Comparison

Veritome vs a free compliance checker

The European Commission’s EU AI Act Service Desk publishes a free compliance checker, and several excellent free tools exist alongside it. Use them. They answer “does this apply to me?” — they just can’t answer “can I prove it?”

The short answer

Free checkers are genuinely good and you should start with them, especially the Commission’s own. They classify one system, once, and tell you which obligations attach. They hold no state: no register, no evidence, no documents, no reminders, and no way to show a third party what you did. Veritome begins exactly where they stop.

Veritome vs a free compliance checker — feature comparison
	Veritome	Free checker
Cost	Free, then €79/mo	Free
Classifies a system	Yes — branching logic to the article	Yes — that is what they’re for
Authoritative source	Follows the Regulation; not an EU body	The Commission’s checker is official (beta)
Keeps a register of your systems	Yes	No — one system at a time, no memory
Stores evidence	Hash-sealed, versioned	No
Generates Annex IV / FRIA / DoC	Yes	No
Tells you when something changes	Reminders and re-assessment prompts	No — you must re-run it manually
Reflects the Digital Omnibus (2026)	Yes — reviewed and dated	Varies — some widely used free tools have not been updated since mid-2025
Proves compliance to a third party	Public verify URL	No

Where each wins

Both columns, in good faith.

Where Veritome wins

A living register instead of a one-shot answer
Evidence that is stored, versioned and sealed
Documents assembled from your live data
Re-assessment when a system, vendor or the law changes
Something you can show a customer, auditor or authority

Where a free compliance checker wins

Free, with no account and no commitment
The Commission’s Service Desk is official, and its expert Q&A channel is genuinely useful and costs nothing
Perfectly sufficient for a company with one or two clearly low-risk systems
National authorities publish strong free guidance too — Spain’s AESIA guides in particular

Who should choose which

The honest split.

Choose Veritome if…

You have more than a couple of AI systems, obligations that continue over time, or a customer, auditor or investor who will ask you to demonstrate — not assert — that you handled it.

Use the free checkers if…

You have one or two AI systems, you’re a deployer, and nothing looks high-risk. Start with the Commission’s EU AI Act Service Desk and your national authority’s guidance. That path is free, official and often complete. We’d rather tell you that than sell you something you don’t need.

Straight answers

Questions people ask about this comparison

Is the European Commission’s checker better than a paid tool?

For classification it is authoritative and free, and everyone should use it. It is not built to hold your register, your evidence or your documents over time — that’s a different job, not a better or worse one.

Why do free checkers go out of date?

Because the law moves. The Digital Omnibus — Regulation (EU) 2026/1744 — changed the high-risk timetable in 2026, and several widely used free tools still reflect the 2024 text. Always check when a tool was last updated before relying on its dates.

Last reviewed: 05.08.2026. All comparisons →

Descriptions of third-party free tools reflect publicly available information at the last-reviewed date. Veritome is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the European Commission or any national authority. Completion in Veritome is a working method, not a guarantee of legal compliance — confirm with counsel.