# Sanction Scanner vs Alessa: which do AI models recommend for AML monitoring, October 2026

Finance AI Recommendation Index, October 2026 Edition, AML and transaction monitoring. Zero of fourteen models named Sanction Scanner first on the direct prompt; one named Alessa. Page: https://finance-ai-index.com/tax/aml-and-transaction-monitoring/sanction-scanner-vs-alessa/

| | First-choice share | Rank | Negative rate | Labels | Models naming it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sanction Scanner | 13% | #3 of 13 | 6% | 17 | 12 of 14 |
| Alessa | 2% | #5 of 13 | 0% | 17 | 7 of 14 |

## The direct prompt, model by model

- Claude Haiku 4.5: alessa first (first choices: Alessa, ComplyAdvantage) (alternatives: Napier AI, Unit21)
- Grok 4.1 Fast: neither first, one named (first choices: Flagright) (alternatives: Alessa, Hummingbird, Ondato)
- Mistral Small: neither first, one named (first choices: Feedzai) (alternatives: Alessa, ComplyAdvantage, Napier AI, ThetaRay, Unit21)
- DeepSeek V4 Flash: neither first, one named (first choices: ComplyAdvantage) (alternatives: Alessa, Unit21)
- Kimi K2: neither first, one named (first choices: ComplyAdvantage, Flagright) (alternatives: Alessa, Lucinity, Sift)
- Muse Glimmer 30B: neither first, one named (first choices: Unit21) (alternatives: Alessa, Eftsure, Feedzai, Hawk AI, Napier AI Continuum, Sanction Scanner)
- GPT-5.4 mini: neither named (first choices: Unit21) (alternatives: Feedzai, Fenergo)
- Gemini 3.5 Flash: neither named (first choices: Alloy) (alternatives: ComplyAdvantage, Sumsub, Unit21)
- Perplexity Sonar: neither named (first choices: Trustform) (alternatives: ComplyAdvantage, Flagright, Hawk AI)
- Llama 4 Maverick: neither named (first choices: Sphinx) (alternatives: FraudNet, Ondato, Shuftipro, Tookitaki)
- Qwen 3.7 Flash: neither named (first choices: ComplyCube) (alternatives: Dow Jones Risk & Compliance, Sumsub, Trulioo)
- GLM 4.7 FlashX: neither named (first choices: ComplyAdvantage, NorthRow) (alternatives: Alloy, SEON)
- MiniMax M2.5: neither named
- GPT-6 Luna: neither named (first choices: Unit21) (alternatives: Alloy, ComplyAdvantage, Sardine)

## What the models said about Sanction Scanner

- "Explicitly described as screening-only / sanctions and PEP, not full transaction monitoring." (Perplexity Sonar, negative prompt, soft negative)
- "Sanction Scanner if you want the best all-around balance of features and usability." (GPT-5.4 mini, paraphrase prompt, first choice)
- "Positioned as a budget-friendly AML for businesses of any size with tier-based pricing." (Muse Glimmer 30B, budget prompt, first choice)
- "1. Sanction Scanner
- Cost-effective screening solution
- API-first approach" (MiniMax M2.5, budget prompt, first choice)

## What the models said about Alessa

- "Alessa is another strong contender specifically positioned for mid-market organizations." (Claude Haiku 4.5, direct prompt, first choice)
- "If compliance case volume is already high and you need robust investigation workflows, Alessa or Lucinity are safer bets." (Kimi K2, direct prompt, alternative)
- "If you need a more rules-based, configurable solution at a mid-market price point, Alessa is also highly recommended." (Mistral Small, direct prompt, alternative)

Share is the count of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts over all fourteen models, for a mid-market B2B company; rank is within the category. Comparisons are drawn for the top eight products in each category. Published under CC BY 4.0; the output is the models' output, and nothing here is a recommendation by the index.