Businesses everywhere are replacing manual ID checks with automated ID verification, driven by increased fraud risks, tighter compliance requirements, and digital-first workflows. But should you choose an ID verification SDK? IDV platform? Turnkey app? And what about hardware solutions? Or biometrics?
Automated ID verification is a complex and emerging field. Figuring out which solution is right for your application isn’t always straightforward.
This blog takes you through the features and pros and cons of the five main types of automated ID verification solutions: pre-built apps, ID verification SDKs, hardware readers, biometric point solutions, and ID verification (IDV) platforms. Pick the right option and you’ll be up and running with faster, more reliable, and compliance-friendly ID verification in anywhere from between a few minutes to a few months.
1. Turnkey app: Deploy ID verification in minutes
A turnkey app is an ID verification solution that’s immediately usable with minimal to no development resources required. These solutions package ID scanning and verification features into a downloadable or web application that can be installed and configured in less than a day, and sometimes just a few minutes.
They work with almost any existing smart device or handheld computer because they take advantage of their onboard cameras and processors.
What are the features of turnkey ID verification apps?
Pre-built ID document capture out of the box, using existing device cameras and either onboard processors (native app) or web resources (web app).
Can include fake ID detection and pre-configured workflows for specific industries.
Often have sharing options to send results to other systems.
Reputable native app vendors contain sensitive information on-device, rather than sending it to cloud-based systems.
Why choose a turnkey ID verification app?
Consider turnkey apps if you have minimal developer resources, have apps you can’t modify, or want to ship fast. The trade-off is less customization than an SDK or more sophisticated solution, and verification is limited to what device cameras can extract.
2. ID verification SDK: Add ID verification to your existing apps
An SDK, short for software development kit, gives developers the building blocks — pre-built code, libraries, APIs, and documentation — to customize and embed identity verification features directly into mobile apps and web services.
Instead of building from scratch, your team can deploy the features they want from the vendor’s set of identity document scanning, fake ID detection, and user interface capabilities.
What are the features of ID verification SDKs?
Customizable ID scanning, user experience, and integration features.
Deployable on smart devices and handheld computers, using their existing cameras.
Support different technology stacks, such as native apps and websites — including their associated development environments.
Can support on-device processing to protect sensitive information from being sent to the cloud.
Why choose an ID verification SDK?
If you already have a consumer or enterprise app, an SDK adds ID verification within the same experience that customers and employees already know. It also lets them use other apps on the same device, keeping things simple for consumers and IT departments alike.
ID verification SDKs offer flexibility and customization. You design the features and user experience most suited to your workflows (e.g., supported ID types, how data is shared, on-screen guidance, etc.). Some SDKs also provide pre-built components to accelerate and simplify integration.
They can provide valuable scan data to support auditing and compliance requirements and can allow you to process everything in-house if you want full control over privacy.
The trade-off between an ID verification SDK and other options is that your development team must customize, integrate, and test each feature before deployment.
3. Hardware reader: High-assurance ID verification on single-purpose devices
Hardware readers, or document readers, are single-purpose devices designed to capture and authenticate identity documents. They use visible, infrared, or ultraviolet light sources to detect security features, read machine readable zones (MRZ) and barcodes, and access RFID chips in passports – giving them a higher degree of assurance than camera-based scanners.
What are the features of hardware readers?
Many devices use multispectral (white, infrared, ultraviolet, and coaxial light sources) document authentication, in addition to RFID and NFC readers.
Available as desktop units, embedded modules, mobile add-ons, and standalone mobile devices.
Can be integrated with kiosks and e-gates to combine identity verification with physical security.
Why choose a hardware reader for ID verification?
Hardware readers are ideal for ID verification workflows requiring a high assurance level, such as border control, airport check-ins, and Know-Your-Customer (KYC) compliance checks. Features like multi-light scanning and RFID chip reading can detect security elements that camera-based scanners can miss, and they work well with existing physical infrastructure, such as check-in counters and security gates.
The trade-off is that hardware readers tend to be more costly than consumer smart devices, and they increase IT asset management complexity. Businesses must decide whether their assurance level outweighs the deployment and management costs.
4. Biometric point solution: Verify the human, not the document
Biometric point solutions verify an individual’s unique physical characteristics, providing strong assurance that a person presenting themselves at a checkpoint owns the identity document they are showing.
Biometric technology operates in two phases:
Enrollment: Capturing a person’s unique physical or behavioral traits, such as a fingerprint, facial features, iris pattern, or voiceprint, and converting them into a mathematical template that’s securely stored.
Verification: A new biometric sample is taken at the checkpoint and compared against this template to confirm or deny a match.
Examples of biometric ID verification are fingerprint sensors and facial recognition for smartphones, as well as airport biometric gates that match passengers against passports. Integration effort varies, depending on whether you need to build enrollment processes, storage, and privacy protections on top of the biometric point solution.
What are the features of biometric point solutions?
Strong proof of “who” someone is, not just “what” document they hold.
More challenging to spoof compared to ID documents alone.
Supports liveness detection, which authenticates a person as a real human by testing physical actions (for example, turning their head right, smiling, and blinking).
Why choose a biometric point solution for ID verification?
Biometric point solutions are appropriate for situations where the individual must be verified in addition to the authenticity of a document. They provide fast and frictionless verification in high-volume settings and can reduce the dependency on physical documents, if biometrics can solely satisfy your compliance requirements.
In many cases, such as passport control, biometrics must be supplemented with ID scanning or other verification methods.
The trade-off is the upfront effort of enrolling users and managing privacy obligations, but this may be worth it for cases where ongoing access or repeat verification are critical.
IDV platforms are hosted cloud-based or enterprise SaaS services that manage the entire identity verification process from enrollment to compliance. They implement and manage most, if not all, features for you, reducing your need for development and technical expertise.
A common IDV platform workflow would look like this:
Capture: A user uploads a photo of their government-issued ID and a selfie to the IDV platform using a smartphone or web app.
Document verification: The IDV platform inspects the document for authenticity by checking security features, reading barcodes or MRZs, and validating expiration dates.
Biometric verification: The platform employs facial recognition and liveness detection to match the selfie against the ID photo and ensure it’s a live person, not a spoof.
Validation: Personal details are cross-referenced with authoritative data sources, such as credit bureaus, watchlists, and government databases.
Risk assessment: AI and machine learning techniques analyze data patterns and assign risk scores to the user based on fraud indicators.
Decision: The IDV platform returns a verification status, usually one of approve, reject, or “requires manual review.”
Compliance: The platform creates audit trails and reports by continuously monitoring user activities and system actions, supporting regulatory compliance.
Example IDV use cases are new customer onboarding and Know Your Employee (KYE) processes. Financial institutions and healthcare organizations often use these systems to meet KYC and AML compliance requirements.
What are the features of IDV platforms?
End-to-end management of ID verification and compliance processes.
Often includes compliance tools (audit logs, KYC/AML checks).
Offloads development, management, and security requirements of end-to-end workflows to the platform vendor.
Why choose an IDV platform for ID verification?
IDV platforms combine document checks, biometrics, and database validation in one package for businesses requiring end-to-end ID verification workflows. You don’t need to understand and integrate multiple tools, and they often connect to the back-end systems you already have.
The trade-off is reduced customization capabilities and the potential for security issues, as sensitive data is stored in the vendor’s cloud. They can also provide more functionality than your processes actually need, which can lead to operational inefficiencies, unnecessary cost, and poor customer experience.
6 questions to help choose the right ID verification solution
To find the right ID verification solution, answer these questions:
What is the primary touchpoint for your product or service? (Mobile app, website, physical store, kiosks, delivery, etc.)
What ID verification capabilities do you need? (ID document verification only vs complete, end-to-end workflows)
How fast do you need to verify IDs? (last-mile delivery drivers need to verify IDs in seconds, while immigration authorities can afford to take minutes or even hours)
What’s your tolerance for development effort vs. deployment speed? (“We have development resources” vs “We need something working in days or weeks.”)
What level of assurance do you need? (in-store pickups may be lower risk than bank customer onboarding due to different levels of fraud risk and regulatory constraints)
What is your budget, accounting for procurement, integration, support, and long-term maintenance costs?
Compare automated ID verification solutions
Where it runs
Turnkey app
Standalone app running on a smartphone or handheld computer
ID validation SDK
Inside an existing native or web app
Hardware reader
Dedicated physical devices (desktop, kiosks, mobile plug-ins)
Biometric point solution
Dedicated biometric devices (fingerprint scanners, face/iris readers) or consumer devices with built-in sensors
IDV platform
Cloud-based SaaS or enterprise platforms accessed via browser or app
Integration effort
Turnkey app
Least effort: download, configure, and run
ID validation SDK
Requires developer resources and integration with your systems
Hardware reader
Requires device procurement, installation, integration, and maintenance
Biometric point solution
Low if enrollment already exists; high if you must build processes and storage
IDV platform
Requires integration with your systems using vendor APIs
Level of assurance
Turnkey app
Low to moderate
Depends on the document factors that the app supports, limited to camera-based detection and validation of a physical document
ID validation SDK
Low to moderate
Depends on the document factors that the SDK supports, limited to camera-based detection and validation of a physical document
Hardware reader
High
Multi-spectral scanning, RFID chip reading, and forensic-level document checks
Biometric point solution
High
Strong binding to individual identity once enrollment is completed
IDV platform
Very high
Multi-signal risk determination (document, biometric, and database checks) for improved assurance
Ideal use case
Turnkey app
Instant scanning without dev resources; legacy systems that can’t be modified
ID validation SDK
Adding to existing apps using developer resources
Hardware reader
Processes requiring strong assurance and physical document checks
Biometric point solution
Processes where an individual must be verified, in addition to document authenticity
IDV platform
Full-service ID verification that combines documents, biometrics, and databases
Now that you know where to start, you can pick the best path that fits your resources and business needs.
Scandit’s identity verification solutions
Scandit’s identity verification solutions allow you to verify IDs on any smart device to Streamline passport and ID checks in air travel operations, last mile delivery, car rental, and in-store order pick-up.
The Scandit Data Capture SDK lets your team plug advanced ID scanning and verification features and user experience into native iOS, native Android, and web apps without building them yourself. It supports all major development stacks, smart devices, and handheld computers. It’s used by leading airlines, retailers, and delivery providers to give users instant ID verification in their existing apps.
ID Bolt provides pre-built, web-based ID scanning out of the box to eliminate bottlenecks and simplify customer interactions. ID Bolt is like a simplified, superlight IDV platform that scans IDs on users’ devices without collecting PII or needing slow backend services, but with a focus on user experience. It’s ideal for B2C websites and lower-assurance use cases such as online check-in or age verification for restricted goods, where a full IDV platform might cause too much friction and deter customers.
The Scandit Express app is a ready-to-use ID verification solution that requires no development effort to deploy. It operates securely on any smart device or handheld computer and can transmit data to any system (via CSV file or Google Sheets) or to a separate device (using Bluetooth or an internet connection). You can deploy it through MDM and EMM platforms so employees can start scanning the same day.
ID Verification Software
Industry leaders in retail, air travel, and logistics trust Scandit.
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