Comparison

How SigID is different.

Trust layer instead of isolated KYC tools. We compare against the status quo: classic KYC, DIY scripts and manual verification — direct, no marketing varnish.

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GDPR · eIDAS · NIS2-ready · EU data residency

SigID vs. KYC vs. DIY vs. manual

Criterion	SigID	Classic KYC	DIY (in-house)	Manual verification
Trust-layer pattern	Yes, end-to-end: person, company, IBAN, document, authorization.	Person identification only, no transaction layer.	Hand-rolled, not standardized.	Gut feel, phone calls, Excel.
Audit trail with hash chain	Audit event per transaction, re-verifiable.	Identification log, no transaction trail.	Logs in own system, often without hash chain.	Email archive, Excel — no non-repudiation.
EU data residency	Default: Hetzner Germany, dedicated tenant for enterprise.	Mostly US/EU SaaS cloud.	Possible, but maintenance on your team.	Data scattered across email, drive, ERP.
IBAN protection before payment	Trust level documented, deviations flagged.	No IBAN pre-check built in.	ERP plugin, maintenance on your team.	Master data match, phone verification.
Trust App signature (dynamic linking)	Device-bound, signed per transaction.	SMS OTP or app OTP — no dynamic linking.	Custom solution, often only password + 2FA.	Email confirmation, phone callback.
Authorizations / handover	Time-bound, audited, auto-revoked.	Not provided.	Custom build, often without expiry logic.	Paper authorization, Excel list.
Webhooks + REST API	Stripe-style: idempotency, signed, retries.	API available, but no transaction model.	Hand-rolled, not standardized.	No API.
GDPR data minimization	Fingerprints + metadata instead of mandatory storage.	Full personal records kept long term.	Depends on the build.	PDFs in email inbox, often for years.
NIS2 readiness	Risk management, incident response, reporting paths integrated.	Not included.	Custom docs, custom maintenance.	None.
Time per check (median)	< 30 seconds.	1–5 minutes (person), no transaction.	Variable, often 2–10 minutes.	8–12 minutes.
Pricing model	Free + pay-as-you-grow: first 50 checks/month free, then pay-per-check. No packages, no seat fees, no minimum contract.	Tier packages per seat or volume license. Setup fees common.	Own license and maintenance costs — hard to predict.	Personnel hours — typically 8–12 minutes per transaction.

Trust-layer pattern
SigID
Yes, end-to-end: person, company, IBAN, document, authorization.
Classic KYC
Person identification only, no transaction layer.
DIY (in-house)
Hand-rolled, not standardized.
Manual verification
Gut feel, phone calls, Excel.
Audit trail with hash chain
SigID
Audit event per transaction, re-verifiable.
Classic KYC
Identification log, no transaction trail.
DIY (in-house)
Logs in own system, often without hash chain.
Manual verification
Email archive, Excel — no non-repudiation.
EU data residency
SigID
Default: Hetzner Germany, dedicated tenant for enterprise.
Classic KYC
Mostly US/EU SaaS cloud.
DIY (in-house)
Possible, but maintenance on your team.
Manual verification
Data scattered across email, drive, ERP.
IBAN protection before payment
SigID
Trust level documented, deviations flagged.
Classic KYC
No IBAN pre-check built in.
DIY (in-house)
ERP plugin, maintenance on your team.
Manual verification
Master data match, phone verification.
Trust App signature (dynamic linking)
SigID
Device-bound, signed per transaction.
Classic KYC
SMS OTP or app OTP — no dynamic linking.
DIY (in-house)
Custom solution, often only password + 2FA.
Manual verification
Email confirmation, phone callback.
Authorizations / handover
SigID
Time-bound, audited, auto-revoked.
Classic KYC
Not provided.
DIY (in-house)
Custom build, often without expiry logic.
Manual verification
Paper authorization, Excel list.
Webhooks + REST API
SigID
Stripe-style: idempotency, signed, retries.
Classic KYC
API available, but no transaction model.
DIY (in-house)
Hand-rolled, not standardized.
Manual verification
No API.
GDPR data minimization
SigID
Fingerprints + metadata instead of mandatory storage.
Classic KYC
Full personal records kept long term.
DIY (in-house)
Depends on the build.
Manual verification
PDFs in email inbox, often for years.
NIS2 readiness
SigID
Risk management, incident response, reporting paths integrated.
Classic KYC
Not included.
DIY (in-house)
Custom docs, custom maintenance.
Manual verification
None.
Time per check (median)
SigID
< 30 seconds.
Classic KYC
1–5 minutes (person), no transaction.
DIY (in-house)
Variable, often 2–10 minutes.
Manual verification
8–12 minutes.
Pricing model
SigID
Free + pay-as-you-grow: first 50 checks/month free, then pay-per-check. No packages, no seat fees, no minimum contract.
Classic KYC
Tier packages per seat or volume license. Setup fees common.
DIY (in-house)
Own license and maintenance costs — hard to predict.
Manual verification
Personnel hours — typically 8–12 minutes per transaction.

What trust layer really means

Three properties that KYC tools lack.

KYC verifies people once. SigID verifies transactions — continuously, with audit evidence and in every workflow.

Transaction-based, not person-based

Trust layer verifies each individual transaction (invoice, order, authorization). Not just the person once.

Audit trail with hash chain

Every check produces an audit event with cryptographic chaining — re-verifiable for auditors, regulators and courts.

Data minimization by default

We store fingerprints + metadata, not full records. PDFs deletable after AI extraction. GDPR-compliant out of the box.

Comparison FAQ

Common questions about boundaries.

Where SigID is different from KYC, DIY or manual — direct answers.

How does SigID differ from a classic KYC tool?
KYC identifies a person once (passport, selfie, address). SigID builds on top of that and verifies transactions — IBAN changes, supplier onboarding, authorizations, product authenticity. KYC is 'who are you', SigID is 'is this transaction trustworthy'.
Do we have to replace our existing KYC?
No. SigID runs as a trust layer in parallel or on top of existing KYC. We integrate via webhooks and REST API into your ERP, onboarding tool or banking system.
Why not build it ourselves?
DIY solutions are usually not standardized, rarely audit-grade (hash chain, non-repudiation) and tie up maintenance hours. SigID is ready to use, NIS2-prepared and provides auditor-grade trail.
How does manual verification compare economically?
Manual verification takes 8–12 minutes per transaction plus risk costs (mis-payouts, audit findings). SigID does the same in under 30 seconds with documented audit evidence.

Test the trust layer instead of just reading about it.

First audit ID in 5 minutes. Free without credit card. EU data residency in Germany.

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DSGVO-konform
eIDAS-bereit
Made in Germany

Criterion

SigID

Classic KYC

DIY (in-house)

Manual verification

Trust-layer pattern

Yes, end-to-end: person, company, IBAN, document, authorization.

Person identification only, no transaction layer.

Hand-rolled, not standardized.

Gut feel, phone calls, Excel.

Audit trail with hash chain

Audit event per transaction, re-verifiable.

Identification log, no transaction trail.

Logs in own system, often without hash chain.

Email archive, Excel — no non-repudiation.

EU data residency

Default: Hetzner Germany, dedicated tenant for enterprise.

Mostly US/EU SaaS cloud.

Possible, but maintenance on your team.

Data scattered across email, drive, ERP.

IBAN protection before payment

Trust level documented, deviations flagged.

No IBAN pre-check built in.

ERP plugin, maintenance on your team.

Master data match, phone verification.

Trust App signature (dynamic linking)

Device-bound, signed per transaction.

SMS OTP or app OTP — no dynamic linking.

Custom solution, often only password + 2FA.

Email confirmation, phone callback.

Authorizations / handover

Time-bound, audited, auto-revoked.

Not provided.

Custom build, often without expiry logic.

Paper authorization, Excel list.

Webhooks + REST API

Stripe-style: idempotency, signed, retries.

API available, but no transaction model.

Hand-rolled, not standardized.

No API.

GDPR data minimization

Fingerprints + metadata instead of mandatory storage.

Full personal records kept long term.

Depends on the build.

PDFs in email inbox, often for years.

NIS2 readiness

Risk management, incident response, reporting paths integrated.

Not included.

Custom docs, custom maintenance.

None.

Time per check (median)

< 30 seconds.

1–5 minutes (person), no transaction.

Variable, often 2–10 minutes.

8–12 minutes.

Pricing model

Free + pay-as-you-grow: first 50 checks/month free, then pay-per-check. No packages, no seat fees, no minimum contract.

Tier packages per seat or volume license. Setup fees common.

Own license and maintenance costs — hard to predict.

Personnel hours — typically 8–12 minutes per transaction.