Sift
Sift is an AI-powered fraud-prevention platform that uses a global data network of 1 trillion+ annual events to deliver real-time risk decisioning for 700+ enterprise and mid-market brands across digital commerce, fintech, travel, and online software.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Sift does
Sift (Sift Science, Inc.) is a privately held, San Francisco-headquartered fraud-prevention platform founded in 2011 that uses machine learning models trained on more than 1 trillion annual events to score risk in real time for digital businesses. Its platform unifies Payment Protection, Account Defense, Dispute Management, and abuse-prevention workflows around a shared view of user behavior from account creation through post-transaction, serving 700+ enterprise and mid-market customers across digital commerce, fintech, internet and software, travel, food delivery, and iGaming. The company's core technology rests on a Global Data Network that produces consortium models (ThreatClusters), cross-dimensional identity signals (Identity Trust XD), generative-AI-assisted account-takeover review (ActivityIQ), and a public Sift Score API for developers building internal risk models; the company holds 40+ patents and reports 13+ years of continuous model tuning.
Sift monetizes primarily through annual, quote-based enterprise subscriptions priced on transaction volume and features, supplemented by Professional Services and API consumption. Go-to-market combines enterprise field sales, a three-tier Partner Program (Authorized Resellers, Technology Partners, Service Providers), self-serve API distribution for developers, and a Sifters Community plus Trust & Safety University for practitioner engagement. The company has executed two acquisitions (Chargeback in May 2021 and Keyless in November 2021) to extend dispute-management and biometric-identity capabilities, and has been recognized as a Leader in the Forrester Wave for Digital Fraud Management (2023) and the QKS Group SPARK Matrix for eCommerce Fraud Prevention (2025), while holding #1 rankings across G2 fraud-prevention categories in eight consecutive 2024–2026 reports. In May 2026 co-founder Austin Spiegel was promoted to CEO alongside a new San Francisco office and a ~$67M funding round from undisclosed investors, with the company stating revenue has tripled year-over-year since 2022.
Sift firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Sift
- Legal name
- Sift Science, Inc.
- Website
- https://sift.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2011
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- Sift is an AI-powered fraud-prevention platform that uses a global data network of 1 trillion+ annual events to deliver real-time risk decisioning for 700+ enterprise and mid-market brands across digital commerce, fintech, travel, and online software.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Sift industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Fraud Prevention Platform / Digital Trust & Safety
- akta.pro primary industry
- Fraud Detection & Prevention (payments fraud, account takeover, scams) (FSAGAFAE)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Dispute, Chargeback & Refund Automation (FSAGABAI)
Keywords
Where Sift is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Sift business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Operations
Revenue model
- Fraud Prevention Platform Subscription: AI-powered fraud prevention platform with real-time decisioning, identity intelligence, and fraud benchmarking capabilities; subscription-based pricing with tiered offerings based on transaction volume and features
- Professional Services: Custom strategies and configurations, global and custom models, and dedicated implementation support; expands customer expertise with reduced pressure on bandwidth and resources
- Sift Score API: Real-time risk scoring API for developers building internal risk models; adds critical external context to internally-built risk models with access to Sift Console tools
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Quote-based enterprise pricing |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels9 records
Sift product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Sift sells an AI-powered fraud prevention platform that combines Payment Protection and Account Defense modules on a Global Data Network processing 1T+ annual events across 700+ brands. The platform provides real-time risk decisioning for account creation, account takeover, payment fraud, chargeback management, and content abuse, delivered via subscription with tiered pricing, Professional Services, and a standalone Sift Score API for developers building internal risk models.
Product overview
Sift offers an AI-powered fraud prevention platform serving 700+ global brands across e-commerce, fintech, travel, food delivery, and iGaming industries. The platform consists of two core products—Payment Protection and Account Defense—that connect payments fraud, account defense, and abuse prevention in a unified system. Key modules include ActivityIQ (generative AI for ATO detection), Identity Trust XD (cross-dimensional identity decisioning), FIBR (fraud benchmarking resource), Dispute Management (acquired from Chargeback), ThreatClusters (consortium-based fraud detection), and the Sift Score API. The platform processes over 1 trillion events annually through its Global Data Network, applying machine learning and anomaly detection to score risk in real time across signup, login, and checkout workflows.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Sift Score API: API solution for adding external context to internally-built risk models with real-time risk scores powered by consortium events.
- FIBR (Fraud Industry Benchmarking Resource)
- Identity Trust XD
- ActivityIQ
- Clearbox Decisioning
- ThreatClusters
Products and services
- Sift Fraud Prevention Platform Core AI-powered fraud decisioning platform processing 1T+ annual events from the Global Data Network, connecting payments fraud, account defense, and abuse prevention in a unified system. Used by 700+ global brands across digital commerce, fintech, travel, food delivery, and iGaming.
- Payment Protection
Quantifiable outcome
- 19x return on investment for Patreon
- +8 more outcomes
Companies that use Sift
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments8 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Sift technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration10 records
AI capability7 records
Feature9 records
Sift partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- MastercardcoreMastercard and Sift collaborating to upgrade onboarding for financial entities amid rampant fraud
- PlaidcorePlaid and Sift collaborating to upgrade onboarding for financial entities amid fraud surge
- FinixcoreFinix and Sift introduced advanced fraud monitoring enabling no-code, AI-powered transaction security for Finix customers
- payabl.coreEuropean fintech company partnering with Sift to bring AI-driven fraud prevention to European merchants; provides real-time fraud protection for merchants
- Gr4vycorePayment orchestration platform partner providing testimonial about Sift's expertise and reputation in the fraud prevention space
- ManufacturominorPartnership to deliver end-to-end machine data traceability across the hardware lifecycle; positions Sift in aerospace and industrial IoT data management
- Ping IdentitycoreSift integrates with Ping Identity's PingOne DaVinci to prevent account takeover and streamline logins for enterprise customers
- Alaska AirlinescoreAlaska Airlines selects Sift to prevent fraud, manage chargebacks, and streamline customer experience
- Checkout.comcorePayment service provider partner; Checkout.com logo displayed as trusted partner
- OktacoreIdentity and access management partner; Okta logo displayed as trusted partner
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Sift competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Signifyd: Signifyd provides AI-powered e-commerce fraud prevention with a chargeback guarantee model. It directly competes with Sift in digital commerce and shares similar customer segments including retail and DTC brands.
- Kount (Equifax): Kount is an Equifax-owned digital fraud prevention platform offering identity trust, chargeback management, and AI-driven decisioning. It is a long-standing direct competitor in the same fraud prevention category as Sift.
- DataDome: DataDome provides bot management, fraud detection, and account protection for e-commerce and digital platforms. It competes with Sift in real-time fraud decisioning and account takeover prevention.
- Feedzai: Feedzai is an AI-native financial crime detection platform serving banks, payments, and fintechs. It overlaps with Sift in transaction fraud monitoring and account protection for financial services customers.
- SEON: SEON provides digital fraud prevention and AML compliance through data enrichment and behavioral analytics. It targets similar fraud and risk use cases as Sift across fintech and digital commerce with strong mid-market traction.
- Riskified: Riskified offers an AI-driven fraud and risk intelligence platform for e-commerce with chargeback guarantee. It is a publicly-listed direct competitor targeting similar enterprise merchants and digital commerce use cases as Sift.
- Arkose Labs: Arkose Labs specializes in bot mitigation, account takeover, and abuse prevention using AI-driven challenges. It directly competes with Sift's Account Defense product for enterprise fraud and abuse prevention.
- Forter: Forter provides real-time fully automated fraud prevention for digital commerce. It competes head-to-head with Sift on payment fraud, account takeover, and abuse prevention for global enterprise merchants.
Broad incumbents
- TransUnion TruValidate: TransUnion offers TruValidate, an identity and fraud analytics suite serving digital commerce and financial services. It is a broader incumbent competing with Sift's risk decisioning and identity intelligence capabilities.
- Mastercard Identity (Ekata): Mastercard's Identity Solutions (formerly Ekata) provides identity verification and risk scoring for payments and onboarding. As a broader payments giant with overlapping identity-fraud capabilities, it competes with and partners alongside Sift.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Sift social profiles
Digital presenceSift financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Sift leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles20 records
Sift subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Sift funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds8 records
Investors14 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Sift M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A2 records
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Sift
What does Sift do?
Sift sells an AI-powered fraud prevention platform that combines Payment Protection and Account Defense modules on a Global Data Network processing 1T+ annual events across 700+ brands. The platform provides real-time risk decisioning for account creation, account takeover, payment fraud, chargeback management, and content abuse, delivered via subscription with tiered pricing, Professional Services, and a standalone Sift Score API for developers building internal risk models.
Is Sift a public or private company?
Sift is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Sift founded?
Sift was founded in 2011. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is Sift based?
Sift is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
How does Sift make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Fraud Prevention Platform Subscription is the primary driver. The others are professional Services and sift Score API.
Who are Sift's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Signifyd, Kount (Equifax), DataDome, Feedzai, SEON, Riskified, Arkose Labs and Forter. Broad incumbents are TransUnion TruValidate and Mastercard Identity (Ekata).
Does Sift have an API?
Yes. Sift offers a public API (Sift Score API) that enables developers to build internal risk models by adding critical external context. The API provides real-time risk scores powered by 1 trillion annual consortium events from the Sift Global Data Network. Developers can detect global and industry threats with real-time risk scores and build custom risk workflows while accessing the Sift Console tools. Developer documentation is at developers.sift.com.
What industry is Sift in?
Sift's product category is Fraud Prevention Platform / Digital Trust & Safety. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAGAFAE, Fraud Detection & Prevention (payments fraud, account takeover, scams), with a secondary code of FSAGABAI, Dispute, Chargeback & Refund Automation.