AM ForensicsAM Forensics vs Sayari
Sayari builds a graph of global corporate ownership, trade, and supply-chain data, letting analysts trace beneficial ownership and counterparty networks across jurisdictions from a single interface.
/ How each is bought
The clearest difference is usually not features. It is what you are actually buying, who performs it, and what you own at the end.
AM Forensics
- Engagement
- Per-subject or per-matter engagement
- Pricing
- Fixed price and turnaround quoted at scoping
- Who does the work
- Named investigator, start to finish
- Independence
- Independent — no data-licensing revenue, no referral fees
Sayari
- Engagement
- Annual data subscription
- Pricing
- Seat and coverage-based subscription
- Who does the work
- Your analysts query the platform
- Independence
- Data vendor
/ Side by side
These rows describe how each firm operates — facts you can verify — rather than judgments about product quality. Where a flat yes or no would mislead, the cell says so.
| Capability | AM Forensics | Sayari |
|---|---|---|
| Named investigator does the workNo handoff to an offshore research pool. | ✓Yes | −No |
| Every finding tied to a cited sourceReports footnote the record behind each assertion. | ✓Yes | ~PartlyRecords are attributed to source datasets; not verified against primary filings per query. |
| Primary public and corporate recordsFilings, courts, registries — not database aggregation alone. | ✓Yes | ~PartlyAggregates registry data; primary-document retrieval is a separate step. |
| Metadata and digital-artifact analysisDocument provenance, EXIF, file-history examination. | ✓Yes | −No |
| Fixed price quoted before work beginsScope and cost agreed in writing, not billed open-ended. | ✓Yes | ~Partly |
| Report structured for counsel and courtWritten anticipating challenge and privilege. | ✓Yes | −NoDelivers data, not a report. |
| Single-subject engagements acceptedNo annual contract or subscription minimum. | ✓Yes | −No |
| AML and financial-crime contextFindings interpreted against BSA/AML expectations. | ✓Yes | ~Partly |
| Named turnaround commitmentA date, agreed at scoping. | ✓Yes | ✓YesInstant queries — the interpretation is what takes time. |
/ Where Sayari is the better call
We would rather you buy the right thing than buy from us. Here is where Sayari genuinely wins.
Sayari does this well
- Genuinely excellent global corporate-registry and ownership graph coverage
- Trade and shipment data linked to corporate records — rare and valuable
- Fast network tracing that would take an analyst days by hand
Best for: Teams doing continuous network analysis at volume who have analysts to run it.
Where teams still come to us
- A graph shows connections; it does not tell you which ones matter.
- Registry data carries errors and staleness that need verification against the primary filing.
- Subscription pricing is hard to justify for occasional use.
- No written report, no cited findings, nobody accountable for a conclusion.
AM Forensics fits when: When you need a conclusion rather than a graph — verified against primary filings, cited, and written up for a file or for counsel.
/ Three reasons teams choose AM Forensics instead
Verified against the primary filing
Aggregated registry data goes stale and carries transcription errors. AM Forensics pulls the underlying filing and cites it, so a finding survives being checked.
A conclusion, in writing
You get an investigator's assessment of what the network means — layering, nominee patterns, control versus ownership — not a screenshot of a graph.
No subscription required
Pay per subject. If you run four investigations a year, an enterprise data subscription is the wrong instrument.
Subject Scoping Call
A 30-minute call on one live subject: what the open record is likely to hold, what it will not, and what a defensible report would cost. If the answer is that you do not need an investigation, we will tell you.
- Realistic read on what OSINT and records can establish
- Jurisdiction and source-availability constraints, up front
- Fixed price and turnaround before you commit
/ Top Sayari alternatives in 2026
If Sayari is not the right fit, these are the options worth comparing — starting with the one we would look at first.
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Independent practice
AM Forensics
An independent investigative due-diligence practice: open-source intelligence, public and corporate records, and metadata investigations for financial institutions, fintechs, investors, and counsel. When you need a conclusion rather than a graph — verified against primary filings, cited, and written up for a file or for counsel.
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Due-diligence research database
LexisNexis Diligence
LexisNexis provides due-diligence research tooling built on its news, legal, and public-records archives, letting compliance teams run adverse-media, sanctions, and background searches from a single platform.
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Screening & risk-intelligence database
LSEG World-Check
World-Check, now part of LSEG Risk Intelligence, is one of the most widely used screening databases for sanctions, PEPs, and adverse media, embedded in KYC workflows across the financial-services industry.
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Risk database & entity data
Moody's Grid
Moody's Grid is a risk database of sanctioned, politically exposed, and adversely reported entities, offered alongside Moody's broader entity, ownership, and company-data holdings for KYC and third-party screening.
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Global investigations firm
Kroll
Kroll is the best-known name in corporate investigations, offering business intelligence, due diligence, forensic accounting, and cyber investigations at global scale. It is the default choice for large corporates and law firms on high-stakes matters.
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Investigative due diligence firm
Mintz Group
Mintz Group is a specialist investigations firm focused on background investigations, due diligence, and fact-finding for law firms, corporates, and investors, with a strong reputation for rigorous, source-based work.
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Global investigations firm
Nardello & Co.
Nardello & Co. is a global investigations firm founded by a former federal prosecutor, known for discreet, senior-led work on complex disputes, FCPA matters, and reputational investigations.
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Global risk consultancy
Control Risks
Control Risks is a global specialist risk consultancy covering political risk, security, crisis management, compliance, and investigations, serving multinationals operating in complex environments.
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Corporate intelligence & cyber
S-RM
S-RM is a corporate intelligence and cyber-security consultancy providing due diligence, investigations, and incident response, with a strong presence in the private-equity and law-firm markets.
/ Questions we actually get asked
Do you use platforms like Sayari?
Can you trace beneficial ownership?
What if ownership sits in a secrecy jurisdiction?
Is a report better than a database?
/ Related comparisons
AM Forensics vs LexisNexis Diligence
Compliance teams running regular adverse-media and background searches in volume.
AM Forensics vs LSEG World-Check
Any institution needing production sanctions and PEP screening embedded in onboarding.
AM Forensics vs Moody's Grid
Institutions screening large counterparty or vendor populations across multiple risk types.