# Unforged Nib vs traditional signature verification tools

> Tools differ, so ask each one the same questions. Unforged Nib compares each signature with the person's own references, gives one of six verdicts with reasons, and publishes its price: $0.50 per check.

Source: https://unforged.ai/nib/compare/traditional-vendors

Tools differ, and we won't guess at anyone else's. Here is what Nib does on each point, and the question worth asking of any tool you are weighing up.

## Side by side

| | Unforged Nib | What to ask of any tool |
|---|---|---|
| What a signature is compared against | The person's own reference signatures, enrolled once, and how much that person usually varies. | Does it compare each signature with that person's own references, or with a general idea of a genuine signature? |
| How the verdict is explained | One of six verdicts, a calibrated probability from 0 to 1 with a band, and plain-language reasons you can show an auditor. | Does every answer come with reasons you could show an auditor, or only a score? |
| Consistency | Every document goes through the same steps and your policy's thresholds. Each result records the policy and version that produced it. | Does each result record the settings and version that produced it? |
| Speed | Each check answers when it finishes: streamed as it runs, or by signed webhook. Batches go in by bucket drop. | Can it answer one signature as it is signed, as well as in batches? |
| Audit trail | Reasons, probability, policy and version on every result, and an append-only audit log kept 400 days. | Is there an append-only log of who changed what, and how long is it kept? |
| Unclear cases | FLAG sends it to a person. FAILED always goes to a person, never automatic. UNREADABLE asks for a better image, free. | What happens to a poor image, a missing signature or a borderline case? Are you charged for them? |
| Pricing model | $0.50 per check. A check is one document checked against one person's references, however many signatures it holds. UNREADABLE and NO SIGNATURE results, and enrolling references, are free. Volume pricing and invoicing on Talk to us plans. | Is the price published, and what exactly counts as one billable unit? |
| Data handling | Hosted in London (AWS eu-west-2). Used only to run your checks, never for training. Kept as long as your retention setting says. | Where are documents processed and stored, and are they ever used to train the product? |
| Integration | A REST API described in OpenAPI 3.1, bucket drop (S3), signed webhooks, and a dashboard with check history and exports. | Is there a documented API, webhooks, and a way to send batches without writing code? |

## How to run a fair trial

Whichever tools you compare, test them the same way:

- **Use your own documents**: Your forms, scans and phone photos, not a vendor's samples.
- **Include known forgeries**: And genuine signatures that vary, so you see both kinds of mistake.
- **Look at the unclear cases**: Where does each tool send them, and what does a reviewer see?
- **Count the cost per document**: Including the ones that come back unreadable or unsigned.