Comparison
OFAC Search Tool Alternative for Teams That Screen Every Day
An OFAC search tool alternative is software that screens names against the same OFAC lists as the free Treasury Sanctions List Search but adds batch files, saved evidence, monitoring and an API. The official tool stays authoritative. OfacScanner adds the workflow around it.
What is an OFAC search tool alternative
OFAC offers a free, public search at Sanctions List Search. You type a name, set how fuzzy the match may be and see entries from the SDN list and the non-SDN lists. It is official, it is free and it is the right place to confirm what an entry says.
An alternative does not replace the lists. It reads the same official OFAC files and builds a working process on top of them. That means checking many names at once, saving proof of each check, re-checking customers when the lists change, connecting screening to your own systems and adding lists from other countries.
Whether you need one depends on volume and on what you must prove later. A business that screens a few names a month can do well with the free tool and careful notes. A team that screens every new customer, payment or shipment usually cannot.
What the Treasury Sanctions List Search does well
The official search is simple and reliable. It searches names and aliases on the SDN list and the consolidated non-SDN lists. A minimum name score slider lets you widen or narrow fuzzy matching. You can filter by entity type, program, list, country, address and ID number, and open each entry to read its full details.
It always shows OFAC data straight from the source, and it costs nothing. For a quick look at one name, or to double check a match found by any other tool, it is the place to go.
Where it stops
The tool is built for one search at a time. It has no batch upload, no account history, no saved evidence record per check, no case workflow for false positives, no alerts when the lists change, no API for your own systems and no lists from the UN, EU, UK, Canada or Australia.
Treasury search and OfacScanner side by side
A fair comparison. Both use official OFAC data, and the official tool is the reference for what an entry says.
| Treasury Sanctions List Search | OfacScanner | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | From $49 per month, $24 per month billed yearly |
| OFAC SDN and non-SDN lists | Yes | Yes, on every plan |
| Fuzzy matching | Minimum name score slider | 0 to 100 score from spelling, word order and sound, with Strict, Balanced and Broad settings |
| Transliteration and legal suffixes | Not a focus | Cyrillic, Arabic, Persian and Chinese transliteration, suffixes such as GmbH and OOO removed |
| Names per search | One | One, or CSV files up to 100,000 rows on Growth |
| Saved evidence | None kept for you | List version, time, user, score breakdown and PDF certificate |
| Re-screening after list updates | Manual | Automatic monitoring with alerts on Growth and higher |
| False positive review | Your own notes | Clear with a reason, cases with assign and decide on Growth |
| API | No | REST API and webhooks on Scale and higher |
| Other countries | OFAC only | UN, EU, UK, Canada and Australia on Growth and higher |
Plan details are on the pricing page.
When the free Treasury search is enough
Paying for software makes no sense if your needs are small. The free tool is usually enough when all of these are true.
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You screen only a handful of names each month
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You only deal under U.S. sanctions rules
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A screenshot or written note per check satisfies your partners and auditors
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You do not keep a customer base that needs re-screening
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Nobody else on your team has to review or approve matches
When a team outgrows the free tool
These are the moments when an alternative starts to pay for itself.
Volume grows
Checking hundreds of names one by one takes hours. Batch sanctions screening runs a full CSV file in one pass.
Proof is requested
A bank partner or examiner asks which list version you checked and when. Each OfacScanner check keeps that record.
Customers stay with you
The lists change several times a month, so yesterday's clear customer needs a new check. Ongoing monitoring does it after every update.
Screening must be automatic
Onboarding and payments need a result in real time. The sanctions screening API answers in under 300 ms on Scale.
Business crosses borders
Partners in Europe, the UK, Canada or Australia expect their own lists to be screened too.
Use both when it matters
Many teams screen in OfacScanner every day and open the official Treasury search to confirm a likely match before blocking or reporting. That is a sound habit. The official source is always the final word on what an entry says, and the decision on any match belongs to your compliance team.
OFAC search tool alternative questions
Another question? Write to [email protected].
Is the official OFAC search tool free?
Does OfacScanner use different data than the Treasury tool?
Can the Treasury tool screen a spreadsheet of names?
Does the Treasury tool save proof of my searches?
Is there a way to try OfacScanner first?
Keep exploring
Screen your first name in seconds
Type a person or company name, see the risk rating and top candidates from the current OFAC list, and keep the evidence when you sign up.
Results support your compliance decisions, and the final decision stays with your team. OfacScanner is not affiliated with OFAC or the U.S. Department of the Treasury.