FTx Identity vs. TruAge Pricing & Features Comparison

Age verification is one of those things retailers need to get right every time. Whether you’re selling tobacco, vaping products, alcohol, or other age-restricted goods, you need a reliable way to confirm that customers meet the legal age requirements.

But how you handle those checks depends on where and how you sell.

For example, a convenience store verifying IDs at the register has different needs from an ecommerce business checking a customer’s age during checkout. If you sell through both channels, you’ll want a solution that supports each without adding unnecessary steps to the shopping experience.

That’s where age verification tools such as FTx Identity and TruAge come in. Both help businesses verify customer age and reduce the risk of underage sales, but they take different approaches.

FTx Identity combines age and identity verification with AI-powered fraud detection and biometric authentication. TruAge, by comparison, focuses on age verification while limiting the personal information shared with retailers.

So, which solution is the better fit for your business? Let’s compare their verification methods, privacy features, integrations, and pricing to help you decide.

What Is FTx Identity?

Think about how many ways a customer might interact with your business. They could walk into your store, shop on your website, or use a vending machine. No matter where the interaction happens, you may need a reliable way to verify their age or identity.

FTx Identity helps make those checks easier to manage. It’s an AI-powered age and identity verification platform that combines ID document checks, biometric authentication, and AI-powered fraud detection to help businesses verify customers and identify potentially fraudulent activity.

Who Is FTx Identity Best For?

FTx Identity is worth considering if your business needs more than a basic age check, particularly if you sell online and in person.

It can be a good fit for:

• Convenience stores and gas stations
• Tobacco, vape, and cigar retailers
• Liquor stores
• CBD retailers
• Ecommerce businesses selling age-restricted products
• Online gaming and gambling businesses
• Businesses that need identity verification alongside age checks

What Is TruAge?

Developed by the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) and Conexxus, TruAge is a not-for-profit age verification solution that helps retailers check customer age while limiting the personal information shared. Customers can use a valid U.S. driver’s license, a supported mobile driver’s license (mDL), or the TruAge app to verify they meet the required age threshold.

TruAge generates an encrypted, anonymized token as proof of verification and works with compatible POS systems and 2D barcode scanners. Its optional TruAge Verify hardware also supports age checks at certain entry points and age-restricted areas.

Who Is TruAge Best For?

TruAge is designed for retailers looking to verify customer age while limiting the personal information shared during the process.

Common use cases include:

• Convenience stores and small retailers
• Tobacco, vape, liquor, and other age-restricted retailers
• Stadiums, arenas, and event venues
• Ecommerce and age-restricted delivery businesses

TruAge also supports online checkout and delivery through compatible integrations, so its applications aren’t limited to brick-and-mortar stores.

FTx Identity vs. TruAge: Quick Comparison

The two solutions share the same basic goal, but they differ in how they verify customers, handle personal information, and fit into existing retail systems.

Here’s a quick side-by-side look before we get into the details:

Feature-by-Feature Comparison: FTx Identity vs. TruAge

Both solutions help retailers verify customer age, but their features and capabilities differ.

Here’s how FTx Identity and TruAge compare across the key features retailers may need:

1. In-Store/POS Verification

• FTx Identity: We support age and identity verification through compatible POS setups. The verification process includes an ID image and a live selfie. Our biometric authentication and 3D liveness detection help verify that the customer is a real person.
• TruAge: Works with compatible POS systems to verify a customer’s age using an eligible driver’s license, a supported mobile driver’s license, or the TruAge app. Hardware requirements depend on the POS setup.

2. Ecommerce & Delivery

• FTx Identity: We support online age and identity verification through ecommerce integrations. Customers can complete verification during checkout, depending on the website’s integration and configuration.
• TruAge: Its publicly documented integrations focus on supported POS systems and certain in-person use cases. Availability for ecommerce and delivery depends on the specific integration.

3. Privacy and Customer Data

• FTx Identity: We use ID document checks and biometric authentication to help confirm a customer’s age and identity. We also use security measures to protect verification information throughout the process.
• TruAge: Uses an encrypted, anonymized verification token to confirm age without providing the retailer with the customer’s full identity through the token.

4. Compliance Tools and Reporting

Both solutions can support retailers’ age verification workflows, although their available tools differ.

• FTx Identity: We provide verification records and reporting tools to help businesses review verification activity. The available information depends on the product configuration.
• TruAge: Offers reporting at individual-store and multi-location levels. Retailers can review carding rates, declined transactions, flagged IDs, and volume-limit declines to better understand how age checks are working across their stores

5. Loyalty, Marketing, and Customer Experience

• FTx Identity: We support returning-customer verification through facial recognition, QR codes, and OTPs depending on the setup. For participating retailers, our integration with Loyal-n-Save can connect the verification experience with the loyalty program.
• TruAge: Can work with compatible loyalty apps, allowing businesses to incorporate age verification into existing customer experiences. TruAge also provides marketing materials that retailers can use to explain how its privacy-focused approach works.

6. Developers

• FTx Identity: Our age verification API and SDKs let developers add age and identity verification to websites, apps, and business systems. Available options depend on the platform and integration requirements.
• TruAge: Supports integrations with compatible POS systems and provides development resources for businesses looking to add age verification to supported services. Available options depend on the platform and integration.

7. Hardware Options

• FTx Identity: We support in-store verification through compatible business systems. Hardware requirements depend on the POS environment and how verification is set up.
• TruAge: Can work with compatible POS systems and 2D barcode scanners, so a separate device may not be necessary for supported setups. TruAge Verify also offers optional hardware for use cases such as age-restricted entry points and POS systems without a direct integration.

FTx Identity vs. TruAge Pricing: How Much Do They Cost?

Pricing is another factor to consider when comparing age verification solutions. The total cost depends on your business needs, verification volume, and whether you need coverage for online sales, in-store transactions, or both.

FTx Identity Pricing

FTx Identity offers pricing options for ecommerce, in-store point-of-sale (POS) verification, and businesses that need both.

Monthly plans start at $25 per website for ecommerce verification or $25 per store for in-store verification. If you need both, a combined plan starts at $50 per month per location.

A fee of $0.50 applies per approved verification, while failed verifications aren’t charged. Repeat verifications are free in-store, while online re-verifications cost $0.50 each. Multi-location retailers may also qualify for volume discounts.

TruAge Pricing

TruAge’s standard age verification solution is free for eligible convenience stores and many small retailers. Larger grocery stores and mass retailers may incur fees, and optional TruAge Verify hardware may involve additional costs.

Which Offers Better Value?

When comparing prices, it’s worth asking one simple question: What do you need your verification solution to do?

If your main goal is to confirm a customer’s age, TruAge may be a good fit. But if you also need to verify identities and detect potential fraud, you’ll want to consider what other capabilities could help your business.

FTx Identity brings age and identity verification, biometric authentication, and AI-powered fraud detection together. It also supports online and in-store verification, making it a practical option for businesses that need to check more than just a customer’s age.

At the end of the day, value isn’t just about finding the lowest price. It’s about finding a solution that fits your business, covers the verification needs you have today, and gives you the capabilities you’re looking for as those needs evolve. If that sounds like what you’re after, FTx Identity is worth a closer look.

Where FTx Identity Stands Out

Age verification involves more than checking an ID. You also need to consider who’s presenting it, how you sell, and how to make repeat visits easier.

Here’s how FTx Identity brings these pieces together:

Online and In-Store Verification

Do you sell both online and in person? FTx Identity supports verification across ecommerce and physical retail environments, giving businesses options for checking customers across different sales channels.

AI-Powered Identity Verification

An ID can tell you more than someone’s age. FTx Identity combines ID document checks with AI-powered fraud detection to help identify potentially fraudulent documents and verify customer identities.

Biometric Authentication and 3D Liveness Detection

How can you check that the person completing a verification is actually there and matches the identity being presented? FTx Identity supports selfie verification, facial recognition, and 3D liveness detection to help confirm that connection.

SDK and API Integrations

Your verification process should fit into the way your business already operates. FTx Identity offers software development kits (SDKs) and application programming interfaces (APIs) that can be integrated into supported websites, applications, and business systems.

Returning-Customer Verification

Customers don’t necessarily want to repeat the same steps every time they return. Depending on the setup, FTx Identity supports repeat verification using facial recognition, QR codes, or OTPs, helping make subsequent checks more convenient.

Conclusion

Choosing an age verification solution means looking at more than just how a customer proves their age. Your business may also need to verify identities, identify potentially fraudulent documents, and support customers shopping both online and in person.

FTx Identity brings these needs together through age and identity verification, biometric authentication, AI-powered fraud detection, and returning-customer verification. This gives businesses options for handling different verification needs across their online and in-store operations.

As you weigh your options, consider how your business operates today and what you may need as it grows. The right solution should fit your existing workflows while helping you serve customers with confidence.