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Alkami vs Microsoft Edge

Alkami logo

Alkami

Technology

Digital banking platform for United States banks and credit unions

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Microsoft Edge logo

Microsoft Edge

Technology

Microsoft's Chromium-based browser, distinguished by IE mode for legacy applications and by its integration with Microsoft 365 management.

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Microsoft Edge has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Alkami pricing is per registered user with contractual minimums, so institutions with many enrolled but dormant users pay for accounts that never log in.; Microsoft Edge outside the European Economic Area, Edge cannot be uninstalled from Windows, and Windows components such as Widgets, help links and taskbar search results open in it whatever the default browser is set to, so an organisation standardising on Chrome still has to manage and patch Edge.
  • They diverge on capability: Alkami covers Retail digital banking, Microsoft Edge covers Internet Explorer mode.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Alkami and Microsoft Edge actually diverge.

Attributes where Alkami and Microsoft Edge differ
AttributeAlkamiMicrosoft Edge
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquotefree
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Technology).

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 Alkami

  • Retail digital banking
  • Business banking
  • Digital account opening
  • Payments and money movement
  • Data and marketing
  • Extensibility framework
  • Card controls
  • Multi core integration

Only in Microsoft Edge

  • Internet Explorer mode
  • Enterprise Mode Site List
  • Entra ID integration
  • Purview DLP for browsing
  • Intune and Group Policy
  • Vertical tabs and Workspaces
  • Sleeping tabs
  • Chrome extension compatibility

What people use each for

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

Alkami

  • A credit union replacing the weak digital banking bundled with its core contractnot Microsoft Edge
  • A community bank that needs commercial entitlements and approvals its core vendor does not providenot Microsoft Edge
  • An institution wanting digital account opening and digital banking from one vendor after the MANTL acquisitionnot Microsoft Edge
  • A bank competing for deposits online and needing an onboarding funnel that works on mobilenot Microsoft Edge

Microsoft Edge

  • A Windows estate with intranet applications that still require Internet Explorer, where IE mode buys years before a rewritenot Alkami
  • Microsoft 365 organisations that want browser sessions covered by Purview DLP and conditional access without a separate secure browser productnot Alkami
  • Fleets managed through Intune that need one browser configured by the same console as the rest of the desktopnot Alkami
  • Users who work with many tabs at once and want vertical tabs and automatic tab suspension without installing extensionsnot Alkami

Where each one falls short

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

Alkami

  • Pricing is per registered user with contractual minimums, so institutions with many enrolled but dormant users pay for accounts that never log in.
  • Alkami is a channel layer, not a core, so functionality is bounded by what the core exposes, and a poor core integration produces a slow product no amount of channel work fixes.
  • Implementation typically runs six to twelve months and requires institution staff time, which small credit unions consistently underestimate.
  • The MANTL acquisition adds account opening but also another integration programme, and consolidating on one vendor removes leverage to swap a weak module for a best of breed alternative.
  • Buying digital banking separately from the core vendor means you own the integration risk between two suppliers who will each blame the other when something breaks.

Microsoft Edge

  • Outside the European Economic Area, Edge cannot be uninstalled from Windows, and Windows components such as Widgets, help links and taskbar search results open in it whatever the default browser is set to, so an organisation standardising on Chrome still has to manage and patch Edge.
  • It is Chromium downstream, so Manifest V3 applies exactly as it does in Chrome; full-strength blocking extensions cannot run, and Microsoft's add-ons store adds a second review process rather than a workaround.
  • Almost all of its advantage is conditional on Microsoft 365 and Entra ID; a Google Workspace or AWS-centred organisation gets Chromium plus Microsoft's promotional surfaces and none of the Purview, Intune or conditional access value.
  • Consumer-facing features including Copilot, the Discover pane, shopping notifications and sidebar apps default to on and reappear after feature updates, so suppressing them requires a maintained policy set rather than a one-off configuration.
  • IE mode is a bridge with a maintenance owner attached: the Enterprise Mode Site List must be curated by somebody, and MSHTML receives security fixes but no new capability, so an application parked there gains nothing and its eventual rewrite is only deferred.
  • By default browsing data feeds Microsoft services for Copilot, Discover and shopping features, which in a regulated environment turns the deployment into a policy exercise before it can be approved.

Pricing, plan by plan

Alkami

On request
  • Alkami Digital Banking Platform$undefined/year
    • Priced per registered user per month with multi year terms
    • Minimum user commitments typical, so enrolled inactive users are still billed
    • Implementation and core integration charged separately

Microsoft Edge

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Microsoft Edge review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Alkami if

  • You need retail digital banking.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want business banking.
Alkami review

Choose Microsoft Edge if

  • You need internet explorer mode.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want enterprise mode site list.
Microsoft Edge review

Questions people ask

Is Alkami or Microsoft Edge better?
Neither clearly leads. Alkami starts at On request and Microsoft Edge at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Alkami or Microsoft Edge?
Microsoft Edge has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Alkami and Free for Microsoft Edge.
Does Alkami or Microsoft Edge run on more platforms?
Alkami runs on Web, iOS, Android. Microsoft Edge runs on Web.
Can I use Microsoft Edge for free?
Yes. Microsoft Edge has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Alkami starts at On request.
What is Alkami best used for?
Alkami is most often used for a credit union replacing the weak digital banking bundled with its core contract, a community bank that needs commercial entitlements and approvals its core vendor does not provide, an institution wanting digital account opening and digital banking from one vendor after the mantl acquisition, a bank competing for deposits online and needing an onboarding funnel that works on mobile. Of those, a credit union replacing the weak digital banking bundled with its core contract and a community bank that needs commercial entitlements and approvals its core vendor does not provide are not what Microsoft Edge is typically brought in for.
What can Alkami do that Microsoft Edge cannot?
Alkami covers Retail digital banking, Business banking, Digital account opening, Payments and money movement. Microsoft Edge covers Internet Explorer mode, Enterprise Mode Site List, Entra ID integration, Purview DLP for browsing.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Alkami: Does Alkami replace our core?

No. It is the digital channel and account opening layer on top of a core such as Fiserv, Jack Henry or FIS.

Microsoft Edge: Can I uninstall Edge from Windows?

In the European Economic Area, yes, because the Digital Markets Act requires it. Elsewhere you cannot, and several Windows components will continue to open it regardless of your default browser.

Alkami: How is it priced?

Per registered user per month on multi year contracts with minimums, so model your enrolled user count rather than your active user count.

Microsoft Edge: How long will Internet Explorer mode be supported?

Microsoft has committed to supporting IE mode in Edge through at least 2029. It is a migration window rather than a permanent home, since the underlying MSHTML engine gets security fixes but no new capability.

Alkami: What did the MANTL acquisition change?

It brought deposit account opening in house, announced February 2025 at $400 million enterprise value, so account opening and digital banking can come from one vendor.

Microsoft Edge: Do Chrome extensions work?

Yes. Edge installs extensions from the Chrome Web Store as well as its own store. Manifest V3 restrictions apply identically, so extensions that Chrome no longer supports do not work here either.

Microsoft Edge: Is it worth deploying if we are not a Microsoft 365 organisation?

Usually not for the management features, which depend on Entra ID, Intune and Purview. Without that stack it is Chromium with a different interface and additional Microsoft promotion.

Microsoft Edge: Does it run on Linux?

Yes, there are official Linux builds. Some Windows-specific features, including IE mode, are not available there.

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