Vendor breakdown at your volume
Screening-only vendors (Radar, Sift) bill a service fee but leave chargeback losses with you — "net cost" adds your estimated chargeback loss on top. Guarantee vendors (Riskified, Signifyd) bill a percent-of-GMV fee that already covers approved-order fraud, so net cost equals their fee alone. Rates are published/estimated figures as of Aug 2026 — confirm with each vendor for a contract quote.
| Vendor | Billing shape | Service fee / mo | Chargeback exposure | Net cost / mo |
|---|
Screening fee, quota+overage, or percent of GMV — three different bills for the same job
Stripe Radar for Fraud Teams is the simplest shape: a flat rate per screened transaction (roughly $0.02–$0.07 in published estimates, modelled here at $0.05 standalone), with no minimum and no guarantee — you get a risk score and decision recommendation, and you still carry the loss if you approve something that turns out fraudulent. Sift adds a contracted base platform fee on top of per-event pricing, and — like many usage-metered B2B platforms — bills events beyond your contracted quota at a 20–50% overage premium; this calculator uses a $999 base, $0.10/event within a 50,000-event quota and a 35% overage penalty above it. Neither tool indemnifies you: the fee buys a signal, not insurance. Riskified and Signifyd price differently on purpose — a percentage of GMV (roughly 0.6–1.2% for Riskified, 0.3–0.6% for Signifyd, both varying by risk category) that functions as a chargeback guarantee: approve an order on their recommendation and, if it turns out fraudulent, they eat the loss instead of you. That is why this calculator computes a "net cost" for each vendor rather than comparing sticker fees directly — screening tools look cheap until you add back the fraud losses they don't cover, and guarantee tools look expensive until a bad month of chargebacks would have cost more than a year of the guarantee fee. Pair this with the Chargeback Cost Calculator to model dispute fees separately, the KYC & ID Verification Cost Calculator for identity checks earlier in the funnel, and the Payment Fee Calculator for processor fees on top of all of this.
How this calculator works
Your order count and average order value first compute GMV (orders × AOV) and an estimated unprotected chargeback loss (GMV × your fraud chargeback rate). Stripe Radar's cost is orders × $0.05/screen. Sift's cost is a $999 base plus $0.10/event for the first 50,000 events and $0.135/event (a 35% overage premium) beyond that. Riskified and Signifyd charge a percentage of GMV that scales with your selected risk tier — low risk uses the low end of each vendor's published range, high risk uses the high end. Because Radar and Sift only sell a risk signal, their "net cost" adds your estimated chargeback loss on top of the service fee — you are still on the hook for whatever fraud slips through. Riskified and Signifyd's net cost equals their fee alone, since their percentage already prices in reimbursing you for fraud on orders they approved. The cheapest net cost is highlighted, and the note explains where your numbers sit relative to the crossover point between screening and guaranteeing. Figures are Aug 2026 published/estimated rates; real contracts vary by category, region and negotiated volume.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a screening fee and a chargeback guarantee fee?
Screening tools (Radar, Sift) score risk and hand you a recommendation — you still eat the loss on approved fraud. Guarantee tools (Riskified, Signifyd) charge a percent of GMV and reimburse you for fraud on orders they approved, transferring the tail risk to the vendor.
When does a guarantee become cheaper than screening plus losses?
Below roughly 0.3–0.5% fraud chargeback rate, screening plus eating occasional losses is usually cheaper. Above that, a fixed guarantee fee often beats a rising uncovered loss — enter your rate above to see your crossover.
Why do Riskified and Signifyd charge different percentages?
Riskified (≈0.6–1.2% of GMV) prices around approving more borderline orders; Signifyd (≈0.3–0.6%) varies more by merchant risk category. Neither publishes an exact rate card — both require a quote.
Does Sift include a chargeback guarantee?
No — Sift is risk-scoring only, priced as a base platform fee plus metered per-event pricing with an overage penalty past your quota. You still carry the loss on approved fraud, same liability shape as Stripe Radar.
Is Stripe Radar cheaper if I already use Stripe Payments?
Often yes — Radar's core scoring is included with Stripe Payments; the standalone per-screen rate modelled here mainly applies to Radar for Fraud Teams or transactions processed outside Stripe.
Should I run a screening tool and a guarantee tool together?
Usually redundant, since guarantee vendors run their own scoring as part of the fee you already pay. Most merchants start with screening at low fraud rates and graduate to a guarantee as volume or exposure grows.