Is Polco or Sumsub better?

Neither clearly leads. Polco starts at $300/month and Sumsub at $1.35/verification, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, Polco or Sumsub?

Polco starts at $300/month and Sumsub at $1.35/verification.

Does Polco or Sumsub run on more platforms?

Polco runs on Web, Ios, Android. Sumsub runs on Web, iOS, Android.

What is Polco best used for?

Polco is most often used for citizen services, records management, public safety, civic engagement. Of those, citizen services and records management are not what Sumsub is typically brought in for.

What can Polco do that Sumsub cannot?

Polco covers Scientific Surveys, Live Polling, Community Benchmarking, Priority-Based Budgeting. Sumsub covers Document verification, AML screening, KYB verification, No-code flow builder.

Government · head to head

Polco vs Sumsub

Polco

Government

Civic Engagement and Polling Platform

From: $300/month
Free plan: No

Full review Website

Sumsub

Cybersecurity

Identity verification and AML screening priced per verification

From: $1.35/verification
Free plan: No

Full review Website

The short version

Each has a real cost: Polco interface has a formal, academic tone compared to modern civic engagement platforms; Sumsub the published per-verification rate is undercut by a monthly minimum of 149 or 299 dollars, so low volume businesses pay a much higher effective rate than the headline suggests.
They diverge on capability: Polco covers Scientific Surveys, Sumsub covers Document verification.
Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Polco and Sumsub actually diverge.

Attributes where Polco and Sumsub differ
Attribute	Polco	Sumsub
Starting price	$300/month	$1.35/verification
Pricing model	subscription	Per verification
Category	Government	Cybersecurity
Founded	2015	Unknown

Identical on both: free tier (No), platforms (Web, Ios, Android), user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Polco

Scientific Surveys
Live Polling
Community Benchmarking
Priority-Based Budgeting
Demographic Analysis
NRC Surveys
ArcGIS
Social Media

Only in Sumsub

Document verification
AML screening
KYB verification
No-code flow builder
Transaction monitoring
Travel Rule
Fraud and duplicate detection

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Polco

Citizen Servicesnot Sumsub
Records Managementnot Sumsub
Public Safetynot Sumsub
Civic Engagementnot Sumsub

Sumsub

A crypto exchange needing KYC plus Travel Rule handling under one contractnot Polco
A gambling operator entering several European markets and needing document coverage without a separate vendor per countrynot Polco
A fintech that wants a published price it can model in a business case before speaking to a salespersonnot Polco
A marketplace verifying both individual sellers and the companies behind them without buying two productsnot Polco

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Polco

Interface has a formal, academic tone compared to modern civic engagement platforms
Emphasizes surveys and benchmarking over open discussion forums and idea boards
Pricing is custom quote-based without transparent pricing on the website

Sumsub

The published per-verification rate is undercut by a monthly minimum of 149 or 299 dollars, so low volume businesses pay a much higher effective rate than the headline suggests.
You are billed per verification attempt in most configurations, meaning applicant drop-off and resubmissions cost money without producing a customer.
Pass rates and document support vary noticeably by country, and a market that works well in Europe can produce materially worse rejection rates in parts of Africa and South East Asia.
The AML screening tier bundles list coverage that large institutions would normally buy separately and tune, giving less control over match thresholds than a dedicated screening vendor.
The company originated in Russia before restructuring to a UK entity, and some financial institutions still raise that history in vendor risk review, which can slow or block procurement at conservative banks.

Pricing, plan by plan

Polco

$300/month

Community Engagement$300/month
- Community Surveys
- Live Polling
- Benchmarking

Sumsub

$1.35/verification

Basic$1.35/verification
- 149 USD minimum monthly spend
- Document verification and liveness
- No-code flow builder
Compliance$1.85/verification
- 299 USD minimum monthly spend
- Everything in Basic
- AML sanctions and PEP screening
Enterprise$undefined/year
- Negotiated volume rate
- Custom jurisdictions and languages
- Dedicated support

Which should you pick?

Choose Polco if

You need scientific surveys.
You work on Web, Ios, Android.
You also want live polling.

Polco review

Choose Sumsub if

You need document verification.
You work on Web, iOS, Android.
You also want aml screening.

Sumsub review

Questions people ask

Is Polco or Sumsub better?: Neither clearly leads. Polco starts at $300/month and Sumsub at $1.35/verification, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Polco or Sumsub?: Polco starts at $300/month and Sumsub at $1.35/verification.
Does Polco or Sumsub run on more platforms?: Polco runs on Web, Ios, Android. Sumsub runs on Web, iOS, Android.
What is Polco best used for?: Polco is most often used for citizen services, records management, public safety, civic engagement. Of those, citizen services and records management are not what Sumsub is typically brought in for.
What can Polco do that Sumsub cannot?: Polco covers Scientific Surveys, Live Polling, Community Benchmarking, Priority-Based Budgeting. Sumsub covers Document verification, AML screening, KYB verification, No-code flow builder.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Polco: How does Polco ensure survey data quality?

Polco uses scientific survey methodology through the National Research Center, with pre-tested survey questions and verification that participants live in the surveyed area to eliminate outside interference and bad-faith responses.

Source

Sumsub: What does a verification actually cost?

1.35 USD on Basic and 1.85 USD on Compliance, but with 149 and 299 USD monthly minimums respectively. Below roughly 110 or 160 checks a month you are paying the minimum, not the rate.

Polco: What's the difference between Polco and open discussion platforms?

Polco emphasizes scientific surveys and benchmarking over open forums or suggestion boards, prioritizing rigorous data collection for policy decisions over broad community brainstorming.

Source

Sumsub: Do failed verifications get charged?

Attempts are generally billable, so a poor onboarding funnel raises your bill. Confirm the exact resubmission policy in your contract.

Sumsub: Does it cover business verification?

Yes, KYB with company registry lookups and beneficial owner resolution is part of the platform rather than a separate product.

Polco vs Sumsub

Polco

Sumsub

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in Polco

Only in Sumsub

What people use each for

Polco

Sumsub

Where each one falls short

Polco

Sumsub

Pricing, plan by plan

Polco

Sumsub

Which should you pick?

Choose Polco if

Choose Sumsub if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on Polco

More on Sumsub

Keep looking

Other head to heads