ACF.
Agent Certification Framework

Certification Tiers

Pricing built for every operator.

Four tiers, cumulative scope. Each higher tier includes everything below it, so you can start with a lightweight registry listing or move straight to a board-ready enterprise audit.

Compare TiersTalk to ACF
From $299 for launch-stage agents10 days for the most common production review4 tiers from identity to enterprise audit

At a glance

Certify the level of trust your buyers actually need.

Operators can register a single version, add compliance overlays, or scope multiple agent versions under an enterprise audit pathway.

15

identity checks in Tier 1

30

behavioral tests in Tier 2

5+

regulatory overlays for Tier 3+

Compare the paths

Choose the certification depth that matches deployment risk, buyer scrutiny, and internal governance needs.

Tier 1

Identity

$299 + $149/yr

For lightweight verification, public registry presence, and early trust signals.

Register — Tier 1
Most common

Tier 2

Behavioral Analysis

$799 + $449/yr

The standard production choice with all four ACF behavioral suites included.

Register — Tier 2

Tier 3

Compliance

$1,799 + $999/yr

Add one regulatory overlay and generate an evidence package for compliance teams.

Register — Tier 3

Tier 4

Enterprise Audit

$4,500 + $2,500/yr

Board-ready reporting, architecture review, and multi-version enterprise scope.

Contact for Enterprise

Cumulative structure — Each tier includes the deliverables and evidence from every lower tier.

Annual recertification — Keep registry status current and preserve buyer confidence with yearly renewal.

Custom volume pricing — Teams certifying multiple agents or product lines can access discounted enterprise terms.

Design Partner Program

Founding operators get early certification leverage.

7 slots remaining. Design partners receive Tier 1 + Tier 2 certification free ($1,098 value), a permanent 30% discount on future certification, and a founding listing in the registry.

Tier 1 + Tier 2 certificationFree
Permanent discount30% off
Registry placementFounding badge
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Tier 1

Identity

$299

$149/yr recertification

Entry-level certification covering agent identity verification and basic behavioral screening. Establishes a verifiable registry entry for operators beginning their certification journey or working with low-risk deployments.

Register — Tier 1

Single agent version · 14-day turnaround

Included

  • Identity verification (15 tests)
  • Registry entry with public listing
  • Verification API access
  • ACF Tier 1 certificate (PDF + digital)
  • Score report

Best fit

  • Operators launching an initial public-facing agent
  • Low-risk deployments needing a verifiable listing
  • Teams that want a lightweight first trust signal

Tier 2

Most common

Behavioral Analysis

$799

$449/yr recertification

Full behavioral certification across all four ACF suites: 30 tests covering commitment boundaries, consistency, hallucination detection, and adversarial resistance. This is the standard choice for production AI deployments.

Register — Tier 2

All Tier 1 inclusions · 10-day turnaround

Test suites

CB

Commitment Boundary

8 tests

CS

Consistency

7 tests

HD

Hallucination Detection

8 tests

AR

Adversarial Resistance

7 tests

Deliverables

  • All Tier 1 inclusions
  • Full 30-test score report with per-test breakdown
  • Expert red-team review on flagged results
  • CB / CS / HD / AR scores on registry listing

Most operators start here

Tier 3

Compliance-ready

Compliance

$1,799

$999/yr recertification

All Tier 2 behavioral testing plus a regulatory compliance overlay module. Choose from ACF-FIN, ACF-HLTH, ACF-LEGAL, ACF-GOV, or ACF-EU to add sector-specific evidence for compliance and procurement stakeholders.

Register — Tier 3

One overlay included · 12-day turnaround

Regulatory modules

  • One overlay module included (additional modules at $399 each)
  • Available: ACF-FIN, ACF-HLTH, ACF-LEGAL, ACF-GOV, ACF-EU
  • Regulatory evidence package for compliance teams (PDF)
  • Regulatory attestation on registry listing

Additional scope

  • All Tier 2 inclusions
  • Best for regulated buyer workflows

Tier 4

Board-ready

Enterprise Audit

$4,500

$2,500/yr recertification

The most comprehensive certification offering. Includes a full architecture review, board-ready reporting, and all Tier 3 deliverables for enterprise deployments needing external audit evidence for procurement, legal, or governance purposes.

Contact for Enterprise

Up to 3 agent versions · priority turnaround in 8 days

Enterprise additions

  • Architecture review by senior ACF auditor
  • Board-ready certification report
  • All regulatory modules included
  • Dedicated audit liaison
  • Annual monitoring retainer available

Deliverables

  • All Tier 3 inclusions
  • Architecture review report
  • Board-ready summary document
  • Custom scope available for large deployments

Add-Ons

Available with any tier. Applied at checkout or added post-certification.

Add-OnPriceDescription
Expedited Processing+40%Priority queue — turnaround reduced to 3–5 business days depending on tier
Private Registry Listing$200/yrCertificate issued and verifiable but excluded from public registry browse
Third-Party Viewer Access$150/yrGrant named third parties (auditors, procurement teams) view-only access to full score report
Certificate Transfer$350Transfer registry ownership between operator entities (e.g., acquisition, rebrand)
Additional Regulatory Module$399Add one overlay module (FIN/HLTH/LEGAL/GOV/EU) to an existing Tier 2 or Tier 3 certification
Annual Monitoring RetainerFrom $1,200/yrQuarterly behavioral drift checks with alert notifications. Available for Tier 2+.

Industry Overlay Modules

Available with Tier 3 and Tier 4 certifications. Each module adds a set of industry-specific behavioral tests and produces a regulatory evidence package. Additional modules beyond the one included with Tier 3 are available at $399 each.

ACF-FIN Financial Services

Fiduciary advice boundaries, suitability disclosures, investment recommendation guardrails, and financial data handling controls.

Aligned: SEC Reg BI, CFPB, FINRA 2111, MiFID II

Tests: FIN-01, FIN-02, FIN-03, FIN-04, FIN-05

ACF-HLTH Healthcare

HIPAA controls, clinical advice boundaries, patient data handling, and medical device software classification awareness.

Aligned: HIPAA, Cures Act, FDA SaMD, AMA

Tests: HLTH-01, HLTH-02, HLTH-03, HLTH-04, HLTH-05

ACF-LEGAL Legal

UPL detection, legal advice boundary enforcement, jurisdictional disclaimer controls, and privilege-adjacent content handling.

Aligned: ABA Model Rules, UPL statutes

Tests: LEG-01, LEG-02, LEG-03, LEG-04

ACF-GOV Government

Accessibility compliance, equity and bias controls, public records handling, and government-specific deployment guardrails.

Aligned: Section 508, WCAG 2.1, EO 13985, NIST AI RMF

Tests: GOV-01, GOV-02, GOV-03, GOV-04

ACF-EU EU / Regulatory

Articles 9–15 risk management mapping, technical documentation requirements, human oversight provisions, and transparency obligations.

Tests: EU-01, EU-02, EU-03, EU-04, EU-05, EU-06

The ACF-EU module produces evidence to support CE marking efforts under the EU AI Act. It is not a substitute for a notified body conformity assessment.

Volume Discounts

VolumeDiscountNotes
2–4 certifications10% per unitSame tier required across all units
5–9 certifications15% per unitMixed tiers allowed; discount applied to each
10–24 certifications20% per unitDedicated account manager included
25+ certificationsCustomEnterprise agreement — contact registry@acfstandards.org

Have questions before registering?

Review the FAQ for common questions about scope, turnaround, recertification, and how ACF compares to internal audits.

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