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APIs · head to head

Ably vs Enable Banking

Ably logo

Ably

APIs

Realtime data delivery platform for pub/sub messaging at scale

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Enable Banking logo

Enable Banking

APIs

European bank API aggregation with a free restricted production tier for your own accounts

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Ably standard and Pro plans layer usage-based charges for messages, connection minutes, and data transfer on top of the base subscription, adding cost complexity.; Enable Banking production pricing is quoted per connected account and call volume with no published rate card, so a free proof of concept gives you no idea of cost at scale.
  • They diverge on capability: Ably covers Pub/sub messaging, Enable Banking covers European bank coverage.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Ably and Enable Banking actually diverge.

Attributes where Ably and Enable Banking differ
AttributeAblyEnable Banking
Pricing modelfreemiumPer connected account per month
Platformsweb, ios, android, apiWeb, REST API

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (APIs).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Ably

  • Pub/sub messaging
  • Presence
  • Message persistence
  • Multi-protocol support
  • Encryption
  • Datadog integration

Only in Enable Banking

  • European bank coverage
  • Free sandbox
  • Restricted production
  • TPP infrastructure as a service
  • Consent handling
  • Payment initiation

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Ably

  • Building realtime chat or collaborative appsnot Enable Banking
  • Delivering live data feeds like stock prices or sports scoresnot Enable Banking
  • Broadcasting notifications to many concurrent clientsnot Enable Banking
  • Running mission-critical realtime infrastructure with high uptime SLAsnot Enable Banking

Enable Banking

  • A small fintech that needs to operate as an agent rather than wait a year for its own AISP authorisationnot Ably
  • An accounting software vendor pulling bank transactions across several European countriesnot Ably
  • A treasury tool building and testing a real integration before committing to a contractnot Ably
  • A lender verifying applicant income from bank data across the Nordics and the EUnot Ably

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Ably

  • Standard and Pro plans layer usage-based charges for messages, connection minutes, and data transfer on top of the base subscription, adding cost complexity.
  • The jump from Standard ($29/month) to Pro ($399/month) is steep for teams needing more than 10k connections but not full Pro capacity.
  • 24/7 mission-critical support and 99.999% uptime SLAs are reserved for the custom-priced Enterprise tier.

Enable Banking

  • Production pricing is quoted per connected account and call volume with no published rate card, so a free proof of concept gives you no idea of cost at scale.
  • Coverage is European, which rules it out as a single supplier for anyone needing UK plus North American bank data as well.
  • Operating as an agent under the Enable Banking licence means your regulatory permission depends on another company remaining authorised and willing to sponsor you.
  • Bank API quality varies widely across Europe, and outages or degraded endpoints at individual institutions surface as failures in your own product.
  • It is a small Finnish company selling into regulated financial services, so enterprise procurement and vendor resilience reviews are a recurring obstacle.

Pricing, plan by plan

Ably

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 200 concurrent connections
    • 500 messages/second
    • 6M messages/month
  • Standard$29/month
    • 10k concurrent channels
    • 10k concurrent connections
    • 2.5k messages/second
  • Pro$399/month
    • 50k concurrent channels
    • 50k concurrent connections
    • 10k messages/second

Enable Banking

Free
  • Sandbox and restricted productionFree
    • Mock and real bank sandbox access
    • Production access limited to accounts you link yourself
    • Full API surface for development and certification
  • Production$undefined/year
    • Quoted by connected accounts per month and call volume
    • Priced by number of institutions and markets in scope
    • Different rates under your own licence or as an agent

Which should you pick?

Choose Ably if

  • You need pub/sub messaging.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on web, ios, android, api.
  • You also want presence.
Ably review

Choose Enable Banking if

  • You need european bank coverage.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, REST API.
  • You also want free sandbox.
Enable Banking review

Questions people ask

Is Ably or Enable Banking better?
Neither clearly leads. Ably starts at Free and Enable Banking at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Ably or Enable Banking?
Ably starts at Free and Enable Banking at Free.
Does Ably or Enable Banking run on more platforms?
Ably runs on web, ios, android, api. Enable Banking runs on Web, REST API.
Can I use Ably for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Ably best used for?
Ably is most often used for building realtime chat or collaborative apps, delivering live data feeds like stock prices or sports scores, broadcasting notifications to many concurrent clients, running mission-critical realtime infrastructure with high uptime slas. Of those, building realtime chat or collaborative apps and delivering live data feeds like stock prices or sports scores are not what Enable Banking is typically brought in for.
What can Ably do that Enable Banking cannot?
Ably covers Pub/sub messaging, Presence, Message persistence, Multi-protocol support. Enable Banking covers European bank coverage, Free sandbox, Restricted production, TPP infrastructure as a service.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Ably: What does Ably cost?

Ably offers a free plan with 200 concurrent connections, a Standard plan at $29/month plus usage, a Pro plan at $399/month plus usage, and custom Enterprise pricing with unlimited channels and connections.

Source
Enable Banking: Is there really a free tier?

Yes, sandbox plus restricted production against accounts you link yourself. Commercial third-party access is quoted separately.

Ably: Is there a free plan, and what are its limits?

Yes, the free plan includes 200 concurrent connections, 500 messages per second, and 6 million messages per month with community and best-effort email support.

Source
Enable Banking: Do I need my own AISP licence?

No. Enable Banking offers third-party provider infrastructure as a service so you can operate as an agent under its authorisation.

Ably: How is usage metered?

Beyond plan limits, Ably charges usage-based rates of $2.50 per million messages, $1.00 per million connection minutes, $1.00 per million channel minutes, and $0.25 per GiB of data transfer, with volume discounts available.

Source
Enable Banking: How is production priced?

By connected accounts per month and call volume, adjusted for markets in scope and whether you use your own licence.

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Related pages

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