AML tool comparison
Sanctuary vs Chainalysis
One is the platform agencies use to build cases. The other is what a compliance desk runs every day, at a price you can read before the call. Here is where the line falls.
The short answer
Facts checked August 2026Chainalysis is the reference platform for blockchain investigations: Reactor for forensics, KYT for transaction monitoring, address screening, and a record of use inside government and law enforcement. It publishes no prices. Third-party procurement data reports contracts in the $50,000 to $200,000 a year range, sold through enterprise procurement. Sanctuary does not replace Reactor. It covers the operational half of the job at a published price: $199 a month for 1,000 checks, with API, monitoring, case management and a signed audit trail in the same tier, plus 3 free checks a day in Telegram.
The split is about the job, not the logo. Pick Chainalysis when an investigation has to survive cross-examination, when a regulator or agency contact expects that specific name on the file, or when procurement will only sign an enterprise contract. Pick Sanctuary when the daily work is screening deposits, counterparties and P2P settlements, and the budget for it is a line item rather than a procurement cycle.
- Chainalysis publishes no prices. Third-party procurement data reports contracts around $50K to $200K a year; Sanctuary lists $199/month for 1,000 checks.
- Reactor's investigation depth and its history in court are not something Sanctuary claims to match.
- Monitoring, API, case management and a signed audit trail sit in Sanctuary's base paid tier, not behind a separate module.
$199/mo
1,000 checks, API and monitoring included
Chainalysis: pricing not published
$50K-$200K
reported annual contract range
third-party procurement data, 2026
3/day
free bot checks, no signup
Chainalysis: free sanctions screening tools
Feature by feature: Sanctuary vs Chainalysis
Feature
Sanctuary
Chainalysis
Risk score precisionSanctuary returns a 0-100 score on every check. Chainalysis KYT assigns transaction risk; the scale is not published outside customer documentation.
0-100 on every check
Not published
Public pricingSanctuary lists tier prices on its pricing page. Chainalysis quotes through sales.
Entry priceThird-party procurement data reports Chainalysis contracts around $50K-$200K a year, depending on products and volume.
From $199/mo, public
Not published
Procurement motionSign up and start, or talk to sales. Chainalysis runs an enterprise sales cycle.
Self-serve + sales
Sales-led
Free tierSanctuary's Telegram bot runs 3 checks a day free. Chainalysis publishes free sanctions screening tools, including an on-chain oracle.
3 free daily
Free sanctions tools
Telegram botSanctuary's bot is button-driven and needs no account. Chainalysis publishes no Telegram bot.
Sanctions screeningBoth screen addresses against sanctions designations.
Continuous monitoring (KYT)KYT is Chainalysis's transaction monitoring product. Sanctuary includes monitoring and webhook alerts from $199/mo.
Included from $199/mo
REST APISanctuary issues an API key on the paid tier. Chainalysis API access comes with the contract.
Included from $199/mo
Enterprise contract
Investigation workbenchReactor is a dedicated forensics workbench. Sanctuary ships graph tracing and case handling, not law-enforcement-grade investigation.
Limited
On-chain graph analysis
Entity attributionBoth attribute addresses to services and entities. The Chainalysis dataset is what its investigation products are built on.
Chains supportedSanctuary screens 10 chains at full AML depth. Chainalysis covers a broad set; no single figure is published.
10 chains, full depth
Broad, count not published
Reviewer evidenceReactor exports are built for casework. Sanctuary's evidence packs are built for the screening decision and the audit that follows it.
Evidence packs
Case managementCases, assignment and resolution are in Sanctuary's base paid tier. Chainalysis does not publish its case workflow outside customer documentation.
Not published
Signed audit trailSanctuary signs a snapshot of every check. Chainalysis does not publish this detail.
Not published
Bulk screening
Where each tool wins
Choose Sanctuary if
- You want the price before the call: $199/month, 1,000 checks, no procurement round.
- The job is screening deposits, withdrawals and counterparties, not building court cases.
- Monitoring, webhooks, cases and audit trail have to be in the base tier, not a separate line item.
- You need to be screening this week, not after a vendor review and a signature cycle.
- Someone on the desk wants to check an address from their phone, free, before a deal closes.
Where Chainalysis still fits
- An investigation has to hold up under cross-examination, and the analysis needs a name with courtroom history behind it.
- A contract or regulator names Chainalysis in writing, and the file has to match the wording.
- You need the broadest chain and entity coverage available and have the budget that comes with it.
- Your procurement is built for enterprise vendors, and a five- or six-figure annual contract is normal for you.
What switching actually buys you
The invoice drops, the checks don't
Public pricing: $199 a month covers 1,000 checks with API access included. No quote call, no annual lock-in, overage at $0.20 a check.
Verdicts you can forward
Every check returns a 0-100 score with named sources — sanctions lists, darknet clusters, exchange attribution — and exports to a PDF your bank or partner can read.
Live in the next five minutes
Your first check runs in Telegram before a sales call would even be scheduled. 3 free checks a day, and the same account later carries to web and API.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Chainalysis cost?
Chainalysis does not publish pricing. Third-party procurement data reports annual contracts in the $50,000 to $200,000 range, varying by products and volume, negotiated through enterprise sales. Sanctuary publishes its numbers: $199/month for 1,000 checks with API, monitoring and case management included, $0.20 per additional check, and $499/month for 5,000 checks at $0.15. If your evaluation depends on knowing the figure before the first call, that is the practical difference.
What is the difference between Sanctuary and Chainalysis?
Chainalysis is an investigations platform with monitoring attached. Reactor is where its depth lives, and agencies use it for casework. Sanctuary is a screening platform with investigation support attached: every check returns a 0-100 score across 10 chains at full AML depth and 20+ intelligence sources, with monitoring, evidence packs and a signed audit trail in the same tier. Teams that need both usually keep the forensic tool for cases and run daily volume somewhere cheaper.
Is there a free way to check an address on either one?
Yes, on both sides, for different things. Chainalysis publishes free sanctions screening tools, including an on-chain oracle that answers whether an address is sanctioned. Sanctuary's Telegram bot runs 3 full checks a day free, no signup, returning a 0-100 risk score rather than a sanctions yes or no.
Is Chainalysis worth it for a small compliance team?
It depends what the checks are for. If your output is court-ready investigations, or your counterparties name Chainalysis in their requirements, the contract buys something Sanctuary does not sell. If your output is a screening decision on deposits and counterparties, a five-figure annual minimum buys capability you will not use. Run the same addresses through both and compare what a reviewer actually needs to see.
Run your own addresses through both
Take ten addresses you screened last month and check them in the Sanctuary bot. Three free a day, no signup, no card.
Compare other AML tools
Competitor facts checked August 2026 against public documentation and pricing pages. Product names and trademarks belong to their owners. Spotted something outdated? Tell us