How ChronoVerify compares
Image-verification tools make different bets about coverage, output, pricing, and what a result even means. This page lays out ChronoVerify's choices by category rather than by vendor, so you can judge the fit for your use case. We do not name competitors here, on purpose: ChronoVerify is used by people who need a neutral tool.
In one line each
- Works on any image, signed or not, instead of only validating files that already carry a signature.
- Provenance-first (when, what, edited?) rather than a probabilistic deepfake score.
- Flat per-image pricing with no operation multipliers, and fully self-serve.
- One fused verdict plus every underlying signal, identical in the browser and the API.
The choices, side by side
| What buyers weigh | Common approach in the category | ChronoVerify's design choice |
|---|---|---|
| Coverage | Validate only files that already carry a signature, and go blank on everything else | Read C2PA Content Credentials when present, then fall back to EXIF, XMP, and pixel forensics so any image returns a verdict |
| What it answers | A probabilistic "AI or real" score | Provenance-first: when it was taken, what took it, whether it shows signs of editing, with the evidence |
| Pricing | Per-operation multipliers and tiered add-ons | One flat per-image rate, no operation multipliers, no annual contract |
| Getting started | A sales call, a quote, and onboarding | Self-serve: a free public verifier, prepaid credits from $5, an API key in minutes |
| Output | A raw metadata dump, or a single black-box number | One fused verdict enum plus a 0 to 100 confidence and every signal, identical in the browser and the API |
| Posture | Marketed as proof or as detection | Investigative triage with documented limits, never a sole basis for a decision about a person |
Categories describe common patterns across the space, not any single product. Some tools combine several of these, and the right choice depends on whether you need provenance triage or a probabilistic classifier.
Where ChronoVerify is the wrong tool
Honesty cuts both ways. ChronoVerify is not for you if you need a probabilistic deepfake or AI-generation classifier, or a single number you can drop into an automated accept/reject decision. It is provenance-first triage: it tells you what a file's own evidence says and how much to trust it, for a human to act on. If you need a courtroom-grade authenticity guarantee, no tool in this category provides that, and we say so plainly on the method page.
Common questions
Is ChronoVerify a deepfake detector?
No. It is provenance-first and returns investigative triage, not a probabilistic AI-or-real score. It reports when a photo was taken, what took it, and whether it shows signs of editing, with the signals behind the verdict.
Does it work on images with no Content Credentials?
Yes. Most images are unsigned, so it reads C2PA when present and falls back to EXIF, XMP, and pixel forensics, returning a verdict on any image.
How much does the API cost?
A flat $0.003 per image from prepaid credits, no per-operation multipliers. The first 100 verifications each month are included with any key, and the public verifier is free. See pricing.
Do I have to talk to sales?
No. Start with the free verifier, create a key, add prepaid credits from $5, and call the API. No sales call, no annual contract.
Is a verdict proof?
No. A verdict is investigative triage with a stated confidence and documented limits. A clean result means a file is internally consistent, not that the scene is real.
What is the false-positive rate?
We publish how we measure it, including a wide safety margin against falsely flagging authentic photos, on the calibration and benchmark report.
The fastest way to judge the fit is to run a photo through it.
Try the free verifier