Top 10 Payment Fraud Scoring APIs: Features, Pros, Cons & Comparison

Introduction

A payment fraud scoring API is a digital tool that helps online businesses decide if a customer’s payment is safe or a scam. When a person clicks “buy” on a website, this tool quickly looks at hundreds of small details—like where the person is located, what device they are using, and how they behave on the site. Within a split second, the tool gives the transaction a “score.” A low score means the payment looks safe and should be allowed. A high score means something is fishy, and the business might want to block it or double-check it.

This is very important because online theft is a big problem. Without these tools, businesses could lose a lot of money to hackers using stolen credit cards. They also help make sure that honest customers don’t get their payments blocked by mistake. Real-world use cases include protecting online stores from “chargebacks,” preventing hackers from taking over user accounts, and checking that gift cards are being used by the right person. When choosing a tool, you should look for how accurate the scoring is, how fast the tool answers, and how easily it connects to your existing website.

Best for: Online stores (e-commerce), travel booking sites, digital banks, and any business that takes payments over the internet. It is especially useful for security managers and finance teams in companies that handle thousands of orders every day.

Not ideal for: Very small local shops that only take payments in person or tiny websites that only have one or two sales a month. In those cases, the basic security provided by a simple payment processor is usually enough.

Top 10 Payment Fraud Scoring APIs Tools

1 — Sift

Sift is a popular tool that uses a massive network of data to spot patterns of fraud. It is designed for businesses that want a very smart system that learns from millions of other transactions across the whole internet.

• Key features:
  • Uses a global network to see if a buyer has been bad on other sites.
  • Gives a risk score in real-time as the customer is checking out.
  • Looks at how users move their mouse and click to spot bots.
  • Helps stop people from creating fake accounts or stealing points.
  • Offers a simple dashboard for teams to review suspicious orders.
  • Automatically blocks high-risk payments based on your rules.
• Pros:
  • It is very good at catching new types of scams that haven’t been seen before.
  • The system gets smarter every time it sees a new transaction.
• Cons:
  • It can be quite expensive for businesses that are just starting to grow.
  • Setting up all the advanced features can take a lot of technical work.
• Security & compliance: SOC 2 Type II, GDPR, and HIPAA compliant. Uses strong encryption for all data.
• Support & community: Detailed guides for developers, 24/7 help for big companies, and a large community of users.

2 — SEON

SEON is unique because it looks at a person’s “digital footprint.” Instead of just looking at the credit card, it checks if the buyer has social media accounts or a real email history to prove they are a real person.

• Key features:
  • Performs instant social media searches based on an email address.
  • Checks if a phone number is real or a temporary “burner” number.
  • Uses a browser extension that makes it easy for small teams to start.
  • Provides a very clear “score” with reasons why a person looks risky.
  • Does not charge long-term contracts; you only pay for what you use.
  • Identifies hidden links between different scam accounts.
• Pros:
  • Excellent for catching “ghost” buyers who don’t have a real online life.
  • Very easy to set up and use without a huge team of experts.
• Cons:
  • Sometimes social media checks don’t work if the buyer is very private.
  • Might not be as powerful for giant stores with millions of daily sales.
• Security & compliance: GDPR compliant and uses ISO-certified data centers.
• Support & community: Very fast customer support and a helpful blog with tips for beginners.

3 — Signifyd

Signifyd is known for its “guaranteed” model. If their tool says a payment is safe and it turns out to be fraud, they will often pay the business back for the lost money. This makes it a very safe choice for shop owners.

• Key features:
  • Provides a simple “Pass” or “Fail” answer for every order.
  • Offers a money-back guarantee on fraudulent chargebacks.
  • Automatically recovers lost revenue from shipping mistakes.
  • Uses a giant database of millions of shoppers to recognize good buyers.
  • Connects directly with major shopping platforms like Shopify and Magento.
• Pros:
  • Removes the fear of losing money to fraud because they cover the cost.
  • Helps businesses sell more by approving orders they might have been too scared to take.
• Cons:
  • The service fee can be higher because you are paying for the “insurance” part.
  • You have less control over the specific rules of the scoring system.
• Security & compliance: PCI Level 1, SOC 2, and GDPR compliant.
• Support & community: Dedicated account managers for large stores and a strong help desk.

4 — Riskified

Riskified is similar to Signifyd and is built specifically for large e-commerce brands. They focus on making the checkout process as smooth as possible so that good customers don’t get frustrated by security checks.

• Key features:
  • Uses AI to look at the “entire” customer journey on your site.
  • Provides a full guarantee against fraud losses.
  • Helps stop scammers from using stolen login details.
  • Offers specialized checks for “buy online, pick up in store” orders.
  • Tailors the scoring to specific industries like fashion or electronics.
• Pros:
  • Very high accuracy, which means fewer good customers get blocked.
  • Great for international selling where fraud patterns are different.
• Cons:
  • Primarily designed for very big businesses with a lot of sales.
  • The pricing can be complex depending on your industry.
• Security & compliance: SOC 2, GDPR, and PCI DSS compliant.
• Support & community: High-end support with experts who study fraud trends daily.

5 — Forter

Forter is a fast and invisible tool that works in the background. It is designed so that the buyer never even knows it is there, which helps keep the shopping experience pleasant and quick.

• Key features:
  • Gives an “Approve” or “Decline” answer in less than a second.
  • Prevents scammers from abusing coupons and discount codes.
  • Validates identity without asking the customer for extra passwords.
  • Works across mobile apps, websites, and even phone orders.
  • Helps manage the “trust” level of different customers over time.
• Pros:
  • It is incredibly fast and does not slow down the website.
  • Excellent at spotting people who try to use many fake accounts to get discounts.
• Cons:
  • Can be difficult to understand why a specific order was declined.
  • Best suited for larger companies that have a lot of data to share.
• Security & compliance: GDPR, PCI, and SOC 2 Type II compliant.
• Support & community: Detailed technical docs and a strong team of data scientists to help.

6 — Kount

Kount has been around for a long time and has a very deep library of data. They help businesses protect the entire “customer life,” from when they create an account to when they make a final payment.

• Key features:
  • Uses a technology called “Device Fingerprinting” to identify computers.
  • Allows you to write your own custom rules for scoring.
  • Provides a visual map of where fraud is coming from.
  • Includes a tool for managing disputes and chargebacks.
  • Works well for businesses that sell digital items like games or software.
• Pros:
  • Gives the business a lot of control to change the rules themselves.
  • Very reliable and stable, even during huge holiday sales.
• Cons:
  • The dashboard can feel a bit old and complicated to use.
  • Requires a bit more training to learn how to set everything up correctly.
• Security & compliance: PCI DSS, GDPR, and SOC 2 compliant.
• Support & community: Large user community and many training videos available.

7 — Accertify

Owned by a major credit card company, Accertify is built for giant global corporations. It is very powerful and can be used to protect almost any kind of transaction, from airline tickets to bank transfers.

• Key features:
  • Connects to a world-wide network of payment data.
  • Includes tools for managing “refund abuse” and stolen gift cards.
  • Offers a professional team of experts who can review orders for you.
  • Scalable to handle millions of requests every hour.
  • Provides deep reports on how fraud is changing in your business.
• Pros:
  • One of the most trusted names for very large, high-stakes companies.
  • Very flexible and can be customized for almost any business need.
• Cons:
  • Not a good fit for small or medium businesses due to the cost and complexity.
  • Implementation can take several months to get right.
• Security & compliance: Meets the highest global banking security standards (ISO, SOC, GDPR).
• Support & community: Top-tier enterprise support with dedicated representatives.

8 — ClearSale

ClearSale is unique because it combines smart AI with a huge team of real people. If the AI isn’t sure about an order, a person will manually look at it to make sure a good customer isn’t being blocked.

• Key features:
  • Real people review suspicious orders so you don’t have to.
  • Offers a full guarantee that they will pay for any fraud that gets through.
  • Works in many different countries with local experts.
  • Provides a simple “Score” but lets you see the human reasoning behind it.
  • Very easy to connect with Shopify and other common store builders.
• Pros:
  • The human touch means fewer “false alarms” for your customers.
  • You don’t need to hire your own fraud team because ClearSale does the work.
• Cons:
  • Manual reviews can sometimes take a little longer than pure AI tools.
  • Pricing is usually based on a percentage of your sales.
• Security & compliance: PCI DSS and GDPR compliant.
• Support & community: Friendly customer service and very easy onboarding for new shops.

9 — Fingerprint

Fingerprint is a more technical tool that focuses on identifying the specific device being used. It is very hard for scammers to hide from this tool, even if they use a VPN or private browsing mode.

• Key features:
  • Identifies a visitor’s device with almost 100% accuracy.
  • Works even if a user clears their “cookies” or uses an “incognito” tab.
  • Provides a permanent ID for every visitor to your site.
  • Helps stop “account sharing” where many people use one login.
  • Open-source core that developers can inspect and trust.
• Pros:
  • The best tool for knowing exactly who is returning to your site.
  • Very lightweight and won’t slow down your page loading.
• Cons:
  • It is a “building block” tool, so you might need other tools to handle the payment part.
  • Requires a developer to write code to make it work.
• Security & compliance: GDPR, CCPA, and SOC 2 Type II compliant.
• Support & community: Excellent documentation and a very active GitHub community.

10 — Fraudio

Fraudio is a modern, cloud-based tool that is built purely on AI. They believe that they can spot fraud better than any human can by looking at millions of tiny data points at the same time.

• Key features:
  • “Plug and play” setup that starts working very quickly.
  • No need to write complex rules; the AI does it all.
  • Checks for money laundering and other complex financial crimes.
  • Very simple pricing that is easy to understand.
  • Designed for modern “Fintech” companies and payment providers.
• Pros:
  • Very low effort to maintain because the AI trains itself.
  • Good for businesses that want a high-tech, modern approach.
• Cons:
  • Because it is pure AI, it can be hard to know why a decision was made.
  • Newer than some of the older, more established names on the list.
• Security & compliance: GDPR compliant and uses secure cloud storage.
• Support & community: Growing community and responsive email support.

Comparison Table

Evaluation & Scoring of Payment Fraud Scoring APIs

Which Payment Fraud Scoring API Tool Is Right for You?

Choosing the right tool depends on your business size, how much technical help you have, and how much risk you can handle.

• Solo Users vs SMBs: If you are a small business, look at SEON or ClearSale. They are easier to set up and don’t require you to be a computer expert. SEON is great for simple checks, while ClearSale is like hiring an expert to do the work for you.
• Mid-Market vs Enterprise: If you are a growing company, Sift or Kount are excellent. They can handle more data and give you more ways to change the rules. For giant, global companies, Accertify or Riskified are the best choices because they are built for massive scale.
• Budget-conscious: If you want to pay only for what you use without big monthly fees, SEON or Fingerprint are good places to start. They allow you to test things out without a long-term commitment.
• Ease of Use: If you want a tool that “just works” and you don’t want to think about it, Signifyd or Forter are best. They give simple “yes” or “no” answers and take care of the hard work behind the scenes.
• Security Needs: If you handle very sensitive data or work in banking, look at Accertify or Forter. They have the highest levels of security badges and follow the strictest rules.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Does a fraud scoring API slow down my website?

Most modern APIs are very fast. They usually give a score in less than 0.5 seconds. This happens while the payment is being processed, so the customer usually doesn’t notice any delay at all.

2. Can these tools block a real customer by mistake?

Yes, this is called a “false positive.” However, good tools like ClearSale or Riskified use very smart AI and human reviews to keep this from happening as much as possible.

3. Do I need to be a programmer to use these tools?

For most of them, you will need a little bit of help to connect the API to your site. However, tools like ClearSale have “plug-ins” for Shopify that don’t require any coding at all.

4. How much do these services cost?

The price varies. Some charge a few cents for every check, while others take a small percentage of every sale (especially the “guaranteed” ones). Most offer special pricing for big businesses.

5. Are these tools safe to use with customer data?

Yes, these companies follow very strict rules like GDPR and SOC 2. They use encryption to make sure that no one else can see your customer’s private information.

6. What is a “chargeback guarantee”?

This is like insurance. If the tool says an order is safe but it turns out to be fraud, the fraud company will pay you back for the money you lost on that sale.

7. Can these tools help with “account takeover”?

Yes. Many of these APIs can tell if a different person is suddenly using an old account, which helps stop hackers from stealing your customers’ personal profiles.

8. Do I still need a payment processor if I have a fraud tool?

Yes. You still need a company like Stripe or PayPal to actually move the money. The fraud tool just tells the processor if the payment looks safe to move or not.

9. Can I use more than one fraud tool at a time?

You can, but it is usually not necessary and can make things complicated. Most people pick one powerful tool that does everything they need.

10. What is a “good” fraud score?

Every tool is different. Usually, a score of 0 is perfectly safe and a score of 100 is almost certainly fraud. Most businesses set a “threshold,” like blocking anything above a score of 70.

Conclusion

Finding the right payment fraud scoring API is a vital step in protecting your online business. These tools do the hard work of watching every transaction so that you can focus on selling your products and helping your customers. Whether you want a simple “insurance-style” guarantee from a company like Signifyd or a high-tech “device ID” approach from Fingerprint, there is a solution that fits your needs.

When you make your choice, remember that the most important things are accuracy and the experience of your customers. A tool that blocks too many people will hurt your sales, but a tool that is too weak will cost you money in fraud. The “best” tool is the one that finds the perfect balance for your specific shop. By choosing one of the top ten tools we discussed, you are taking a big step toward a safer and more successful business.