Is Aiia or Directus better?

Neither clearly leads. Aiia starts at On request and Directus at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, Aiia or Directus?

Directus has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Aiia and Free for Directus.

Does Aiia or Directus run on more platforms?

Aiia runs on Web, API. Directus runs on Node.js, Cloud, Self-hosted, Docker.

What is Aiia best used for?

Aiia is most often used for a lending or credit product needing affordability checks via european bank account data, a personal finance or accounting product needing transaction history across nordic and european banks, a payments product wanting account-to-account payment initiation under open banking regulation, a business wanting the stability and continued investment of mastercard ownership behind its banking connectivity provider. Of those, a lending or credit product needing affordability checks via european bank account data and a personal finance or accounting product needing transaction history across nordic and european banks are not what Directus is typically brought in for.

What can Aiia do that Directus cannot?

Aiia covers Bank account data access, Payment initiation, Mastercard Open Finance integration, Modern authentication support. Directus covers REST API, GraphQL API, Database management, PostgreSQL.

APIs · head to head

Aiia vs Directus

Aiia

APIs

Open banking and open finance API platform, now operating as Mastercard Open Banking

From: On request
Rated: -

Full review Website

Directus

APIs

Open-source data platform providing REST and GraphQL APIs

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

Only Directus has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
Each has a real cost: Aiia it is now part of Mastercard rather than an independent company, so a business specifically wanting to avoid card network dependency in its banking infrastructure no longer gets that separation by choosing Aiia.; Directus free permissive use of the self hosted product is limited to organisations under $5M annual revenue with fewer than 50 employees, so crossing either threshold turns a free dependency into a paid licence
They diverge on capability: Aiia covers Bank account data access, Directus covers REST API.
Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Aiia and Directus actually diverge.

Attributes where Aiia and Directus differ
Attribute	Aiia	Directus
Starting price	On request	Free
Pricing model	quote	open-source
Free tier	No	Yes
Platforms	Web, API	Node.js, Cloud, Self-hosted, Docker
Founded	Unknown	2014

Identical on both: 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 Aiia

Bank account data access
Payment initiation
Mastercard Open Finance integration
Modern authentication support
Multi-country coverage
Developer documentation and sandbox

Only in Directus

REST API
GraphQL API
Database management
PostgreSQL
MySQL
SQLite
Webhooks
Node.js support

What people use each for

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

Aiia

A lending or credit product needing affordability checks via European bank account datanot Directus
A personal finance or accounting product needing transaction history across Nordic and European banksnot Directus
A payments product wanting account-to-account payment initiation under open banking regulationnot Directus
A business wanting the stability and continued investment of Mastercard ownership behind its banking connectivity providernot Directus

Directus

Wrapping an existing SQL database in a REST and GraphQL API with an admin interfacenot Aiia
Running a self hosted headless CMS over a schema you already ownnot Aiia

Where each one falls short

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

Aiia

It is now part of Mastercard rather than an independent company, so a business specifically wanting to avoid card network dependency in its banking infrastructure no longer gets that separation by choosing Aiia.
Pricing is not published and requires engaging Mastercard's open finance sales process, which can be a heavier sales motion than dealing with a smaller independent open banking provider.
Its strongest bank coverage remains concentrated in the Nordics and Northern Europe, so companies needing dense coverage in Southern or Eastern Europe should verify current bank connectivity before committing.
Brand confusion is real: developer documentation, login portals and older case studies still reference "Aiia" while newer Mastercard material refers to "Mastercard Open Banking," and a company researching either name in isolation may miss half the relevant material.
As with any open banking platform, reliability still depends on the consistency of the underlying banks' own APIs, which is a systemic industry issue rather than something Aiia specifically controls.

Directus

Free permissive use of the self hosted product is limited to organisations under $5M annual revenue with fewer than 50 employees, so crossing either threshold turns a free dependency into a paid licence
The free Core tier is a hard limit of 3 seats, 25 collections and 5 flows
The Team plan is $499 a month billed annually, or $599 monthly, with extra seats at $50 each
Team caps collections at 50, expandable to 100, and flows at 20

Pricing, plan by plan

Aiia

On request

Aiia Enterprise (Mastercard Open Banking)$undefined/year
- Pricing not published, quote via Mastercard Open Finance sales

Directus

Free

CommunityFree
- Self-hosted Directus
- Community support
Cloud$25/monthly
- Managed cloud
- Automatic updates
- Backups

Which should you pick?

Choose Aiia if

You need bank account data access.
You work on Web, API.
You also want payment initiation.

Aiia review

Choose Directus if

You need rest api.
You want to start without paying.
You work on Node.js, Cloud, Self-hosted, Docker.
You also want graphql api.

Directus review

Questions people ask

Is Aiia or Directus better?: Neither clearly leads. Aiia starts at On request and Directus at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Aiia or Directus?: Directus has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Aiia and Free for Directus.
Does Aiia or Directus run on more platforms?: Aiia runs on Web, API. Directus runs on Node.js, Cloud, Self-hosted, Docker.
Can I use Directus for free?: Yes. Directus has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Aiia starts at On request.
What is Aiia best used for?: Aiia is most often used for a lending or credit product needing affordability checks via european bank account data, a personal finance or accounting product needing transaction history across nordic and european banks, a payments product wanting account-to-account payment initiation under open banking regulation, a business wanting the stability and continued investment of mastercard ownership behind its banking connectivity provider. Of those, a lending or credit product needing affordability checks via european bank account data and a personal finance or accounting product needing transaction history across nordic and european banks are not what Directus is typically brought in for.
What can Aiia do that Directus cannot?: Aiia covers Bank account data access, Payment initiation, Mastercard Open Finance integration, Modern authentication support. Directus covers REST API, GraphQL API, Database management, PostgreSQL.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Aiia: Is Aiia still an independent company?

No, it was acquired by Mastercard in 2021 and now operates as part of Mastercard Open Finance Solutions, referenced as Aiia Enterprise.

Directus: What is Directus's pricing?

Directus Core is free and self-hosted. The Team tier costs $499/month (annual) or $599/month (rolling), including 10 user seats and cloud hosting at $99/month additional. Enterprise plans have custom pricing. Additional seats cost $50/month each.

Source

Aiia: Does the Aiia brand still exist?

Yes, in developer documentation and login portals, but the company behind it is Mastercard.

Directus: Can I use Directus for free?

Yes, Directus Core is completely free with 3 user seats, 25 Collections, 5 Flows, AI Assistant, and Advanced RBAC. Self-hosting is available at no cost.

Source

Aiia: Which banks does it cover?

Around 3,000 European banks, with strongest coverage in the Nordics and Northern Europe.

Directus: How many user seats does each Directus tier include?

Core includes 3 user seats, Team includes 10 SSO seats, and Enterprise includes custom SSO seat counts. Additional Team seats cost $50/seat per month.

Source

Directus: What happens to my monthly Directus plan if I switch?

Monthly plans are grandfathered for six months after switching, and annual plans are honored until renewal. Self-hosted licenses are handled case-by-case at renewal.

Source

Directus: Is there a free trial for Directus?

No trial period is mentioned. Users can start with the free Core tier immediately without a credit card.

Source

Aiia vs Directus

Aiia

Directus

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in Aiia

Only in Directus

What people use each for

Aiia

Directus

Where each one falls short

Aiia

Directus

Pricing, plan by plan

Aiia

Directus

Which should you pick?

Choose Aiia if

Choose Directus if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on Aiia

More on Directus

Keep looking

Other head to heads