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APIs · head to head

Akoya vs Synctera

Akoya logo

Akoya

APIs

Bank-owned, token-based open finance network that replaces screen scraping for US financial data

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Synctera logo

Synctera

APIs

Banking-as-a-service platform that brings its own sponsor bank and compliance tooling

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Akoya coverage reaches several thousand institutions but does not match aggregators that can still scrape, so applications needing the long tail of small credit unions will run a second data provider alongside it.; Synctera implementation fee, platform fee and monthly minimum are all charged and none are published, so a programme cannot model its fixed cost floor without a sales process, and at low volume those fixed fees rather than transaction pricing determine your economics.
  • They diverge on capability: Akoya covers FDX standard APIs, Synctera covers Sponsor bank matching.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Akoya and Synctera actually diverge.

Attributes where Akoya and Synctera differ
AttributeAkoyaSynctera
PlatformsWebWeb, API

Identical on both: starting price (On request), pricing model (quote), free tier (No), 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 Akoya

  • FDX standard APIs
  • Token-based access
  • Investment data
  • Accounts, balances and transactions
  • Statements and tax forms
  • Customer identity
  • Consumer permission management
  • Single integration

Only in Synctera

  • Sponsor bank matching
  • Accounts and ledger
  • Card issuing
  • Money movement
  • KYC and KYB
  • Transaction monitoring
  • Shared bank dashboard
  • Lending support

What people use each for

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

Akoya

  • A wealth management platform that needs Fidelity brokerage holdings and tax lots, which cannot be scraped since Fidelity closed that route in October 2023not Synctera
  • A tax preparation product retrieving tax forms and cost basis directly from the institution rather than asking users to upload PDFsnot Synctera
  • A lender that needs a permissioning trail defensible under CFPB section 1033 rather than a credential-sharing arrangementnot Synctera
  • A bank that wants to meet data sharing obligations through one network connection instead of building and policing its own developer interfacenot Synctera

Synctera

  • A software company adding branded debit cards and accounts that has no appetite for sourcing and negotiating with a sponsor bank itselfnot Akoya
  • A fintech whose current bank partner is exiting the programme and needs a replacement with the oversight tooling already in placenot Akoya
  • A community bank that wants to run a fintech sponsorship line of business without building transaction monitoring and reconciliation from scratchnot Akoya
  • A B2B platform issuing spend cards to its customers that needs KYB, monitoring and card issuing from one contractnot Akoya

Where each one falls short

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

Akoya

  • Coverage reaches several thousand institutions but does not match aggregators that can still scrape, so applications needing the long tail of small credit unions will run a second data provider alongside it.
  • The network is owned by large banks, so roadmap and coverage priorities reflect owner interests rather than those of the fintechs consuming the data, and a recipient has no leverage over which institutions are added next.
  • Data availability is decided institution by institution, meaning a bank may expose balances but not transactions or investments, and recipients must verify field-level coverage per institution rather than assume the FDX model is fully populated.
  • Pricing is unpublished and usage based, which makes it difficult to compare against aggregator pricing during a build-versus-buy decision and forces a sales cycle before you can model cost.
  • The token model requires the institution to have implemented its side, so newly onboarded institutions arrive on the institution timetable, not yours, and a launch dependent on a specific bank can slip badly.

Synctera

  • Implementation fee, platform fee and monthly minimum are all charged and none are published, so a programme cannot model its fixed cost floor without a sales process, and at low volume those fixed fees rather than transaction pricing determine your economics.
  • The sponsor bank remains a third party whose risk appetite governs what you can launch, and a bank exiting or tightening its programme can force product changes you did not choose, which has happened repeatedly across the sector.
  • Onboarding runs on bank timelines, so several months typically pass between contract and first live customer while compliance policies and flow of funds are reviewed by both Synctera and the bank.
  • Coverage is United States focused, so a fintech with cross-border plans needs an entirely separate stack for other markets rather than an extension of this one.
  • Sitting between you and the bank means Synctera is another party in the reconciliation chain, and when balances disagree you are coordinating between two organisations rather than one, which lengthens incident resolution.

Pricing, plan by plan

Akoya

On request
  • Akoya Data Access$undefined/year
    • Usage-based pricing quoted by data product and call volume
    • Separate commercial terms for data recipients and for financial institutions joining the network
    • No published rate card

Synctera

On request
  • Synctera Platform$undefined/year
    • Sponsor bank relationship included
    • Accounts, ledger and card issuing
    • ACH, wire and instant rails

Which should you pick?

Choose Akoya if

  • You need fdx standard apis.
  • You also want token-based access.
Akoya review

Choose Synctera if

  • You need sponsor bank matching.
  • You work on Web, API.
  • You also want accounts and ledger.
Synctera review

Questions people ask

Is Akoya or Synctera better?
Neither clearly leads. Akoya starts at On request and Synctera at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Akoya or Synctera?
Akoya starts at On request and Synctera at On request.
Does Akoya or Synctera run on more platforms?
Akoya runs on Web. Synctera runs on Web, API.
What is Akoya best used for?
Akoya is most often used for a wealth management platform that needs fidelity brokerage holdings and tax lots, which cannot be scraped since fidelity closed that route in october 2023, a tax preparation product retrieving tax forms and cost basis directly from the institution rather than asking users to upload pdfs, a lender that needs a permissioning trail defensible under cfpb section 1033 rather than a credential-sharing arrangement, a bank that wants to meet data sharing obligations through one network connection instead of building and policing its own developer interface. Of those, a wealth management platform that needs fidelity brokerage holdings and tax lots, which cannot be scraped since fidelity closed that route in october 2023 and a tax preparation product retrieving tax forms and cost basis directly from the institution rather than asking users to upload pdfs are not what Synctera is typically brought in for.
What can Akoya do that Synctera cannot?
Akoya covers FDX standard APIs, Token-based access, Investment data, Accounts, balances and transactions. Synctera covers Sponsor bank matching, Accounts and ledger, Card issuing, Money movement.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Akoya: Who owns Akoya?

A group of large US banks. It was spun out of Fidelity, which is why Fidelity data access runs through it.

Synctera: Does Synctera provide the bank?

Yes. Unlike a pure technology vendor, Synctera contracts with sponsor banks and brings one into your programme.

Akoya: Is Akoya screen scraping?

No. It uses FDX standard APIs with OpenID Connect tokens, so credentials are never shared with or stored by the data recipient.

Synctera: What does it cost?

Nothing is published. Expect an implementation fee, a recurring platform fee and a monthly minimum, plus usage charges.

Akoya: Can we use Akoya alone instead of an aggregator?

Usually not. Its investment and large-institution coverage is excellent, but the long tail of smaller institutions is thinner, so most teams run both.

Synctera: How long does it take to launch?

Plan for months, not weeks, because both Synctera and the sponsor bank run compliance diligence on your programme.

Akoya: Does it help with CFPB section 1033?

It is designed around it, providing tokenised permissioned access and consumer revocation rather than credential sharing.

Synctera: Is it available outside the United States?

Its focus is the United States; it has offered Canadian capability but non-US coverage is limited.

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