Pricing overview

FraudLabs Pro charges for its fraud detection services primarily through a query-based subscription model. This means that costs are directly tied to the number of API calls made to screen transactions or user activities, rather than a percentage of transaction value or a flat monthly fee independent of usage. The service offers several tiers, including a perpetual free plan suitable for testing or very low-volume operations, and various paid plans designed to accommodate increasing transaction volumes for businesses of all sizes, from startups to large enterprises. Each plan includes a specific allocation of queries per month, with higher tiers offering a lower per-query cost. Integrations are supported through direct API calls and various SDKs, including those for popular e-commerce platforms like Shopify and WooCommerce, which facilitate the connection to FraudLabs Pro's detection engine for real-time risk assessment.

The core value proposition of this pricing structure is its scalability. Businesses can select a plan that aligns with their current operational needs and upgrade as their transaction volumes grow. This approach can be particularly beneficial for businesses experiencing fluctuating sales or those in growth phases, as they only pay for the detection capacity they consume. Fraud detection services typically aim to mitigate financial losses from chargebacks and fraudulent transactions, which can range from a few dollars to hundreds or thousands per incident, as detailed in various industry reports on payment fraud. For example, a successful fraud detection service can prevent a single chargeback that might cost a merchant not only the transaction amount but also chargeback fees, which can vary by payment processor but often exceed $20 per disputed transaction, as documented by payment processing solutions like Stripe's dispute resolution guide.

Plans and tiers

FraudLabs Pro offers a tiered pricing structure that includes a free plan and several paid subscription options. Each tier is defined by a monthly query limit and corresponding price. The objective is to provide options that scale with a business's transaction volume and fraud prevention requirements. As the query volume increases, the per-query cost generally decreases within the higher-tier plans, offering economies of scale.

The plans are designed to accommodate a range of usage scenarios:

  • Free Plan: Ideal for developers, small businesses with minimal transaction volumes, or for initial testing and integration.
  • Micro Plan: Caters to small to medium-sized businesses with moderate transaction rates.
  • Small Plan: Suitable for growing businesses processing a significant number of daily transactions.
  • Medium Plan: Designed for established e-commerce operations requiring more substantial fraud screening capacity.
  • Large Plan: Targeted at high-volume merchants and enterprises with extensive transaction flows.
  • Enterprise Plans: Custom solutions for very large organizations that require specific query volumes, dedicated support, and potentially customized features not covered by standard plans. These plans are typically negotiated directly with FraudLabs Pro to meet unique operational needs.

Each plan includes access to the full suite of fraud detection features, differing primarily in the allotted API query volume. This consistent feature set across tiers ensures that all users, regardless of their plan, benefit from the same core fraud detection capabilities, including IP geolocation, proxy detection, email validation, and transaction velocity checks. The choice between plans often comes down to predicting or accounting for the volume of transactions that will require fraud screening each month.

Plan comparison table

The following table outlines the main subscription plans offered by FraudLabs Pro, detailing their monthly query limits and target users. Specific pricing figures are based on information provided on the official FraudLabs Pro pricing page.

Plan Monthly Price Monthly Queries Best For
Free Plan $0 500 Proof-of-concept, very low-volume personal projects, testing
Micro Plan $29.95 10,000 Small online stores, startups, initial growth phase
Small Plan $59.95 30,000 Growing e-commerce businesses, medium transaction volume
Medium Plan $109.95 70,000 Established online retailers, higher transaction volume
Large Plan $249.95 200,000 High-volume e-commerce, large online services
Enterprise Plan Custom Custom Very large enterprises, specific volume/feature requirements

Free tier and limits

FraudLabs Pro provides a functionally complete free tier, offering 500 API queries per month without any cost. This free plan is designed to allow developers to integrate and test the FraudLabs Pro API, and for very small businesses or personal projects to utilize basic fraud prevention. The 500 queries typically suffice for initial development, running small-scale experiments, or supporting websites with extremely low transaction volumes, such as hobby projects or non-profit initiatives with infrequent donations.

Key characteristics of the free tier:

  • Query Limit: 500 API calls per month. Each time a transaction or associated data point is submitted for analysis, it counts as one query.
  • Full Feature Access: Users on the free tier gain access to the same core fraud detection features as paid users. This includes IP address analysis, email verification, proxy detection, and device fingerprinting capabilities. The only limitation is the volume of queries.
  • No Credit Card Required: Typically, signing up for the free tier does not require providing credit card details, simplifying the onboarding process and removing a potential barrier for new users.
  • Automatic Reset: The query limit resets monthly, allowing continuous use within the defined allowance.

While the free tier is generous for initial exploration, businesses anticipating more than 500 transactions requiring fraud screening per month will generally need to upgrade to a paid plan. Using more than the allotted 500 queries in a month on the free plan will typically result in subsequent API calls being rejected until the next billing cycle begins or the user upgrades their subscription. This structure provides a clear upgrade path for users as their needs evolve beyond the free usage limits.

Real-world cost examples

Understanding FraudLabs Pro's pricing model is best illustrated through real-world scenarios, demonstrating how monthly transaction volumes translate into specific costs under different plans. These examples assume that each transaction requiring fraud screening consumes one API query. For businesses with complex workflows, a single customer order might trigger multiple fraud checks (e.g., separate checks for shipping and billing addresses), potentially increasing query usage per order.

Example 1: Small E-commerce Store

  • Scenario: A new online boutique processes an average of 250 orders per month. Each order requires one fraud check.
  • Monthly Queries: 250 queries.
  • Applicable Plan: Free Plan.
  • Cost: $0 per month.
  • Rationale: Since the query volume is well within the 500-query limit of the Free Plan, the business incurs no cost for fraud detection. This is ideal for proof-of-concept or very low-volume operations.

Example 2: Growing Online Retailer

  • Scenario: An established online retailer experiences steady growth, processing approximately 8,000 orders per month, each requiring a fraud check.
  • Monthly Queries: 8,000 queries.
  • Applicable Plan: Micro Plan.
  • Cost: $29.95 per month.
  • Rationale: The 8,000 queries exceed the Free Plan but fit comfortably within the Micro Plan's 10,000 query limit. The Micro Plan offers a cost-effective solution for businesses with moderate transaction volumes, ensuring all orders are screened for fraud without exceeding the budget.

Example 3: Medium-sized E-commerce Platform

  • Scenario: A medium-sized e-commerce platform handles 45,000 transactions per month, each requiring a fraud assessment.
  • Monthly Queries: 45,000 queries.
  • Applicable Plan: Medium Plan.
  • Cost: $109.95 per month.
  • Rationale: The 45,000 queries surpass the Small Plan's 30,000 limit but fall within the Medium Plan's 70,000-query allowance. This plan provides ample capacity for the platform's current volume while offering room for growth before needing the next tier. The effective cost per query on this plan is approximately $0.0024.

Example 4: High-volume Enterprise

  • Scenario: A large enterprise processes 150,000 online orders monthly, where each order is subject to a single fraud detection API call.
  • Monthly Queries: 150,000 queries.
  • Applicable Plan: Large Plan.
  • Cost: $249.95 per month.
  • Rationale: With 150,000 queries, the Large Plan is the most suitable, providing a 200,000-query limit. This ensures consistent fraud screening for a high volume of transactions at an effective per-query cost of approximately $0.00166.

Example 5: Enterprise with Custom Needs

  • Scenario: A global payment gateway processes 500,000 transactions monthly and requires specialized reporting and dedicated support.
  • Monthly Queries: 500,000 queries.
  • Applicable Plan: Enterprise Plan.
  • Cost: Custom (negotiated).
  • Rationale: While the Large Plan covers up to 200,000 queries, 500,000 queries significantly exceed this. Additionally, enterprise-level requirements for custom features or higher service level agreements (SLAs) typically necessitate a custom Enterprise Plan, where pricing and terms are negotiated directly with FraudLabs Pro. This ensures the solution is tailored to the specific operational scale and technical demands.

These examples highlight how FraudLabs Pro's tiered pricing directly maps to a business's operational scale, allowing for predictable costs based on transaction volume. Businesses should accurately estimate their monthly query usage to choose the most cost-effective plan, considering potential seasonal peaks or growth projections.

How the pricing compares

FraudLabs Pro's query-based pricing model positions it within a competitive landscape of fraud detection services. Many alternatives also employ usage-based billing, but the specific metrics and thresholds can vary significantly. Comparing FraudLabs Pro's pricing involves looking at several key aspects relative to competitors like Signifyd, Sift, and Riskified.

Cost Per Query and Scalability

FraudLabs Pro's starting paid tier offers 10,000 queries for $29.95/month. This translates to an initial cost of approximately $0.003 per query. As usage scales to higher tiers, the per-query cost decreases, reaching around $0.00125 for 200,000 queries on the Large Plan. This model is often more transparent than solutions that charge a percentage of transaction value, which can become prohibitively expensive for high-value transactions, even if the fraud risk is low. For instance, charging a percentage of a $50,000 transaction for fraud screening could result in a much higher absolute cost compared to a fixed per-query fee, regardless of the actual processing effort required for the fraud check.

Alternatives and Their Models

  • Signifyd: Often employs a guaranteed fraud protection model, where they take on the liability for approved transactions that later turn out to be fraudulent. Their pricing is typically a percentage of transaction value, which can range from 0.5% to 1.5% or more, depending on the industry and risk profile. This model shifts risk away from the merchant but can result in higher overall costs for businesses with low fraud rates or high average order values. While detailed pricing is typically quote-based, their business model is distinct.
  • Sift: Offers a suite of fraud prevention products with pricing often based on transaction volume and specific features utilized (e.g., payment fraud, account protection, content abuse). Sift's pricing is generally customized based on a business's specific needs, making direct comparisons on a per-query basis challenging without a direct quote. They focus on machine learning and a broad range of data signals to detect fraud across the customer journey.
  • Riskified: Similar to Signifyd, Riskified operates on a chargeback guarantee model, taking a percentage of approved revenue. Their value proposition is tied to approving more legitimate orders while preventing fraud. This can be beneficial for merchants looking to increase approval rates, but the percentage-based fee structure means costs scale with revenue, not just the technical effort of a fraud check.

Advantages of FraudLabs Pro's Model

FraudLabs Pro's query-based pricing can be advantageous for several types of businesses:

  • Predictable Costs: For businesses with relatively stable transaction volumes, the query-based model offers predictable monthly expenses, making budgeting simpler.
  • Cost-effectiveness for Low-Value Transactions: For businesses that handle a large volume of low-value transactions, a per-query fee often proves more economical than a percentage-of-transaction-value model, where the fixed percentage can disproportionately impact profitability on small sales.
  • Transparency: The direct relationship between API calls and cost is straightforward to understand and monitor.

Conversely, for businesses with highly fluctuating transaction volumes, managing query limits can require more active monitoring to avoid overage charges or service interruptions. However, the tiered structure and clear pricing on the official FraudLabs Pro pricing page provide a transparent framework for planning.

Ultimately, the choice of fraud detection pricing model depends on a business's specific needs, risk tolerance, transaction profile (volume, value), and preference for how risk is shared or managed. FraudLabs Pro offers a direct, usage-based approach that can be highly competitive for businesses prioritizing clarity and control over their fraud prevention expenditure.