FauxSpy vs Hive Moderation vs Sightengine: Which AI Image Detector Should You Use?

Three tools, three completely different use cases. FauxSpy is a consumer browser extension. Sightengine is a developer API — and it's FauxSpy's own detection backend. Hive Moderation is an enterprise platform for content-heavy organizations. Here's an honest breakdown of what each does well and who each one is for.

Quick Answer

For individuals checking photos in a browser: use FauxSpy (free, right-click, no account). For developers integrating AI detection into an app: use Sightengine (the same API FauxSpy is built on). For enterprise content platforms moderating at scale: use Hive Moderation. All three are good at what they do — the choice is about use case, not accuracy.

The honest context you need to know first

Most AI image detector comparisons are written by one of the vendors and frame the comparison to favor their own product. This one isn't, so here's the disclosure upfront: FauxSpy's detection is powered by Sightengine's API. The genai and type models used on the FauxSpy free tier, and the deepfake model on Pro, are Sightengine's models called through FauxSpy's backend.

That means FauxSpy and Sightengine deliver very similar accuracy on AI-generated image detection — because FauxSpy is Sightengine, wrapped in a consumer extension with a right-click interface, a free tier, and no API key required.

Hive Moderation is a separate company with its own models. It's genuinely strong — enterprise organizations trust it for a reason — but it solves a fundamentally different problem at a fundamentally different price point and complexity level.

Side-by-side comparison

Feature FauxSpy Sightengine Hive Moderation
Who it's for Individuals Developers / teams Enterprise platforms
Delivery format Chrome / Firefox extension REST API REST API + dashboard
Works directly in browser on any site ✓ Yes ✗ API only ✗ API only
No account needed to start ✓ Yes (3/day free) API key required Account required
Free tier 3 checks/day, no account 2,000 API calls/month Limited developer tier
Paid pricing $9.99/mo (Pro) $29/mo (Starter API) Custom enterprise pricing
AI-generated image detection ✓ Yes ✓ Yes ✓ Yes
Deepfake / face-swap detection ✓ Pro tier ✓ Yes (API) ✓ Yes
Video content moderation ✓ Pro + Video plan ✓ Yes (API) ✓ Yes
NSFW / content policy moderation ✗ Not the use case ✓ Yes ✓ Yes (broadest coverage)
Custom model training ✗ Partial ✓ Enterprise
Setup time ~30 seconds (install extension) Minutes to hours (API integration) Days to weeks (enterprise onboarding)

FauxSpy: what it does well, and what it doesn't

Who it's for: Individuals who want to verify photos while browsing. The primary use cases are catfish detection on dating apps, fake profile verification on social media, and checking whether photos attached to suspicious messages or listings are AI-generated. It works on any image visible in Chrome or Firefox — right-click, one result, no uploading.

Real strengths:

  • No friction. 3 checks per day, no account, no API key. Install the extension and it works immediately on any website.
  • In-page scanning. No uploading the image to a separate website. The check happens in the browser, on the same page where the image appears.
  • Sightengine accuracy. Because FauxSpy uses Sightengine's API, its detection accuracy is not that of a small startup guessing — it's the same models used by Sightengine's API customers at scale.
  • Conservative threshold. FauxSpy returns Inconclusive rather than forcing a binary verdict when confidence is low — this reduces false positives for consumer use where a wrong "Definitely AI" verdict damages trust.

Real limitations:

  • Not for platform moderation. FauxSpy has no API, no webhook, no dashboard. If you're building a product that needs to moderate images at scale, FauxSpy is not the right tool — use Sightengine or Hive directly.
  • No NSFW or content-policy detection. FauxSpy only detects AI-generated images and deepfakes — it's not a general content moderation tool.
  • Extension required. Works only in Chrome and Firefox with the extension installed. No web interface to paste a URL or upload an image independently.

Sightengine: what it does well, and what it doesn't

Who it's for: Developers and teams building apps or platforms that need to moderate user-generated images programmatically. Dating apps, social networks, marketplaces, and CMS platforms use Sightengine to automatically flag AI-generated content, NSFW images, or other policy violations before they reach users.

Real strengths:

  • Breadth of detection models. AI-generated images, deepfakes, NSFW content, nudity, weapons, drugs, quality assessment, text detection, faces — all accessible through the same API with simple model selection.
  • Developer-friendly pricing. Pay-per-operation model, with a free tier for testing. The Starter plan ($29/month) covers 10,000 operations — reasonable for an early-stage product.
  • Fast and well-documented. Clean REST API, response times typically under 500ms, solid documentation with code examples in multiple languages.
  • Proven at scale. Sightengine powers real products, including FauxSpy itself — the AI detection models are actively maintained and updated.

Real limitations:

  • Integration work required. There is no consumer UI. Using Sightengine means writing API calls, handling responses, and building whatever user-facing experience you need around it.
  • Not designed for individuals. If you just want to check whether a photo is AI-generated while browsing, Sightengine is the wrong level of complexity. Use FauxSpy.
  • Volume-based cost can scale up fast. At scale (millions of checks per month), Sightengine costs can become significant — at which point Hive Moderation's enterprise pricing may be more favorable.

Hive Moderation: what it does well, and what it doesn't

Who it's for: Enterprise teams — social platforms, media companies, online marketplaces — that need a comprehensive content moderation stack with custom models, dedicated support, and compliance-grade audit trails. Hive is used by some of the largest consumer platforms for automated content moderation at millions of items per day.

Real strengths:

  • Broadest coverage. Hive offers more pre-built detection categories than Sightengine — AI-generated images, deepfakes, CSAM detection, hate symbols, misinformation-related labels, and more. For a platform with complex content-policy requirements, this breadth matters.
  • Custom model training. Enterprise clients can train custom classifiers on their own data — if your moderation needs don't fit a pre-built category, Hive can build the model with you.
  • Enterprise support. Dedicated SLAs, human review pipelines, compliance documentation — things that individual developers and smaller teams don't need but that enterprise procurement teams require.
  • Benchmark accuracy. Hive publishes accuracy benchmarks for its AI-generated image detection model that compare favorably to other enterprise solutions, particularly for novel AI generators.

Real limitations:

  • Enterprise pricing, enterprise complexity. Hive is not a fit for individual developers or small teams without substantial moderation volume. Custom pricing means a sales conversation before you see a number.
  • No consumer option. Like Sightengine, there is no browser extension or consumer-facing product. It's API and platform, period.
  • Overkill for most use cases. If you're building a dating app that wants to catch AI-generated profile photos, Sightengine's API will cover this well at far lower cost and complexity. You don't need Hive's enterprise feature set until you need its scale or breadth.

Which should you use?

You're an individual checking photos while browsing

→ Use FauxSpy. Install the Chrome or Firefox extension. Right-click any photo. 3 checks/day free, no account required. Sightengine and Hive require API integration — they're not designed for this use case.

You're a developer building a product that needs image moderation

→ Use Sightengine. Developer-friendly API, good documentation, reasonable pricing at moderate volume. It's the same API FauxSpy uses — well-tested, actively maintained.

You're an enterprise team with complex content-policy requirements at scale

→ Use Hive Moderation. Enterprise SLAs, custom model training, compliance documentation, and the broadest pre-built moderation category set available. Worth the complexity at the scale it's designed for.

You're a developer who just wants to test before committing

→ Start with Sightengine's free tier (2,000 API calls/month). If your use case outgrows it, Hive is the upgrade path for enterprise needs. FauxSpy's free tier gives you a quick way to see what Sightengine's detection actually looks like without writing any code.

For individuals: try the Sightengine-powered detection without any API setup

🕵️ Add FauxSpy to Chrome — Free

3 checks/day free · No account · Right-click any image

Common questions

What is the difference between FauxSpy, Hive Moderation, and Sightengine?

FauxSpy is a consumer Chrome/Firefox extension — install it, right-click any image, get a verdict. Sightengine is a developer API for programmatic image moderation; FauxSpy uses Sightengine as its detection backend. Hive Moderation is an enterprise platform for organizations moderating content at scale with custom models and compliance requirements. They serve completely different use cases.

Does FauxSpy use Sightengine?

Yes — FauxSpy's AI detection is powered by Sightengine's genai and type API models (free tier) and Sightengine's deepfake model (Pro). FauxSpy delivers Sightengine-quality accuracy through a consumer-friendly browser extension with zero API integration required. This is worth disclosing because it's directly relevant to the accuracy comparison.

Which is more accurate?

On AI-generated image detection for individual photos, all three tools deliver comparable accuracy — they use similar underlying detection approaches and benchmark in the 90%+ range for photorealistic AI-generated images. Where they differ: Hive Moderation has broader pre-built categories for enterprise content policies; Sightengine covers deepfakes, NSFW, quality, and other categories alongside AI detection; FauxSpy adds a conservative threshold that returns Inconclusive rather than forcing a verdict when confidence is low.

Is Hive Moderation free?

Hive Moderation has a limited developer free tier but is primarily an enterprise product with custom pricing. It is not available as a consumer tool. Sightengine offers a free tier of 2,000 API calls/month. FauxSpy is free for individuals at 3 checks per day with no account required.

Should I use Sightengine directly or use FauxSpy?

If you're a developer building a product: use Sightengine directly (API access, programmatic integration, volume pricing). If you're an individual checking photos in your browser: use FauxSpy (same Sightengine-powered detection, zero integration work, right-click interface). FauxSpy is essentially a consumer-friendly wrapper around Sightengine's detection — for the individual use case, it's the better experience at the same accuracy.

Further reading

Try the Sightengine-powered detection as a consumer

3 checks per day, free, no account required. Works on any image in Chrome or Firefox.

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