AgeVerif review: free age checks, with caveats

Which methods AgeVerif offers US and UK visitors

Every US state gets the same eight methods, with thresholds that depend on the method. The UK gets seven: the email check is switched off and the selfie asks for an older face.

The selfie runs on the visitor’s phone or computer, and no image goes to AgeVerif or to the site. The email check looks at which sites and services the address has been used on. The thresholds above 18 are a safety margin against minors being read as adults, so an 18 to 22-year-old is more likely to get through with a card or PayPal.

How much does AgeVerif cost?

AgeVerif is free to install, and sites only pay for two partner methods, per successful check: €0.04 for Pleenk and €0.015 for AgeGO. Selfie, email, card, PayPal, AnonymAGE, AgeKey and the AgeVerif account cost the site nothing. Each method can be switched on or off by country in the webmaster portal.

The visitor pays in one case: the card check is a small Stripe transaction with strong authentication, and AgeVerif also offers a version bundled with a VPN subscription. Prices can change at any time with notice, for later checks only.

How to add AgeVerif to a site without hurting SEO

The 5 kB checker script is one line: it blurs the whole site and opens a verification window. An option starts it on a chosen page or action instead, and a JavaScript API handles the rest. Trusted bots such as Googlebot are not shown the age gate, so pages stay crawlable and indexable.

The WordPress plugin, which also covers WooCommerce, went live in July 2026 and has about 40 active installs. The Shopify app launched in August 2026 and has no reviews yet. OAuth2 is available for sites that would rather not load a script.

AgeVerif can close a webmaster account after a breach notice is ignored for 15 days, or straight away for a serious breach, with no refund.

Session length and how long an AgeVerif proof lasts

In the US and the UK, a verified visitor stays verified for 60 minutes on a computer and for 30 days on a mobile phone, since no rule sets a session length there. France and Italy impose 60 and 45 minutes on every device. After a check, the visitor can save the result in an AgeVerif account protected by a passkey, which works on every AgeVerif site for up to one year before a new check is needed.

Is AgeVerif legit and safe?

AgeVerif is run by PlanetSeason Lda, registered in Funchal under number 518490831, has operated since 2020, and appears on the Age Check Certification Scheme registry for IEEE 2089.1-2024. It also lists itself as a partner of the Age Verification Providers Association.

Two investigations in 2025 found weaknesses. French broadcaster franceinfo passed the selfie check by showing the camera a 3D model of an older man on another screen. In October, the research group AI Forensics estimated that about 10% of minors passed the selfie, that minors with darker skin were up to three times more likely to be read as adults, and that the check could be bypassed by adding a cookie. The report also notes a director shared with tukif, an adult site that relies on AgeVerif alone.

On Trustpilot, AgeVerif has 11 reviews, all one star, for a 2.0 score. The latest, from September 2026, complain about rejected email addresses and having to verify again after a year.

Does AgeVerif keep your photos?

No. The selfie is analysed on the visitor’s own phone or computer, and AgeVerif says no image is collected or sent to its servers or to the site. It keeps no name, document or date of birth either, only the age proof in the visitor’s account when one is saved.

AgeVerif strengths and limitations