# yoti

Source: https://startwithidentity.com/vendors/identity-verification/yoti/
Last updated: 2026-09-20
License: content by Start with Identity. Cite the source URL.

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## Overview

Yoti is the age assurance specialist in a field of general [identity verification](https://startwithidentity.com/guides/compliance/customer-identity-verification-guide/) vendors, and the numbers support the specialism. Its algorithms lead NIST's Face Analysis Technology Evaluation for age estimation, it is certified on the UK statutory verification register across four services including Post Office EasyID, and it reported passing one billion age checks in November 2025.

Founded in 2014 and headquartered in London, Yoti Ltd is privately held, with Lloyds Banking Group taking a shareholding through a [10 million pound investment](https://www.yoti.com/blog/lloyds-banking-group-invests-10-million-in-digital-identity-company-yoti/) plus loan conversion in 2023.

## What it is good at

Independently measured accuracy, which is rare enough in this category to be the headline. In NIST's evaluation the yoti-002 algorithm ranked first for children aged 13 to 16, with a mean absolute error of 1.876 years against IDEMIA's 2.169, and NIST measured 1.4 years error for ages 6 to 17 on mugshot images. Yoti submits repeatedly and improves measurably between generations.

Method breadth matters for real deployments. Beyond facial age estimation, Yoti offers its Digital ID app, document verification, age tokens, credit card checks, and country-specific routes through Swedish BankID, Finnish FTN, Danish MitID, French double anonymity and Louisiana's LA Wallet. An on-device model runs without connectivity for self-checkouts and terminals.

Privacy engineering is deliberate: images are deleted immediately after age estimation, externally reviewed under SOC 2 and PAS 1296, and the model is explicitly not trained for one-to-many face matching, so no special-category biometric processing occurs. MyFace passive liveness holds iBeta Level 1 and Level 2, retested in 2025.

## Where it falls short

No published pricing whatsoever, and no disclosed financials, which makes commercial evaluation harder than it should be.

Accuracy claims need reading carefully. Yoti's own figures, 1.1 years error for 13 to 17 year olds, come from higher-resolution mobile selfies than NIST uses and are not comparable with NIST's numbers. More importantly, Yoti's white paper states plainly that the model it describes is a development model rather than the one in production.

Scope is narrower than general IDV platforms: no AML screening, no KYB, no transaction monitoring. For a full compliance programme Yoti is one component.

## Pricing

Unpublished. The consumer Digital ID app is free to individuals; business pricing is quote-only. Model your all-in cost with our [TCO calculator](https://startwithidentity.com/tools/tco-calculator/).

## Best for, and who should look elsewhere

Choose Yoti when age assurance is the requirement, particularly for UK Online Safety Act obligations, retail age checks or platforms needing child-safety controls with defensible accuracy evidence. Choose [Sumsub](https://startwithidentity.com/vendors/identity-verification/sumsub/), [Persona](https://startwithidentity.com/vendors/identity-verification/persona/) or [Jumio](https://startwithidentity.com/vendors/identity-verification/jumio/) for general identity verification with AML and KYB coverage.

## Bottom line

The most credibly benchmarked age assurance provider available, with genuine privacy engineering and UK certification, let down only by complete pricing opacity.