ImportYeti Alternative: Forthsource Supplier Verification

TL;DR: ImportYeti searches US customs import records (bills of lading), so you can see which overseas shippers supply a given US importer. Forthsource is a supplier-discovery platform with a separately ordered, one-time manual China supplier dossier. It holds no shipping data of its own and does not audit a factory or check its quality, capacity or certifications.

Reviewed by the Forthsuite Team | Last updated: September 2026

Disclosure: Forthsource publishes this comparison and operates one of the two tools. ImportYeti's plan terms and coverage below are taken from its pricing page and API documentation as read on 7 September 2026; this page makes no claim about its record counts or accuracy, so confirm current terms on its site.

Quick Comparison: Forthsource vs ImportYeti

The two tools answer different questions: ImportYeti shows who has shipped to a US importer, and Forthsource helps you find suppliers and read the company record behind one. The table lists what each tool works from and what it does not do.

Question	Forthsource	ImportYeti
What it works from	Supplier listings from sourcing-platform searches; for the dossier, an official Chinese company report (Qichacha source document)	US customs import records (bills of lading)
What you get	Search results with risk flags shown next to a supplier; a one-time manual dossier with a Verified, Caution or High-Risk verdict and the source document attached	The overseas shippers behind a US importer
Best for	Checking the company behind a specific Chinese supplier before a deposit	Finding candidate suppliers by seeing who competitors import from
Coverage	Dossiers are China-only today; sanctions screening in the dossier is global	Free search covers US import records; its API documentation also covers US exports and Mexico imports and exports
What it does not do	Hold customs or shipment records; audit a factory; check production capacity, product quality or certifications	Prove the shipper is the factory, or that it is still trading
Pricing	Search tiers $0, $29 and $99 per month (free tier: 5 searches a month); dossier $39 one time, or $69 with dated factory photos	Free plan ($0, US import search); Professional $50 a month, billed annually at $600 per user; Enterprise from $1,000 per organisation a month, which includes API access

What Forthsource Is, and Is Not

Forthsource separates two jobs into two products: a supplier search, and a separately ordered manual dossier on a Chinese company. Neither product uses customs or shipment records.

• Search. Results are supplier listings from the sourcing platforms Forthsource queries, with risk flags such as a sanctions or renamed-company hit shown next to a listing. The search-score design measures how consistently a company appears across Chinese business-registry listings, B2B directories and its own web presence in Chinese-language search; it is a corroboration signal, not a record-level lookup.
• Dossier. A reviewer works from the company's official Chinese company report (a Qichacha source document) and records company status, legal representative, registered and paid-in capital and ownership, plus risk screening: litigation, dishonest-debtor (失信), abnormal-operations and tax-status flags, and sanctions, PEP and US forced-labor list screening via OpenSanctions. Name matching is approximate, so a supplier is screened, not certified clean. You receive a Verified, Caution or High-Risk verdict with the source document attached; the stated delivery target is 24 to 48 hours.
• Price. Search tiers are $0, $29 and $99 per month ($290 and $990 per year), and the free tier includes 5 searches a month. The dossier is a one-time purchase: $39, or $69 with dated photographs of the factory's production lines. The photos are evidence, not an inspection, and the photo fee is refunded if they cannot be obtained.
• Not. It is a standalone web platform, not a Shopify app, and it runs no integration with sourcing platforms or ERP systems. It holds no customs, bill-of-lading or shipment data, does not audit a factory, and does not check production capacity, product quality or certifications.

What ImportYeti Is Known For

ImportYeti is a search tool over US customs import records, which name a shipper and a consignee for shipments that entered the US. Searching an importer shows the overseas companies that have shipped to it.

A bill of lading proves a shipment occurred between two named parties. It does not prove the "shipper" listed is a financially stable factory, a compliant legal entity, or even still in business; the name may belong to a trading company, a freight forwarder or a subsidiary that no longer exists. ImportYeti's own documentation describes its API as covering US and Mexico import and export shipment records; confirm current coverage and record counts on its site.

Pricing: What Each Tool Charges

Both publish their prices. Compare on what you will actually buy: a subscription to shipment-record search, or a dossier on one company.

On Forthsource, searching is free for 5 searches a month, Premium is $29 a month or $290 a year, and Enterprise is $99 a month or $990 a year. A dossier on one Chinese company costs $39, or $69 with dated factory photos, as a one-time purchase. On ImportYeti, per its pricing page on 7 September 2026, the free plan is $0 and covers unlimited search of US import records; Professional is $50 a month, billed annually at $600 per user; and Enterprise starts at $1,000 per organisation a month and includes API access.

How to Choose

Choose on the question you need answered. If you need names from shipping records, that is ImportYeti's job; if you have a name and need the company record behind it before you pay a deposit, that is what a Forthsource dossier is for.

Forthsource fits if:

• You have a supplier name from ImportYeti, Alibaba or a trade show and want the company's registry record and risk flags before you commit money.
• You want to search suppliers across sourcing platforms with risk flags shown next to the listings.
• You want a published price for one check rather than a subscription.

ImportYeti fits if:

• You want to see which overseas shippers supply a specific US importer.
• You are building a candidate list from competitors' import records.
• You do not yet have a name to check.

The two sit in sequence, not in competition: find names in shipping records, then read the record behind the one you intend to pay.

Switching from ImportYeti to Forthsource

There is nothing to migrate: the two tools hold different data, and Forthsource does not import from ImportYeti. Bring the supplier names you found and search or order a dossier on each.

How long that takes depends on how many names you have; Forthsource does not quote a setup time.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Forthsource better than ImportYeti?

Neither is a replacement for the other. ImportYeti is for finding names in US customs import records; Forthsource is for searching suppliers on sourcing platforms and, once you have a name, for ordering a manual dossier on the Chinese company behind it. You can use them in that order.

How much does Forthsource cost compared to ImportYeti?

Forthsource search tiers are $0, $29 and $99 per month, with 5 free searches a month on the free tier, and a China supplier dossier is $39 one time or $69 with dated factory photos. ImportYeti's pricing page lists a free plan for US import search, Professional at $50 a month billed annually ($600 per user a year) and Enterprise from $1,000 per organisation a month with API access.

Does Forthsource verify suppliers?

Forthsource does not audit or certify a supplier. Its dossier is a manual review of the company's official Chinese registry record, delivered with a Verified, Caution or High-Risk verdict, risk flags and the source document attached; it does not check product quality, production capacity or certifications, and its search score is a corroboration signal rather than a record-level lookup.

Can I use ImportYeti and Forthsource together?

Yes, in sequence. Find candidate names in ImportYeti's customs records, then search them on Forthsource or order a dossier on the one you intend to pay.

Does ImportYeti show supplier quality like Forthsource?

Neither tool assesses quality. ImportYeti shows shipment records; Forthsource shows a company's registry record and risk flags, and its $69 option adds dated factory photos as evidence, not as an inspection.