Why most “free” crypto AML tools are not
Search “free KYT” or “free crypto AML” and you will find plenty of results. Follow them through and the free part is usually one of three things.
A free trial
Free for a week or a month, then a card on file starts billing when it ends.
A capped freemium tier
A small number of checks per month, then paid — usually behind an API key and an account.
An enterprise “demo”
Free means a sales call. Pricing is a contract, often six figures a year.
PublicAML is none of those. It is a non-profit: screening is free because it is run as a public good, not as a funnel to a paid plan. No trial to expire, no monthly cap to hit, no key required to start.
Five real checks, and why each one scores what it does
Addresses from our own investigations, run through the same free check you get on this page, on 17 October 2026. No key, no account.
| Address | What it is | Free check | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| TQ5mpZ…TpFZ TRON | Houthi (Ansarallah) wallet on the OFAC list; 822.7M USDT passed through it | 100CRITICAL | Direct hit on the OFAC SDN list, plus an issuer freeze flag. A sanctions match is always 100, whatever the wallet holds now — this one is empty. |
| TXEaKf…5t33 TRON | A Binance deposit address that OFAC listed under the Houthis | 100CRITICAL | It belongs to an exchange, but the address itself is designated, so it scores 100. Sending to it means paying a sanctioned party, whoever runs the account. |
| TDqSqu…hSCf TRON | Binance hot wallet — it received everything the deposit address above forwarded | 0LOW | An exchange hot wallet takes money from millions of users. Taint does not pass through it to you, otherwise every Binance withdrawal would be "high risk". The check names the entity instead. |
| TKEviN…kb5V TRON | The drainer behind aml.legal, a fake "free AML checker" | 75HIGH | Labelled phishing from our own investigation. A real check never asks you to connect a wallet or sign anything — this one did, and took 10,069 USDT. |
| 0xC734…7f8D Ethereum | Holds all 1,783 wstETH (~$6M) drained from a Base vault on 4 Oct 2026 | 95CRITICAL | Labelled hack the day we traced it, 13 days before the money reached this address in full. Anyone it pays next inherits the risk. |
Compare the second and third rows: the same money, two different answers. A score is not a verdict on everyone who ever touched the funds. Exchange hot wallets absorb risk; designated addresses and thieves’ wallets pass it on.
How other “free” AML tools price their checks — trials, monthly caps, sales calls — is on free AML checkers compared.
What you get, free
Address Check
Paste any wallet and see a risk score, sanctions status, entity attribution, source of funds and counterparties.
Free KYT API — no key
POST to intelapi.publicaml.org/v1/enrich with no API key. An optional key only raises the rate limit.
SDKs and webhooks
JavaScript/TypeScript, Python and Go for pre-transaction screening; webhooks when a score changes.
Telegram bot
Instant checks with no integration, at t.me/publicamlbot.
Coverage: Bitcoin, Ethereum, BNB Chain and TRON.
Exchangers and OTC desks: free AML if you don’t have one
Operating without an AML check? You risk taking in tainted USDT, getting funds frozen and losing trust. Use PublicAML as a free AML layer — bot, site, or a keyless API.
Screen an address before the deal
The @publicamlbot bot or the site form — risk score, sanctions and scam links in seconds.
Wire the API into your flow
Free KYT API, no key: POST to intelapi.publicaml.org/v1/enrich — an automatic gate for incoming addresses.
No cost
No fees, no caps, no subscription. A non-profit — AML as a public good.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a free AML check for a crypto wallet address?
Yes. PublicAML is a free AML check for any Bitcoin, Ethereum, BNB Chain or TRON address — paste a wallet and get a risk score, sanctions status, category and source of funds, with no signup, no card and no API key. Because it is a non-profit tool, the free AML check has no trial period and no monthly cap.
Is PublicAML really free, or is it a free trial?
It is genuinely free, with no trial and no expiry. PublicAML is a non-profit initiative — there is no paid tier that the free version pushes you toward. You can screen crypto addresses against sanctions and scam databases with no account, no credit card and no API key, and keep doing so indefinitely.
What is the difference between "free" here and "free" elsewhere?
Most crypto AML and KYT tools advertised as free are either a time-limited trial that starts billing when it ends, a freemium tier capped at a small number of checks per month, or an enterprise product where "free" means a sales demo. PublicAML charges nothing because it is run as a public good, not a funnel to a paid plan.
Do I need an API key or an account to use the free KYT API?
No. The public enrich endpoint accepts requests without a key: POST to https://intelapi.publicaml.org/v1/enrich and you get a risk score, sanctions status, category and counterparties back. An optional key only raises the rate limit; it is not required to start.
Which chains does the free AML screening cover?
Bitcoin, Ethereum, BNB Chain and TRON, across web, REST API, SDKs (JavaScript/TypeScript, Python, Go) and a Telegram bot.
How can it be free — what is the catch?
There is no catch and no data resale. PublicAML is a non-profit: its thesis is that AML screening should be a public good so that individuals and small services can check an address before sending funds, not only institutions who can afford commercial tooling. It does not custody funds and does not require users to identify themselves.
Can I use the free tool for business or compliance?
Yes — wallets, OTC desks, DeFi protocols and payment flows integrate it via the REST API, SDKs, webhooks or on-chain. It is a risk signal, not a legal compliance guarantee, so keep running your own KYC/AML process alongside it.
Check an address now — free
No account, no card, no key. See what PublicAML knows about any wallet.