paid option, with API, self-hosted, and web platforms and custom-priced Enterprise service. Eastnets SafeWatch AML is a paid, web-based alternative to consider alongside it.

For more options, see Sanctions Screening Software.

Verdict

OFACScreen is a good fit for US businesses that need daily checks against a defined set of eight sanctions lists, a choice of manual, batch, or API screening, and ongoing alerts for saved names. Its strongest reason to choose it is the breadth of list coverage paired with recurring monitoring and accessible API integration. Look elsewhere if annual billing, small lower-tier quotas, or the lack of history in the free search conflicts with your compliance workflow.