Sift Payment Protection

Sift Payment Protection is fraud-prevention software for merchants handling online payments. It is best suited to digital businesses that need automated risk decisions across several payment-fraud patterns. Its fast scoring and policy controls are compelling, but custom pricing makes fit and cost something to establish before choosing it.

Overview

Sift scores transactions in under 150 milliseconds, giving merchants a way to weigh payment risk without routing every questionable transaction to a manual reviewer. Its model ensemble is continuously retrained as fraud patterns change, drawing on 16,000 risk signals and insight from a network processing more than 1 trillion events annually.

Coverage spans stolen-card fraud, card testing, BOPIS abuse, alternative-payment fraud, and fraudulent currency movement. Sift reports a 99.4% acceptance rate, 80% fewer chargebacks, and a 47% reduction in financial losses; these figures describe reported outcomes, not a promise for every merchant.

Key features

• Automated policies: Teams can reduce manual review and test policy or threshold changes against historical traffic before launch. That makes it easier to evaluate rule changes before applying them to live decisions.
• Risk scoring and intelligence: Sub-150-millisecond scoring and 16,000 signals support fast decisions, while the large event network informs the model. The event count is a scale indicator, not a guarantee of accuracy for a particular merchant.
• Broad payment-fraud coverage: Detection extends beyond stolen cards to card testing, BOPIS abuse, alternative payments, and fraudulent currency movement, making it relevant to merchants facing varied transaction risks.
• Integration and developer access: Technology partners include Adyen, Braintree, Checkout.com, Magento, PayPal, Stripe, and others. REST APIs, JavaScript snippets, and iOS and Android SDKs give development teams several routes to connect Sift.
• Regulatory and security support: PSD2 compatibility supports expansion into regulated markets, and Sift has announced that it passed a SOC 2 Type 2 audit. Customers can use the Help Center or contact the Support Team.

Pricing

Sift uses a paid model. The Payment Protection plan has custom pricing; contact Sift for a quote. No lower-cost tier or free plan is described, so merchants should assess the quoted cost against their transaction volume and need for automated fraud controls before committing.

There are no stated seat or transaction quotas, trial terms, or renewal conditions to factor into a purchase decision.

Platforms

Payment Protection supports Android, iOS, web, and API access. Its supported payment channel is online, so merchants seeking stated in-person coverage should consider another option.

Who it's for

Sift is aimed at digital businesses and merchants managing payment fraud, particularly those that need real-time decisions, configurable policies, and coverage across multiple fraud types. Its developer tools and partner integrations suit teams able to implement payment-risk controls. Businesses seeking a free entry plan or a posted price should look elsewhere.

Pros and cons

• Pro: Scoring in under 150 milliseconds supports timely transaction decisions.
• Pro: Policy changes can be checked against historical traffic, helping teams assess thresholds before launch.
• Pro: Coverage includes several fraud patterns beyond stolen-card use.
• Con: Custom pricing means merchants must request a quote to determine affordability.
• Con: Online is the supported channel, which may not suit businesses looking for stated in-person payment protection.

Alternatives

Stripe Radar is worth considering for businesses on standard Stripe payments pricing that want AI fraud prevention and card-testing protection included at no additional charge through its Radar Lite plan.

DataVisor Fraud Platform is another paid, custom enterprise platform for merchants prepared to request a demo.

Riskified is a paid alternative for buyers comparing payment-risk platforms.

FraudLabs Pro may suit smaller operations that can work within a free Micro plan of 500 queries per month and sales below 25K USD per month, with five validation rules.

IPQualityScore Fraud Prevention offers a free plan with 10 custom rules, 1,000 lookups per month, and a 35-lookups-per-day limit, making it an option for teams needing a capped free starting point.

Forter Trust Platform is another paid option to compare.

Kount 360 may be a better fit for Shopify merchants seeking a stated entry price: its Shopify app plan costs $25 a month, with a recurring fee and per-transaction charges up to $0.12.

Vesta is another paid alternative.

Browse more options in Payment Fraud Detection Software and Fraud Detection Software.

Verdict

Choose Sift Payment Protection if your digital business needs fast, automated online fraud decisions across a range of payment threats and can evaluate a custom quote. Its scoring speed, adaptable policies, and broad coverage are the strongest reasons to consider it. Look elsewhere if you need a free tier, transparent pricing, or stated in-person channel support.