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Technology · head to head

Alkami vs Whimsical

Alkami logo

Alkami

Technology

Digital banking platform for United States banks and credit unions

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Whimsical logo

Whimsical

Technology

Where great ideas take shape

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Whimsical 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.; Whimsical the free plan is capped at 3 team boards, 3 teams and 10 guest seats
  • They diverge on capability: Alkami covers Retail digital banking, Whimsical covers Flowcharts.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Alkami and Whimsical actually diverge.

Attributes where Alkami and Whimsical differ
AttributeAlkamiWhimsical
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquotesubscription
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb
FoundedUnknown2017

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 Whimsical

  • Flowcharts
  • Wireframes
  • Mind maps
  • Sticky notes
  • Docs
  • Real-time collaboration
  • Templates
  • Keyboard shortcuts

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

Whimsical

  • Product planningnot Alkami
  • UI/UX designnot Alkami
  • Brainstormingnot Alkami
  • Process documentationnot Alkami
  • Project visualizationnot 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.

Whimsical

  • The free plan is capped at 3 team boards, 3 teams and 10 guest seats
  • File uploads are limited to 5MB per file and 1GB in total on the free plan
  • Version history on the free plan goes back 7 days
  • Voting, the timer, private teams, the GitHub integration, password-protected files and watermark removal all need Pro at $10 per editor per month
  • SSO and SAML are Business tier only at $20 per editor per month

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

Whimsical

Free
  • StarterFree
    • Up to 4 boards
    • Unlimited viewers
    • 7-day version history
  • Pro$10/month
    • Unlimited boards
    • Unlimited version history
    • Advanced permissions
  • Org$20/month
    • Everything in Pro
    • SSO
    • User management

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 Whimsical if

  • You need flowcharts.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want wireframes.
Whimsical review

Questions people ask

Is Alkami or Whimsical better?
Neither clearly leads. Alkami starts at On request and Whimsical at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Alkami or Whimsical?
Whimsical has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Alkami and Free for Whimsical.
Does Alkami or Whimsical run on more platforms?
Alkami runs on Web, iOS, Android. Whimsical runs on Web.
Can I use Whimsical for free?
Yes. Whimsical 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 Whimsical is typically brought in for.
What can Alkami do that Whimsical cannot?
Alkami covers Retail digital banking, Business banking, Digital account opening, Payments and money movement. Whimsical covers Flowcharts, Wireframes, Mind maps, Sticky notes.

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.

Whimsical: What are Whimsical's pricing tiers?

Whimsical offers three plans: Free at 0 dollars per month per editor, Pro at 10 dollars per month per editor, and Business at 20 dollars per month per editor.

Source
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.

Whimsical: What is included in the Free plan?

The Free plan allows creation of up to 50 board objects and 50 doc blocks per month, includes watermarked exports, and provides 7-day version history. Storage is limited to 1GB.

Source
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.

Whimsical: What features unlock in the Pro plan?

The Pro plan removes the object creation limits, provides unlimited board objects and doc blocks, removes watermarks from exports, extends version history to 90 days, and offers 100GB of storage.

Source
Whimsical: What security and team features come with Business?

The Business plan adds private teams, SAML single sign-on, SCIM and advanced security controls, unlimited version history, priority support, and a dedicated success manager. Storage starts at 2TB.

Source
Whimsical: Do discounts apply for annual billing?

Yes, annual billing offers a 17 percent discount compared to monthly rates. Additionally, nonprofits receive a 20 percent discount and students and teachers get full access.

Source
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