Identity platform
Tessio vs Persona
Persona is a flexible identity platform you configure into whatever workflow you need. Tessio is the opposite of flexible on purpose: it does one age check from the EU Digital Identity Wallet and stores no personal data. Persona is also the most EUDI-forward name on this list, so this one's worth reading closely.
Persona gives you building blocks. Document checks, selfie verification, database and knowledge checks, reusable credentials and case review, all orchestrated with your own rules. If you want one platform to design many identity workflows across KYC, KYB and fraud, that configurability is genuinely strong.
Tessio is a single purpose tool. It proves someone is over 18 from their EU wallet and returns a signed yes or no, with no personal data kept. Persona is piloting EUDI wallet support in a sandbox for France and Germany, which is ahead of most US IDV players, but that's early access rather than a wallet native product like Tessio.
Tessio and Persona, side by side
| Tessio | Persona | |
|---|---|---|
| Core approach | EU Digital Identity Wallet credential over OpenID4VP | A configurable platform: document, selfie, database and knowledge checks you orchestrate |
| What you get back | A signed over-18 yes or no | Whatever your workflow returns, from an age check to full KYC |
| Personal data stored | None. No date of birth, no document image, no selfie | Processes the identity data your workflow collects |
| EU Digital Identity Wallet | Native. The whole product is built on it | Piloting EUDI in a sandbox for France and Germany. Early access, not general availability |
| Self-hosting | Yes. Open-source .NET core under Apache-2.0 | No. Hosted service |
| Full KYC and AML | No. Age assurance only, on purpose | Yes |
| Built on | Open-source ASP.NET Core (OpenID4VP, SD-JWT VC, mdoc) | Proprietary |
| Primary market | EU age assurance for regulated platforms | US-centric configurable identity workflows |
We try to keep this fair and current from public sources. If something about Persona is out of date, tell us at hello@tessio.eu and we'll fix it.
Where Persona is strong
- Very flexible and developer friendly, so you can build almost any identity workflow without heavy custom work.
- Broad method coverage in one platform, spanning KYC, KYB, AML and fraud.
- Genuinely forward on EUDI for a US IDV player, with sandbox pilots for French and German wallets.
When to choose Persona over us
If you need a configurable platform to run many kinds of identity workflow, not just an age gate, Persona gives you far more surface area than Tessio does. When you want one flexible tool for KYC, KYB and fraud with room to grow, and you're comfortable processing identity data, Persona is a strong pick.
When teams pick Tessio
Pick Tessio when you only need age, you want EU data residency and a wallet native design rather than a sandbox pilot, and you want to store no personal data. You get a signed over-18 boolean, the core is open source and self hostable on .NET, and it is built around the EU wallet from the ground up rather than added to a broader platform.
Frequently asked
Is Tessio a Persona alternative?
For age verification, yes. Tessio does a single wallet native age check and stores no personal data. Persona is a broad, configurable identity platform, so it does much more, and the right choice depends on whether you need one age gate or a full workflow builder.
Does Persona support the EU Digital Identity Wallet?
Persona has announced sandbox support to verify French and German EUDI wallet credentials, aligned to OpenID4VP. That is early access rather than general availability, and it sits inside a broader platform rather than being wallet native like Tessio.
Can I use both?
Yes. Persona can run your wider identity workflows while Tessio handles the high volume age gate where you only need a yes or no and want to keep no personal data.
Compare and explore
Age verification API
See if Tessio fits
Access is invite only while we onboard design partners. Tell us what you're building and the volume you expect, and we'll get you a sandbox key and a quote.