Identity platform
Tessio vs Persona
Persona is a flexible identity platform you configure into whatever workflow you need. Tessio is the opposite of flexible: it does one thing, an age check with the EU age verification app (the EU Digital Identity Wallet follows once our access certificate is issued). 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 strong.
Tessio is a single purpose tool. It proves someone is over 18 with the EU age verification app and returns a signed yes or no, with no document or date of birth kept.
Tessio and Persona, side by side
| Tessio | Persona | |
|---|---|---|
| Core approach | OpenID4VP presentations from the EU age verification app (EU Digital Identity Wallet to follow) | 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 | The yes or no and your reference. No date of birth, no document image, no selfie | Processes the identity data your workflow collects |
| EU Digital Identity Wallet | The EU age verification app works today. The EU Digital Identity Wallet follows once our access certificate is issued. | 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 | 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 If something about Persona is out of date, tell us at hello@tessio.eu and we'll fix it.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.
- 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. Persona is a strong pick when you want one flexible tool for KYC, KYB and fraud with room to grow and you are comfortable processing identity data.
When teams pick Tessio
Pick Tessio when you only need age and want no documents or dates of birth stored. You get a signed over 18 boolean from a service built around wallet credentials rather than one that added them to a broader platform, and the core is open source and self hostable on .NET.
Frequently asked
Is Tessio a Persona alternative?
For age verification, yes. Tessio does a single wallet native age check and stores no documents or dates of birth. Persona is a broad, configurable identity platform, so it does much more. 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. Tessio's live checks use the EU age verification app. The EU Digital Identity Wallet follows once our access certificate is issued.
Can I use both?
Yes. Persona can run your wider identity workflows while Tessio handles the age gate where you only need a yes or no and want to keep no documents or dates of birth.
Compare and explore
Age verification API
See if Tessio fits
Signup is open and a test project works as soon as you create one. Sending real traffic needs us to switch your organisation to live mode, so that part stays a conversation. Pricing is published, with no quote needed.