AU AML/CTF Tranche-2 market analysis — competitors, pricing, positioning
AU AML/CTF Tranche-2 market analysis
Competitive and pricing analysis for the tranche-2 AML/CTF compliance product targeting ~80k newly-captured Australian small businesses (enforcement live from 30 Sep 2026). Use for pricing, positioning, and product-scope decisions.
Date: 2026-11-14 · Sources: vendor pages + amlcompare.com.au (verified Jul–Nov 2026), Capterra AU, Xero App Store. Legend: ✓ included/verified · ~ partial or unverified · ✗ absent · ? unknown (needs sales call)
1. Pricing & packaging
| Vendor | Model | Price | Per-check fees | Term |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUSTRAC starter kit | free government kit | $0 | — | — |
| SimpleAML | free tool | $0 | — | sole practitioners |
| FreeAML | pay-per-use | $0 subscription | $20 individual / $40 entity KYC | monthly |
| AMLTranche | per-seat + IDV credits | $59/$99/$149/mo +GST (1/3/5 seats) | $10 per extra IDV · $29/extra seat | monthly |
| Flagship AML | flat subscription | A$66.7/mo monthly · A$880/yr | DVS IDV $4+GST each · 30 PEP/sanctions + 10 adverse media free/mo | monthly/annual |
| AML Shield | flat subscription | $799/yr program-only · $99/mo Micro (3 staff) · $1,591/yr Standard (15 staff) | none ("no per-check surprises") | annual/monthly |
| easyAML | flat + per-check credits | $179/$449/$999/mo +GST (5/25/unlimited users) | $20/$40 KYC/KYB Starter · $15/$35 overage · 12-mo term | 12-month |
| OverSEER AML | flat subscription | from $350/mo | KYC free unless DVS on ($5/check+GST) · KYB ~$10–15/entity | monthly |
| TrustEasy | annual + onboarding | ~$1,200/yr + $330 onboarding | allowances: 2,400 CDD records + 60 ID checks | annual |
| First AML | quote-based (POA) | custom · Launch ~400 individuals/100 entities/yr min | usage-based | annual enterprise |
2. Feature matrix vs requirements
| # | Requirement | FreeAML | AMLTranche | Flagship | AML Shield | easyAML | OverSEER | TrustEasy | First AML | Us (planned) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | AML/CTF program (risk assessment + policies) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ~ | ~ | ✓ KB-generated |
| 2 | AUSTRAC enrolment support | ~ | ✓ | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ | ✓ |
| 3 | KYC identity verification | ✓ $20–40/check | ~ IDV credits | ✓ DVS $4/check | ~ | ✓ $15–20/check bundled | ✓ free/$5 DVS | ✓ 60 checks incl. | ✓ biometric 96%+ | ✓ $0.33–0.80 API / DVS-via-GSP |
| 4 | PEP/sanctions/adverse media screening | ? | ✓ DFAT | ✓ 30 free/mo | ? | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ global | ✓ DFAT free + $0.10–0.50/screen |
| 5 | Beneficial ownership / UBO tracing | ? | ? | ✓ calculator | ? | ~ | ~ | ~ | ✓✓ 200+ jurisdictions, 300+ registries | ~ v2 |
| 6 | Ongoing CDD | ✗ | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ | ✓ | ~ | ~ | ✓ ledger-native |
| 7 | Transaction monitoring (typologies) | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ rules engine | ✗ | ✗ | ✓✓ from accounting data — nobody below $350/mo |
| 8 | AUSTRAC reporting (SMR/TTR/IFTI/ACR + XML) | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ AUSTRAC Online | ✓✓ XML export | ✓ SMR/TTR/IFTI | ~ | ✓ v2 |
| 9 | 7-year records / audit trail | ~ | ~ | ✓ | ~ | ~ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓✓ tamper-evident |
| 10 | Staff training | ✓ | ? | ✓ | ✓✓ expert-led (Nathan Lynch) | ✓ free | ? | ✓ | ✗ | ~ v2 |
| 11 | Accounting integrations | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ Xero | ✓✓ Xero/QBO/MYOB | ✓✓ Xero/XPM/APM/MYOB | ✓ | ✓✓ Xero first |
| 12 | Price certainty (no per-check creep) | ~ | ~ | ~ | ✓ | ✗ 12-mo term + overage | ✓ flat | ✓ annual flat | ? POA | ✓✓ per-end-customer flat $2–5/mo |
| 13 | Compliance-by-construction (criteria traceable to Act) | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓✓ KB criteria + compliance_check gate — unique |
3. Where the clear win is
We win on rows 7, 12, 13 — the three nobody else combines:
- Row 7: transaction monitoring from ledger data — OverSEER is the only incumbent with it, at $350/mo aimed at complex files; everyone else has none.
- Row 12: per-end-customer flat pricing kills per-check anxiety (easyAML's $449/mo + $15/check overage is the cautionary tale).
- Row 13: compliance-by-construction is unclaimed entirely — provable compliance vs. "trust us".
We concede on: row 5 (UBO depth — First AML's moat, v2 for us), row 10 (training content — AML Shield's moat), row 8 (AUSTRAC XML lodgment — v2).
Review footprint gap (the GTM wedge): TrustEasy 6 reviews (4.5★, Xero store), OverSEER 2 (5.0★), AMLTranche 0 visible, Flagship 0 on Capterra, easyAML negative sales-tactic feedback. First-mover on review volume via Xero App Store + association channels + white-glove first-20.
Sources
- /Users/devin/aml-competitor-matrix.md (original deliverable, 2026-11-14)
- Vendor pages + amlcompare.com.au (verified Jul–Nov 2026), Capterra AU, Xero App Store