Online UK law is changing. Stay ahead of the fines, not behind them.
The Online Safety Act; hundreds of pages, written with big platforms in mind, but it also affects you. You do not have a legal team, but with ComplyHarbour, you don't need one. In three minutes, know exactly where you stand, with a signed, auditable record.
Free scoping check · 3 minutes
Answer one question to start. We'll do the rest.
What are you building?
No more guessing what Ofcom expects of you.
The Act is hundreds of pages and the guidance only grows. Reading it is a weekend you will not get back, and you still will not be certain at the end of it. We do that reading for you and turn every duty into something you can act on this afternoon - showing you exactly which ones land on your service, and which do not.
Show me what applies to me"...take such steps as are proportionate to mitigate and manage the risks of harm to individuals... having regard to the findings of the most recent illegal content risk assessment..."
Write down what could go wrong on your service, rate each risk, and decide what you'll do about it. Keep the note - it's your evidence.
The document you'll be glad you have, the day someone asks.
A dated, signed PDF that tells the whole story: what your service is, which duties apply, and the exact sections of the Act and Ofcom guidance behind every conclusion. Pin it in your team docs. Send it to a worried co-founder. Hand it to Ofcom if they ever ask.
- A clear yes-or-no on whether the Act applies to you
- Every duty you carry, in language you can act on
- Your risk picture across illegal-content categories
- An under-16 watch flag so you're not caught off-guard
- A signed, dated PDF, branded with your company name
- Full citations of the Act and Ofcom guidance behind every conclusion
ComplyHarbour · Scoping Record
Online Safety Act 2023
Verdict
Likely in scope - User-to-user service
- Illegal content
- Medium
- Children's access
- Yes, mixed
- Priority duties
- 4 of 6
- Issued
- 15 Jun 2026
The things keeping you up, answered
Real worries from real operators. Short, honest answers - no scare tactics, no upsell.
Does the Online Safety Act actually apply to my small site?
Quite possibly. The Act covers services that let users share or post to one another and have links to the UK, whatever your size or revenue - forums, indie games with chat, comment sections, community apps. What matters is whether you control the space users post in: if you run your own site, app or game, you are likely the provider. If you only run a room inside someone else's platform, the platform usually carries the duty. The free check tells you which side of that line you are on.
What do I actually get for free?
A real answer, not a teaser. The free check gives you a clear in-scope or out-of-scope verdict, a plain-English explanation of why, the duties you carry, your risk picture across the illegal-content categories, and an under-16 watch flag. You also get a shareable summary you can screenshot or send to a co-founder. It is genuinely free and no card is required. The paid options add a signed, branded record and ongoing upkeep, but the answer itself is yours for nothing.
Is the result a legal opinion?
No. ComplyHarbour is a compliance-support tool, not a law firm. Your result and any record are a plain-English summary of where your service appears to sit under the Act and what Ofcom expects, with the relevant sections cited so you can check the reasoning. It is built to help you act and to show you took it seriously. For genuinely complex or borderline cases, take it to a specialist solicitor.
Do you store anything about my users or their data?
No. The check asks about how your service is set up, not about the people who use it. We never ask for, see, or store information about your users. If you record age-assurance results later, they are kept as a simple pass or fail with a date and no personal data attached. Privacy is built into how the tool works.
What is the difference between the one-off Record and the Stay-covered subscription?
The Record is a snapshot. It is accurate the day it is issued, signed and dated, and yours to keep forever. Stay covered is the living version: as Ofcom publishes new codes, as the under-16 rules arrive, and as your own service changes, your assessments, policies and evidence pack update so they never go stale. Buy the Record if you want one defensible document today. Subscribe if you want to stay current without thinking about it. You can start with the Record and upgrade later, and we credit what you paid.
Do I need an account?
Not for the free check - you can run it and see your verdict without signing up. We will ask for an email only if you want your summary sent to you so you can come back to it. The paid Record and the Stay-covered plan need an account, so we can brand, store and re-issue your records.
What if Ofcom asks to see my records?
Stay covered keeps a dated, exportable evidence pack covering your risk assessments, policies and review history. The one-off Record gives you a single signed, dated PDF of your scoping result with its citations. Both are built to help you demonstrate that you took reasonable steps, which is what the duties actually ask of you.
Can I cancel or get a refund?
Yes. You can cancel a Stay-covered subscription any time from your account and keep access until the end of your billing period. One-off Record purchases are non-refundable once the PDF has been generated, but you keep lifetime access to re-download it. The free check is always free.
Are you affiliated with Ofcom or the government?
No. ComplyHarbour is an independent UK tool, built to help small operators and communities meet their duties under the Act. We are not Ofcom, we do not speak for Ofcom, and using us is not a substitute for Ofcom's own guidance.
Pick the peace of mind you want
Start free with a clear answer. When you want proof, have a signed record and keep it forever. When you want to stop thinking about it, stay covered and we will keep you current as the rules - and your platform - change.
Know where you stand
- A clear in-scope or out-of-scope verdict in three minutes
- Plain-English explanation of why
- The duties you carry, in language you can act on
- A shareable summary you can screenshot or send
A signed record
True on the day it's issued.
- Everything in the free check
- Your risk picture across illegal-content categories
- A signed, dated PDF, branded with your company name
- Full citations of the Act and Ofcom guidance behind every conclusion
- Re-download any time, for life
Stay covered
Kept current as the rules change, with plain-English alerts telling you exactly what to do next.
- Everything in the free check
- Guided risk assessments you complete in the tool (illegal-content and children's)
- Six ready-to-publish policy templates (terms, reporting, takedown, complaints, moderation, retention)
- An evidence pack that refreshes whenever the Act, the guidance, or your service changes
- Reminders before deadlines and rule changes hit
- Multiple services on one account
Prices in GBP, excluding VAT. Cancel a subscription at any time. The free scoping check stays free.
From operators using it
You're not the only one who was dreading this.
RPG Tavern · 12k members
Founded 2019 · UK forum
Why operators trust ComplyHarbour
I'd put it off for months because every article I read was forty pages long and made me feel worse. Four minutes with ComplyHarbour and I knew exactly what applied to me, and what to do that afternoon.
— Sam Mercer, founder · RPG Tavern
Read more storiessoon
Three minutes from now, you could just know.
No more half-read PDFs, no more "I'll deal with it later". A clear answer, in plain English, and a plan you can act on today.
Stay in the loop.
ComplyHarbour is live - run your free check anytime. Leave your email for the occasional update when the rules shift or we ship something worth knowing about.