UK firms regulated under MLR 2017 must run customer due diligence, screen against sanctions and PEP lists, and maintain ongoing monitoring. SmartSearch and Veriphy are dedicated AML platforms used widely across UK accounting and legal practices. Accupe takes a different posture: it does not screen anyone itself, but the AML evidence a firm files and its re-check dates live inside the practice manager, surfaced through Compliance Radar. This comparison explains the trade-offs honestly.
SmartSearch: The Established UK Player
SmartSearch offers identity verification combining electronic ID checks against credit reference agency data, address verification, sanctions and PEP screening, ongoing monitoring with daily refreshes, and a clear audit trail. It is widely recognised by supervisors as a credible AML solution.
The cost is real: per-check pricing typically runs £3-£7 per identity verification with subscription tiers on top. For high-onboarding firms this becomes a significant line item.
Veriphy: The Property and Conveyancing Favourite
Veriphy is particularly popular in conveyancing and law firms. It offers similar ID verification, source-of-funds checks, and risk-based onboarding. Like SmartSearch, it works on a per-check model and integrates with various practice tools.
Accupe Compliance Radar: AML Within Practice Management
Accupe does not run sanctions or PEP screening. The firm runs that check itself with a dedicated screening provider, then files the outcome in Accupe against the named individual with a re-check date. Compliance Radar surfaces that evidence status, KYC document expiry, risk scores and re-check posture across the entire client base in one live dashboard.
Honesty matters here: Accupe does not provide electronic ID verification to the depth SmartSearch or Veriphy do, and it is not a screening tool at all - the screening runs elsewhere and Accupe holds the resulting evidence. KYC Smart Capture verifies identity through an ID scan and a live selfie, always human-reviewed, but Accupe does not run live credit-reference-agency ID checks or sanctions and PEP matching itself. For firms that need electronic ID verification or screening as part of their CDD method, a dedicated AML tool is still needed.
Document-Based KYC
Many firms do CDD via document collection - passport, proof of address, beneficial ownership declarations. Accupe excels here. The Client Hub captures documents securely, expiry dates are tracked, and Compliance Radar flags renewals before they lapse. For document-led CDD, Accupe alone is often sufficient.
Ongoing Monitoring
MLR 2017 requires ongoing monitoring throughout the business relationship. SmartSearch and Veriphy refresh ID data daily. Accupe does not run that refresh itself; it tracks the re-check date on each piece of screening evidence a firm files and flags it once due. For firms whose CDD is document-led, that discipline is enough. For ongoing electronic ID monitoring (e.g. mortality screening, credit changes), the dedicated tools go further.
Pricing
SmartSearch and Veriphy typically cost £200-£600+ per month depending on volume. Compliance Radar and AML evidence tracking are included on every Accupe plan, from the £20 Solo tier up. For firms doing document-led CDD who run their screening through their own provider, Accupe is still dramatically cheaper as the evidence-tracking layer.
When to Run Both
Many UK firms sensibly run a dedicated AML tool for electronic ID verification and sanctions and PEP screening, then use Accupe for ongoing operational posture, document tracking and the evidence trail that ties each screening result to the named individual and its re-check date. The two are complementary rather than strictly competitive.
Verdict
If electronic ID verification is core to your CDD methodology, keep SmartSearch or Veriphy. If your CDD is document-led and you run sanctions and PEP screening through your own provider, Accupe Compliance Radar tracks the evidence at a fraction of the cost and integrates AML into the daily operational view rather than treating it as a separate quarterly chore.
