SmartSearch Arvostelua 

I’d give zero stars if I could. Our experience with SmartSearch has been extremely disappointing. Before signing up, we felt pressured by persistent sales tactics. We were promised full CRM integration and branded applications. Neither turned out to be true. We specifically asked whether the system would block unclear ID documents from being submitted. We were assured it would. In reality, applications regularly failed for ‘unclear’ documents even when the IDs were perfectly clear, something your own representatives acknowledged. We ended up paying twice for the same applicants due to these system failures, which drained our credits and forced us into costly top-ups or contract renewal. Despite being told verbally that credits would be applied, nothing was confirmed in writing and we were left out of pocket. Today summed it up. Instead of a promised call to discuss our concerns, we received an email quoting significant renewal costs or around £1,200 in setup and data transfer fees, plus additional per-application charges just to leave. That felt like being trapped. Overall, misleading sales, repeated extra charges, inconsistent account management, and heavy exit costs. If your business relies on AML compliance, please consider these risks carefully.

★ 1/5 — Avoid. Read the contract VERY carefully before signing.

AVOID – make sure you understand exactly what you are signing.

We have now raised two formal complaints with SmartSearch regarding their contractual practices, and our experience has left us unable to recommend them.

We missed the required notice period on our previous agreement. As a result, we were faced with a significant financial commitment and ultimately entered into another long-term agreement rather than facing the financial consequences of the existing contractual position.

During those discussions, SmartSearch wanted us to enter into a five-year agreement, which would have represented around £6,000 of commitment for our business. We refused and ultimately entered into a three-year arrangement.

We are now only months into that agreement and have realised that our actual usage is extremely limited and the service simply doesn't represent value for our business.

We have asked to leave.

We have NOT demanded our money back.

We have NOT asked them to provide the service for free.

We have even offered to pay a reasonable commercial settlement to terminate early.

Their answer? No.

Their position is that the contractual commitment must be honoured. We are therefore potentially paying around £1,500–£2,000 per year upfront for a service we barely use and no longer want.

What makes this particularly frustrating is that businesses looking for AML checks should be aware that there are alternative models available in the marketplace, including pay-as-you-go options without comparable multi-year commitments.

My advice to any estate agent considering SmartSearch is therefore simple:

Do your research. Compare the alternatives. Read EVERY part of the contract, particularly the minimum term and notice provisions, and understand what happens if you miss the notice deadline or subsequently decide the service isn't right for you.

Had we properly appreciated the practical consequences of these contractual arrangements, we would never have entered into them.

Based on our experience, I would avoid SmartSearch and look at alternative AML providers first.

SmartSearch has proven to be an essential tool that has significantly streamlined our onboarding and compliance operation allowing us to move away from using multiple screening providers. Rachel, our account manager is highly responsive, collaborative, and proactive in addressing our feedback and operational questions.

Made an agreement with them 12 months ago, but didn't want to commit, so agreed to a more expensive contract and that I would serve notice straight away, thus limiting contract to 1 year. They have come up for renewal and they denied notice, saying individual who agreed this has left, so still in contract. Fortunately had a copy of e mail agreeing to this, but had to send it to them as they had no idea. no clue what they are doing.. avoid these people.

We are an IFA practice and we use it primarily as an ID tool as it integrates well with Intelligent Office. We have regular reviews and our support manager Rachel who is fantastic. Would recommend for this.

SmartSearch has proven to be an invaluable partner for our business. The platform is reliable, efficient, and easy to use, and the support we receive is consistently of a high standard. Our Account Manager, Andrew, provides exceptional service, offering expert guidance and ensuring that our package continues to meet the evolving needs of our business
The entire team is professional, responsive, and a pleasure to work with. We would strongly recommend SmartSearch to any company seeking an effective, dependable and compliant solution.

Holly was approachable and easy to talk to when discussing our contract, options and training. A pleasure to work with :)

Great platform, easy to use and navigate, good support when required, including training session at no extra cost and regular communication with our account manager. We have been using this platform for some time and would recommend it to other accountancy firms

Excellent service and support

We have been using SmartSearch for some time now and have been consistently impressed with both the platform and the service provided. Our Account Manager, Holly, is always professional, knowledgeable and incredibly helpful, ensuring that we have the right package and services to meet our company's needs.

The team is responsive, easy to work with, and always happy to provide support whenever required. We would highly recommend SmartSearch to any business looking for a reliable and efficient compliance solution.

SmartSearch provides an efficient and user-friendly electronic solution that helps us meet our AML responsibilities with confidence. The platform is easy to navigate, and its dedicated support team is readily available to assist with any queries arising from the screening results.

SmartSearch provides the service we require in a easy to understand and efficient manner with regards AML and client identification legislation in the insolvency industry.

Customer service was previously rather lacking, however, in the last 12 months our newly assigned relationship manager reviewed our account and recognised it was no fit for purpose and that we were not getting value for money. This has since been resolved.

We are satisfied with the current service being provided and would recommend SmartSearch to my contacts in the industry.

refuse to allow us to add credits . continually trying to up sell and ask for more. We are leaving

Awful app which it is clearly AI, that is, ARTIFICIAL IDIOCY. To begin with, it doesn't work with iPhone's Safari. I had to change to Google Chrome. Then the selfie is so fast that we can barely put a face inside the frame. They ask for a passport photo and that's when the real problem starts. Many factors influence the acceptance a passport photo. They put a vertical frame which is obviously not compatible with passport photos so we change it and when we finally get the passport frame the app considers it done without letting us do the focus. Smart search is a hysterical app and , as most things called "smart" , it's just the opposite of smart.

I did an ID verification some time ago using a different app . Unlike smartsearch, I was allowed to keep trying. I finally realised that the problem was the screen protector on my phone . I removed the screen protector and the verification worked.

But smart search doesn't let you keep trying and after two more attempts they end the "session" and say the search has been concluded...

If you have the option then use a different id verification app. Smart search is a wrong name and the wrong app to use

I have been using Smartsearch for around 7 months now and very pleased how it works and integrates with our back office system. My account manager Holly Bateson has been extremally helpful and easy to deal with.

We had experienced endless issues with several other service providers in the last 5 years, but SmartSearch have proven to be a breath of fresh air. Their platform is easy to use and provides all the information we need. We've been able to transfer the monitoring of our current database with ease. We overlapped with our previous provider at the end of that contract and we noticed instantly that SmartSearch were providing much more without the price tag. Auditing is now simple, their reports are laid out in a straightforward way and we've had great customer service from Rachel Lockwood. She took the time to understand our business needs from the start and our usage package was tailored to suit. There have been no nasty surcharges as we haven't been going over our subscription, which is what we've had to put up with previously. Overall, can't fault them and we're now looking at some of the other services they provide to see what else they can make easier for us.

Liv Boardman has been my point of contact since my contract began in 2025, and I have found her to be incredibly proactive, responsive, and helpful. The software is expensive for my small business but the customer service has been exceptional.

After the merry go round of Account Managers (or Customer Success Executives as they like to be called) we've had over the past 5 years, some good some awful, we have finally found a gem in Holly Bateson who services us and guides us well through our minimal yet effective interaction with the software. I do understand others gripes over contracts etc and their rigidity and to be honest, not entirely impressed with their recent well over inflation price hikes which we will disputing come contract renewal.

Terrible UX - if you're a law firm or whoever, do not buy this technology, it is bottom barrel with terrible conversion. Could not scan my face.

Very poor customer service once you are signed up with escalating costs. There are other providers and we will move to them.

AVOID AT ALL COSTS, currently trying to hold us to an additional year despite previously giving them notice. They say auto renewal has happened as my most recent correspondence was 5 days past a three month notice period (again notice has been served previously 12 months ago.) They are also double the price of the competitor we are moving too as an estate agency