Cognitec is one of the oldest and most respected names in facial recognition, with a history dating back to 2002 and a track record of top performance in NIST Face Recognition Vendor Tests (FRVT). facesearching is a modern face search engine built for the web era, designed to help individuals and businesses find someone by photo across social media, news, and public web content. While both platforms use facial recognition technology, they are built for entirely different purposes. Cognitec provides the underlying facial recognition engine — the algorithms and SDKs that other companies use to build applications — while facesearching provides a complete consumer-facing application for web-based identity verification. This comparison examines the key differences between these two approaches to face recognition. For another comparison of a recognition platform, see our facesearching vs FacePhi analysis.
Platform Overview
Cognitec develops FaceVACS, a facial recognition engine used by government agencies, law enforcement, border control, and enterprise clients worldwide. FaceVACS is not a consumer product — it is a set of software development kits (SDKs) and APIs that developers integrate into their own applications. Cognitec's core competency is algorithm accuracy and performance, validated by consistently high rankings in NIST FRVT benchmarks. The company's technology is used for passport photo verification, criminal database matching, border control e-gates, and video surveillance analytics. facesearching, by contrast, is a complete consumer application. It does not sell SDKs or require developers to build their own solutions. Users visit a website, upload a photo, and receive results. The algorithmic work is handled behind the scenes, and the user experience is designed for non-technical audiences. The distinction is similar to the difference between an engine manufacturer and a car company: Cognitec builds the engine, while facesearching builds the complete vehicle. For more on how facesearching works, visit the facesearching search page.
Accuracy Benchmarks
Cognitec's FaceVACS engine has consistently ranked among the top performers in NIST FRVT benchmarks, particularly in the mugshot-to-mugshot and visa-border matching categories. The company's algorithms are battle-tested in high-stakes environments like border control, where false positives can have serious consequences. This level of accuracy is achieved through decades of algorithm refinement and massive training datasets. facesearching leverages modern facial recognition algorithms optimized for web-scale matching, where the challenge is not matching against a controlled database but finding relevant matches across billions of heterogeneous public images. The accuracy of a facesearching search depends on the quality of the uploaded photo and the availability of matching images on the web. facesearching's value proposition is not raw algorithmic accuracy but the ability to surface relevant, contextual results that help users make informed decisions. For a detailed discussion of accuracy, see our guide to face search technology accuracy.
Speed and Performance
Cognitec's FaceVACS is optimized for speed in database matching scenarios. In NIST benchmarks, it has demonstrated the ability to match a probe face against millions of enrolled faces in fractions of a second. This speed is critical for real-time applications like border control e-gates, where travelers expect near-instantaneous processing. For large-scale video surveillance deployments, Cognitec's technology can process multiple video streams simultaneously, matching faces against watchlists in real time. facesearching is optimized for web-scale search, which involves a different kind of speed challenge. Instead of matching against a known database, facesearching must crawl, index, and match against billions of publicly available images across many different platforms. Results are typically returned in under 60 seconds, which is fast enough for the use cases it serves — identity verification, dating safety, and fraud investigation — where near-instant results are not required. The speed difference reflects the different search paradigms: database matching versus web crawling.
Pricing and Licensing
Cognitec operates on an enterprise licensing model. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is negotiated on a per-project or per-deployment basis. License costs can range from tens of thousands to millions of dollars depending on the scale, the number of end-users, and the specific use case. Integration requires technical expertise and development resources. facesearching offers transparent pay-as-you-go pricing: $2 for a single search, $29 for the Starter plan, and $79 for the Pro plan. There are no license fees, no development costs, and no technical expertise required. The difference in pricing reflects the different go-to-market strategies: Cognitec sells technology to developers and enterprises, while facesearching sells a service to end users. For individuals and businesses that need to use face search — not build it — facesearching is the obvious choice from a cost perspective.
Use Cases and Target Audience
Cognitec's target audience includes:
- Government agencies building national ID and passport systems
- Law enforcement agencies implementing criminal database matching
- Border control authorities deploying e-gates and automated passport control
- Enterprise security teams building custom surveillance solutions
- System integrators developing facial recognition applications for clients
facesearching's target audience includes:
- Individuals verifying online dating matches and social media contacts
- Small businesses screening freelancers, job applicants, and business partners
- HR professionals conducting background verification on candidates
- Journalists investigating sources and verifying identities for stories
- Online marketplace buyers and sellers verifying counterparties
- Anyone who needs to verify an identity or find public information about a person
Privacy and Data Handling
Cognitec's technology processes biometric data within the applications built by its clients. The privacy practices depend on how each client implements the technology. Cognitec provides the tools for compliance, but the data handling practices are determined by the deploying organization. facesearching takes a privacy-first approach directly: uploaded photos are deleted immediately after each search, no persistent facial recognition database is maintained, and results are limited to publicly available web content. The platform does not store biometric data, and users control what they search. This makes facesearching more privacy-forward for end users who want to search without contributing to a surveillance infrastructure. For more on privacy, see our face search privacy FAQ.
Cognitec builds the facial recognition engine that powers government and enterprise systems. facesearching builds the complete application that lets anyone verify identities online. One is a component; the other is a product.
Which Should You Choose?
For most people, the choice is straightforward. If you are a developer, system integrator, or government agency that needs to build a custom facial recognition application, Cognitec's FaceVACS SDK provides the algorithmic foundation you need. If you are an individual, business owner, HR professional, journalist, or online dater who needs to verify identities through web-based face search, facesearching provides the complete application you need — no development, no integration, and no licensing complexity. The two platforms are not competitors; they occupy different layers of the face recognition technology stack. Cognitec provides the engine, and facesearching provides the vehicle. For almost everyone reading this comparison, facesearching is the relevant choice. Start a search at facesearching.com.