Kount 360 by Equifax vs Signifyd (2026)
The decision is who carries the loss on a bad order. Signifyd charges only on orders it approves and takes the chargeback when one of them proves fraudulent, with cover a merchant can set anywhere from fraud only to a total chargeback liability shift. Kount, now sold by Equifax as Kount 360, gives the merchant the tools and leaves the decision and its cost with the merchant. Those tools are custom risk rules, real time alerts and automated approvals, refunds and cancellations, scored against an Identity Trust Global Network of 32 billion digital interactions and 17 billion devices on a patented device fingerprinting base. Kount also draws on Equifax consumer identity data and works with Incode, Mitek and Acuant for identity verification. It screens against sanctions and PEP lists with hourly and daily rescreening, and stops chargebacks in real time through Verifi, a Visa company. Signifyd adds Account Protection, Chargeback Recovery and an expert review path for declined orders, and sells a separate platform to payment providers. Signifyd carries SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001:2022 and PCI DSS Level 1, while Kount shows no certification under its own name.
- Your team wants to write its own risk rules. Merchants set custom rules, get real time alerts and automate approvals, refunds and cancellations.
- Bureau identity data should inform fraud decisions. Equifax consumer identity data feeds the models beside the device network.
- Sanctions screening belongs in the same platform. Kount screens against sanctions, United States denied parties lists and PEPs with hourly and daily rescreening.
- Chargebacks should be stopped before they land. Real time chargeback prevention runs with Verifi, a Visa company.
- You want the vendor to absorb fraud losses. Signifyd charges only on approved orders and covers chargebacks on them, from fraud only up to a full liability shift.
- Declines need a human second look. A resubmitted order with more information goes to a certified fraud analyst.
- You want named results. Hot Topic credits a $10 million revenue uplift and Ferguson Home a 98.5 percent approval rate with zero fraud losses.
- Security review wants certificates. A SOC 3 report downloads freely, with SOC 2 Type II under NDA, ISO 27001:2022 and PCI DSS Level 1.
This comparison is published by AI FinTech Index, an independent research platform that publishes independent ratings of AI vendors for financial services. Kount 360 by Equifax and Signifyd are each graded against the same capability taxonomy, from each vendor's own public materials and the regulatory record, under the AI FinTech Index verification standard. No vendor pays for placement, and no vendor has reviewed this page. How this evidence is graded
Plain facts
| Kount 360 by Equifax | Signifyd | |
|---|---|---|
| Primary category | Fraud Detection & Transaction Risk | Fraud Detection & Transaction Risk |
| Founded | 2007 | 2011 |
| Headquarters | Boise, Idaho, United States | San Jose, California, United States |
| Website | www.equifax.com/business/product/payments-fraud/ | www.signifyd.com |
Side by Side
Select any grade to read the note behind it.
| Axis | K Kount 360 by Equifax |
S Signifyd |
|---|---|---|
| AI Centrality | ||
| Autonomy and Oversight Model | ||
| Model Risk Management and Transparency | ||
| Operational and Outcome Evidence | ||
| AI Safety and Data Stewardship | ||
| GLBA and Data Privacy Posture | ||
| Security Certifications and Trust Center | ||
| Regulatory Status and Licensure | ||
| AI Governance and Bias Disclosure | ||
| AI Liability and Recourse | ||
| Model Supply Chain Disclosure | ||
| Core Systems and Integration Depth | ||
| Deployment Model and Data Residency | ||
| Commercial Transparency | ||
| Institution and Segment Coverage |
The short version of each
Kount 360 by Equifax
Kount 360 is the payment fraud and digital identity platform Equifax sells. Kount was founded in Boise, Idaho, in 2007, and Equifax bought it in early 2021 for $640 million. It scores orders in real time against an Identity Trust Global Network of 32 billion digital interactions and 17 billion devices, on a patented device fingerprinting base, with Equifax consumer identity data alongside. Merchants write their own risk rules, get real time alerts and automate approvals, refunds and cancellations, keeping the decision and its cost. Sanctions and PEP screening reruns hourly and daily, and Incode, Mitek and Acuant supply identity verification. Chargeback Prevention runs in real time through Verifi, a Visa company, and connectors cover Shopify, Magento, BigCommerce and Salesforce Commerce Cloud. Pricing is quoted by business goals and transaction volume.
Source: AI FinTech Index, 2026
Signifyd
Signifyd sells commerce protection to more than 6,000 brands under a guarantee the merchant configures, from fraud only to a total chargeback liability shift. It charges a share of approved order value, takes nothing on fraud declines and commits not to use a teaser rate. Account Protection, Chargeback Recovery and Return Insights sit beside fraud protection, and a separate Payments Optimization Platform serves payment providers. A declined order resubmitted with more information goes to a certified fraud analyst. Named results include Hot Topic's $10 million revenue uplift and Ferguson Home's 98.5 percent approval rate. SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001:2022 and PCI DSS Level 1 cover security, with a SOC 3 report free to download.
Source: AI FinTech Index, 2026
Common questions
Is Kount or Signifyd better?
Signifyd suits a merchant that wants the vendor to carry fraud losses under a guarantee, by the AI FinTech Index's reading. Kount suits a merchant that wants to keep control of the rules and the decision, backed by Equifax identity data and a large device network. Signifyd also brings the stronger set of security certifications.
Does Kount offer a chargeback guarantee like Signifyd?
No guarantee is offered on Kount 360. Merchants set the rules and keep the decision and its financial consequence, with Chargeback Prevention and Chargeback Recovery sold as separate products and real time prevention through Verifi. Signifyd guarantees approved orders against chargebacks, with the scope of cover chosen by the merchant. Graded by AI FinTech Index against the same capability axes from each vendor's own published materials, verified October 17, 2026. No vendor pays for placement.
Who owns Kount?
Equifax acquired Kount in early 2021 for $640 million. Kount was founded in Boise, Idaho, in 2007, and Equifax now sells it as Payments Fraud on Kount 360 alongside Authorized Payment Protection, Chargeback Prevention and Chargeback Recovery. Graded by AI FinTech Index against the same capability axes from each vendor's own published materials, verified October 17, 2026. No vendor pays for placement.
How much do Kount and Signifyd cost?
Both sell by quote. Kount prices by business goals and transaction volume, and its Shopify app installs free with unlisted additional charges. Signifyd charges a percentage of approved order value set by vertical, volume and average ticket, takes nothing on fraud declines and commits not to use a teaser rate. Graded by AI FinTech Index against the same capability axes from each vendor's own published materials, verified October 17, 2026. No vendor pays for placement.
Related comparisons
Other published head to head assessments involving these vendors or their closest peers. The full set for this category is on the Fraud Detection & Transaction Risk page.
Neither attaches an error rate or fairness testing to its decisions, and both run on unnamed hosting providers. Kount keeps primary data for five years and fraud prevention data for up to 15, and a person declined on a network record can seek correction through Equifax's privacy office. Equifax bought Kount in 2021 for $640 million and now sells it as Kount 360, with kount.com redirecting to Equifax. Signifyd is privately held. Both sell by quote.