IDnow

Identity verification and qualified electronic signature for regulated European markets

As of 1 September 2026, IDnow's pricing is not published; the vendor quotes on request. A German identity verification provider whose differentiator is regulatory accreditation, including BaFin-recognised video identification and eIDAS qualified electronic signatures. Softwr lists it under Cybersecurity. IDnow is made by IDnow GmbH, available on Web, iOS, Android, API.

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Overview

What IDnow does

IDnow verifies identity through automated document and biometric checks, agent-led video identification, eID chip reading and bank account verification. It operates across Europe and holds the accreditations that specific national regimes require, notably BaFin-recognised VideoIdent in Germany and qualified trust service provider status under eIDAS for qualified electronic signatures. That accreditation is the commercial point. In Germany, opening certain financial products has historically required a legally recognised identification method, and an automated selfie check does not qualify on its own. The same logic applies to qualified electronic signatures, where a legally binding signature under eIDAS requires identity to be established by an accredited provider. Buyers in those regimes are not comparing accuracy scores, they are checking which vendors are permitted at all. Buyers are German and European banks, insurers, telecoms and mobility operators. The trade-off is cost and latency: agent-led video identification requires a human on a call, which is dramatically more expensive per check than automated verification and is limited by agent availability at peak times. Firms that do not need the accreditation should not be paying for the option.

What people use it for

A German bank opening regulated accounts where BaFin requires a recognised identification method
An insurer needing a qualified electronic signature that will survive challenge in a European court
A telecom operator meeting national SIM registration identity rules across several EU states
A lender wanting automated checks for low-risk applicants and video identification only for high-value cases

Where it falls short

Concrete and checkable, so you can decide whether any of them matter to you. This is the half of a review a vendor will not write about IDnow.

Agent-led video identification costs several times an automated check and depends on agent availability, so peak-time queues push abandonment up at exactly the moment conversion matters.
Pricing is quoted with an annual volume commitment, so the accreditation advantage comes with a floor you pay whether or not you use it.
The product is optimised for European regulatory regimes, so buyers verifying users in North America, Asia or Africa will find coverage and cost less competitive than global specialists.
Qualified electronic signature is a separate licence from identity verification, which surprises buyers who assumed the accredited identity check made the signature capability included.
Integration for the regulated flows is heavier than a simple SDK drop-in because the compliant journey, including consent and recording requirements, constrains the user experience you can build.

Cross-shopped

What people choose instead of IDnow

Each pairing was judged by two reviewers asking whether a buyer would genuinely weigh the two against each other. The ones that failed were deleted rather than published.

IDnowvs
Veriff
Veriff: Substantially cheaper per check if your regulator accepts automated verification
IDnowvs
iDenfy
iDenfy: EU-based alternative with bundled AML screening for buyers who do not need video identification accreditation
IDnowvs
Yoti
Yoti: If reusable digital identity and age assurance matter more than regulated financial onboarding

Pricing

What IDnow costs

Taken from the vendor's own pricing page. Prices move, so check before you buy.

IDnow Platform

On request

Per-identification pricing that differs sharply between automated and agent-led methods
Annual volume commitment typically required
Qualified electronic signature licensed separately
EU data centre processing included

Capabilities

Features

VideoIdent
Agent-led video identification recognised by German regulators for regulated account opening
AutoIdent
Automated document and biometric verification for cases where video is not required
eSign
Qualified and advanced electronic signatures under eIDAS as an accredited trust service provider
eID and NFC
Reading of German eID cards and biometric passport chips
Bank identification
Verification through a reference bank transfer or account access
EU data processing
Processing in European data centres for GDPR and national supervisory requirements

Answered, with sources

Questions people ask

Each answer names the page it came from, so you can check it rather than take our word for it.

Why choose it over a cheaper automated vendor?

Because in some European regimes the cheaper vendor is not legally permitted for the transaction. This is an eligibility question, not a quality one.

Is the electronic signature included?

No. Qualified electronic signature under eIDAS is licensed separately from identity verification.

Where is the data processed?

In European data centres, which is a requirement rather than a preference for many of its regulated customers.

Keep looking

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Softwr does not host reviews and shows no star rating for IDnow, because a rating we did not collect is not ours to publish. What is here is the pricing and platform detail from the vendor’s own pages, limitations we could state concretely, and alternatives a reviewer confirmed people weigh against it. Tell us if any of it is wrong.

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