Skip to content
Log InGet Started

Why Choose Smile ID vs Onfido?

Unlike Onfido, which has limited African ID verification capabilities and targets international markets, Smile ID excels with its strong African-centric focus.

Smile ID empowers you to verify 5+ different types of IDs in key African markets, surpassing Onfido's range of 3-4 IDs. Our ID verification solution is available in 226 countries, far beyond Onfido's coverage of 195 countries, and supports 8,500+ document types compared to Onfido's 2,500+.

Designed to tackle Africa's unique connectivity challenges, Smile ID ensures precise verification with a remarkable 99.8% success rate for African skin tones. Our platform is optimised for entry-level devices and low-bandwidth environments, guaranteeing seamless processing even in difficult conditions. Additionally, we achieve an impressive 80% approval rate for crucial African IDs.

By choosing Smile ID, you partner with a company deeply dedicated to Africa's specific requirements, providing faster resolutions and customised solutions for smoother onboarding experiences.

Hero image

How does Smile ID compare vs Onfido?

Icon of Global coverage and extensive document support USP

Global coverage and extensive document support

Experience the global advantage with Smile ID. It offers ID verification in 226 countries and supports over 8,500 document types worldwide, far exceeding Onfido's reach of 195 countries and 2,500 document types. This provides you with unmatched identity verification coverage.

Icon of Faster verification speed USP

Faster verification speed

While Onfido's solution processes 95% of biometric verifications in under 10 seconds, Smile ID leverages cutting-edge technology to achieve user biometric authentication in an average of 2 seconds. This significant speed advantage ensures a streamlined onboarding experience, minimising user wait times and maximising customer satisfaction.

Icon of Access to 20+ government ID databases USP

Access to 20+ government ID databases

Verify users with confidence using the most reliable government data available. Smile ID boasts Africa's largest network of government ID information, connecting to over 20 government databases, including company registers and individual ID records in five key markets. All of this is easily accessible through a single API integration, ensuring seamless and comprehensive identity verification for your business.

Optimised for Africa's unique challenges

Smile ID is optimised to overcome common challenges in Africa, such as lower-end smartphones during capturing. We compress images without sacrificing quality, ensuring smooth operation on older phones and slower connections. This translates to faster uploads and a reliable user experience for older devices as low as Android 5.

Also, we've meticulously fine-tuned the capture process to balance speed and image quality, guaranteeing a swift and reliable verification journey. This makes Smile ID the preferred choice over Onfido in Africa.

Image of the world

Stay ahead of fraud, anywhere in Africa

2s
Average biometric authentication time
99.8%
Accuracy for African faces
150M+
Verifications completed
2.3B+
Unique identities covered
data?.image?.alt

Deep expertise: Your trusted partner in Africa

With offices in West, East, and Southern Africa, our team deeply understands the continent's unique needs. We maintain strong relationships with African governments, informing you on the latest regulations and ensuring compliance. This helps us to offer guidance and compliance solutions tailored to your needs.

Image of the world

Uninterrupted verification anywhere in Africa

Unreliable internet shouldn't hinder your customer onboarding process. Smile ID ensures a seamless experience regardless of network conditions, and even during network failures, users can retry verification attempts. Our solution also allows users to capture information offline. Once the device reconnects, the data is uploaded for verification.

Our team provides technical support across all African time zones, ensuring prompt and efficient assistance. This starkly contrasts competitors who allocate resources primarily to international markets, leading to longer resolution times. We also offer comprehensive human review at no additional cost, boosting fraud detection by 15%.

Image of the world

Leading the way in Africa

As Africa's leading identity verification and AML compliance solution provider, Smile ID is the choice of prominent institutions like Zenith Bank, Uber, Interswitch, Binance, Stanbic IBTC, Flutterwave, Fairmoney, Marketforce, Sterling Bank and more. With over 150 million KYC checks completed, we strike the perfect balance between preventing fraud and minimising onboarding friction.

Image of the world

Pay in your local currency

Unlike competitors who limit transactions to dollars, Smile ID lets you pay in your local African currency. This is to better align with your financial strategy and simplify your business operations. With Smile ID, you get a verification solution built for Africa.

Image of the world

Top African companies trust us over the competition

Smile ID's Biometric KYC product allows us to verify the true identity of our users quickly and with extreme confidence without having to choose between high growth and fraud mitigation. Our partnership with Smile ID has given us the compliance tools and flexibility we need to move fast and onboard users swiftly

Tayo OviosuFounder & CEO, Paga
Image of person smiling

View our partner case studies

Data Security/ Certifications

Smile ID employs enterprise-grade best practices to safeguard customer data, achieving both ISO 27001 Certification and SOC 2 Type 2 report against rigorous standards.

Image of the world

Ready to get started?

We are equipped to help you level up your KYC/AML compliance stack. Our team is ready to understand your needs, answer questions, and set up your account.