Filtrate vs Sightengine

Moderation-only API vs unified compliance pipeline

Common objection:

"Sightengine has dedicated moderation models — Filtrate can't match that."

Sightengine's models are solid, but moderation is only one part of the compliance checklist. For marketplaces, classifieds, and listing sites, you also need EXIF stripped and WebP compression. Sightengine does none of that. You'd need to stitch together: Sightengine for moderation + a CDN for EXIF + a separate optimizer. That's three vendors and three integrations. Filtrate handles all three for $0.002/image.

Feature comparison

Feature	Filtrate	Sightengine
Metadata strip (EXIF)		No
Image optimization (WebP/AVIF)		No
AI content moderation		Yes — multi-model classification
Built-in storage/delivery		No — classification only
Human review workflow		No — build yourself
Developer-first API		Raw REST — limited SDK, documented integration issues
No double-vendor risk		Must pair with CDN/storage separately
Free sandbox		Free tier with limits

Pricing comparison

You pay

Sightengine

$619/mo

Pro $99 + 260K overage ops × $0.002 (at 100K images × 3 models)

Limited coverage

Best value

Filtrate

$200/mo

100K images, all operations included

EXIF metadata strip

WebP optimization

AI content moderation

All 3 operations included

Cost at volume — Filtrate vs Sightengine Volume Filtrate Sightengine 10K images/mo $20 10K \times $0.002 $69 Starter $29 + 20K overage \times $0.002 (3 models = 30K ops) 100K images/mo $200 100K \times $0.002 $619 Pro $99 + 260K overage \times $0.002 (3 models = 300K ops) 1M images/mo $2,000 1M \times $0.002 $6,019+ Pro $99 + ~2.96M overage \times $0.002 (3 models = 3M ops) — Enterprise pricing likely applies * Source: sightengine.com/pricing \cdot Retrieved 2026-06-05. Sightengine bills per operation; 3 moderation model groups (nudity, weapons, gore) = 3 ops/image. Overage rate $0.002/op on both Starter and Pro plans.

Volume	Filtrate	Sightengine
10K images/mo	$20 10K × $0.002	$69 Starter $29 + 20K overage × $0.002 (3 models = 30K ops)
100K images/mo	$200 100K × $0.002	$619 Pro $99 + 260K overage × $0.002 (3 models = 300K ops)
1M images/mo	$2,000 1M × $0.002	$6,019+ Pro $99 + ~2.96M overage × $0.002 (3 models = 3M ops) — Enterprise pricing likely applies

Integration effort

Filtrate

One POST. Everything done.

const result = await fetch('https://api.filtrate.polsia.app/v1/process', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: { 'X-API-Key': 'flt_live_…' },
  body: new FormData().append('image', file),
});
// Returns: moderated image (EXIF stripped, WebP optimized, verdict included)

Single fetch, no SDK, no config file. Live in minutes.

Sightengine

SDK + config + CDN chain.

// Sightengine: one model group per request
const r1 = await fetch('https://api.sightengine.com/1.0/check.json', {
  method: 'POST',
  body: new FormData([
    ['media', imageFile],
    ['models', 'nudity-2.1,weapon,gore-2.0'],
    ['api_user', '{api_user}'],
    ['api_secret', '{api_secret}'],
  ]),
});
// EXIF strip? NOT AVAILABLE — need a separate tool
// WebP optimize? NOT AVAILABLE — need another tool

Multiple steps, vendor config, pipeline to wire up.

When to pick Filtrate

You need EXIF strip, optimization, and moderation in one call without three integrations
You want transparent per-image pricing with no per-model billing surprises
You need GDPR-safe media for a marketplace or e-commerce platform
You want GPT-4o-mini moderation included, not as an add-on
You need to get live today, not in a sprint

Start free

When Sightengine makes sense

You only need classification-only moderation with no image transformation or storage needs
You already have a separate CDN and metadata stripper and just want moderation
You need a specific model that Sightengine has and Filtrate does not

Visit Sightengine →

One API. All three operations. No vendor lock-in.

Most tools do one thing well. Filtrate does everything compliance demands in a single call. No stitching together a CDN + moderation service + metadata stripper. One endpoint. One bill. One integration.

Try the API playground

Test against real images. See the verdict in 1–5 seconds. No account required.

Try the playground Get API key See benchmarks →

Calculate your savings →

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