Comparison
Kairos Check vs Stripe Radar
Stripe Radar is excellent — and free. But it only works inside Stripe and only on card transactions. Here's the full picture.
| Feature | Stripe Radar | Kairos Check |
|---|---|---|
| Works outside Stripe payment flow | ❌ No | ✅ Yes |
| Check before user signs up | ❌ No | ✅ Yes |
| Domain checks | ❌ No | ✅ Yes |
| Email domain checks | ⚠️ Basic disposable filter | ✅ Full OSINT score |
| Phone number checks | ❌ No | ✅ Yes |
| IBAN checks | ❌ No | ✅ Yes |
| OSINT reputation signals | ❌ No | ✅ 8-layer engine |
| Explainable scores with reasons | ❌ Black box | ✅ Full signal breakdown |
| Audit trail exportable | ❌ No export | ✅ GDPR Art.15 export |
| GDPR Art.22 human oversight flag | ❌ No | ✅ Yes |
| Works with Shopify, WooCommerce, custom checkouts | ❌ Stripe only | ✅ Any platform |
| Use in cron jobs / batch | ❌ No | ✅ Yes |
| REST API with Bearer auth | ⚠️ Internal Stripe only | ✅ Open REST API |
| Price | Free (within Stripe) | €29/month (standalone) |
When to use each
Use Stripe Radar when…
- All your payments go through Stripe
- You want zero-config card fraud protection
- You have a low chargeback rate and no compliance obligations
- You need ML-based card anomaly detection (Radar's core strength)
Use Kairos Check when…
- You need to check users before they ever reach Stripe
- You accept payments outside Stripe (Shopify, PayPal, SEPA)
- You need to audit domains, emails, or IBANs your users provide
- Regulators or compliance require explainable scores
- You want a GDPR-native audit trail for every check
Can I use both?
Yes — and many teams do. Use Kairos Check to screen users at signup and flag high-risk domains before they reach your checkout. Let Stripe Radar handle card-level anomalies at payment time. They operate at different points in the funnel and complement each other.