Softwr

APIs · head to head

Appwrite vs Trustly

Appwrite logo

Appwrite

APIs

Open-source Backend as a Service with REST API and SDKs

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Trustly logo

Trustly

APIs

Pay-by-bank payments network, majority-owned by private equity firm Nordic Capital

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Appwrite has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Appwrite smaller ecosystem compared to Firebase; fewer third-party integrations and extensions; Trustly it is majority-owned by Nordic Capital, a private equity firm, so its long-term roadmap is ultimately oriented toward an eventual sale or IPO rather than indefinite independent operation.
  • They diverge on capability: Appwrite covers REST API, Trustly covers Pay by bank checkout.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Appwrite and Trustly actually diverge.

Attributes where Appwrite and Trustly differ
AttributeAppwriteTrustly
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelUnknownquote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsCloud (Managed), Self-Hosted, DockerWeb, API
Founded2019Unknown

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 Appwrite

  • REST API
  • Authentication
  • Database
  • Multiple SDKs
  • Cloud functions
  • File storage
  • Docker support
  • Self-hosted support

Only in Trustly

  • Pay by bank checkout
  • Instant refunds
  • Verified payouts
  • Multi-market bank connectivity
  • Merchant dashboard and reconciliation
  • Fraud and risk tooling

What people use each for

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

Appwrite

  • API Developmentnot Trustly
  • API Gatewaynot Trustly
  • API Testingnot Trustly
  • API Documentationnot Trustly
  • Microservicesnot Trustly

Trustly

  • An e-commerce merchant wanting a lower-cost alternative or complement to card payment acceptancenot Appwrite
  • A gaming or gambling operator needing verified, instant payouts to players' bank accountsnot Appwrite
  • A merchant wanting instant refunds processed directly to a customer's bank account rather than card reversal delaysnot Appwrite
  • A business in a market with strong open banking adoption wanting pay-by-bank as a checkout optionnot Appwrite

Where each one falls short

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

Appwrite

  • Smaller ecosystem compared to Firebase; fewer third-party integrations and extensions
  • Analytics, crash reporting, and A/B testing not included (Firebase includes these)
  • Requires infrastructure management for self-hosted deployments; not fully managed like Firebase Cloud
  • Mobile app support not as mature as Firebase's native iOS/Android SDKs

Trustly

  • It is majority-owned by Nordic Capital, a private equity firm, so its long-term roadmap is ultimately oriented toward an eventual sale or IPO rather than indefinite independent operation.
  • Consumer familiarity with paying by bank transfer still lags card payments in most markets, so merchants typically see it used as a secondary option rather than a full card replacement.
  • The 1.15 to 3.15% merchant fee range is not a single published rate, so a merchant cannot know its actual cost without a sales negotiation.
  • As with all open banking-dependent payment methods, reliability depends on the consistency of the underlying banks' own APIs, which Trustly does not control.
  • Its verified payout functionality is heavily used in gaming and gambling, a sector with additional regulatory scrutiny, which is worth factoring in when evaluating vendor risk exposure by association.

Pricing, plan by plan

Appwrite

Free
  • Cloud FreeFree
    • 75K MAU
    • 10GB storage
    • Unlimited projects
  • Cloud Pro$15/month
    • More storage
    • Priority support

Trustly

On request
  • Trustly$undefined/month
    • Typical merchant cost of 1.15% to 3.15% depending on volume and market
    • Exact rate negotiated per merchant, not published as a flat card

Which should you pick?

Choose Appwrite if

  • You need rest api.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Cloud (Managed), Self-Hosted, Docker.
  • You also want authentication.
Appwrite review

Choose Trustly if

  • You need pay by bank checkout.
  • You work on Web, API.
  • You also want instant refunds.
Trustly review

Questions people ask

Is Appwrite or Trustly better?
Neither clearly leads. Appwrite starts at Free and Trustly at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Appwrite or Trustly?
Appwrite has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Appwrite and On request for Trustly.
Does Appwrite or Trustly run on more platforms?
Appwrite runs on Cloud (Managed), Self-Hosted, Docker. Trustly runs on Web, API.
Can I use Appwrite for free?
Yes. Appwrite has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Trustly starts at On request.
What is Appwrite best used for?
Appwrite is most often used for api development, api gateway, api testing, api documentation. Of those, api development and api gateway are not what Trustly is typically brought in for.
What can Appwrite do that Trustly cannot?
Appwrite covers REST API, Authentication, Database, Multiple SDKs. Trustly covers Pay by bank checkout, Instant refunds, Verified payouts, Multi-market bank connectivity.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Appwrite: Can Appwrite be self-hosted?

Yes. Appwrite is fully open-source and self-hosted with a single Docker command. Self-hosting is completely free with no feature restrictions, unlike the managed Appwrite Cloud.

Source
Trustly: Who owns Trustly?

Nordic Capital, a private equity firm, holds a 51.1% majority stake; Alfven & Didrikson and BlackRock hold smaller stakes.

Appwrite: What is Appwrite Cloud's pricing?

Appwrite Cloud offers a free tier with unlimited projects, 75K monthly active users, and 10GB storage with no time limit. Pro plan starts at $15/month per organization member. Scale plan at $599/month includes dedicated resources and SOC 2 compliance.

Source
Trustly: Is Trustly going public?

It has discussed an IPO but as of its most recent comments said one remained at least a year away.

Appwrite: What programming languages does Appwrite support?

Appwrite provides SDKs for 15+ languages including JavaScript, Flutter, Swift, Kotlin, Python, Ruby, PHP, .NET, and more, offering more language flexibility than Firebase.

Source
Trustly: What does it typically cost a merchant?

Roughly 1.15% to 3.15% of transaction value depending on volume and market, negotiated per merchant.

Appwrite: What backend services does Appwrite provide?

Appwrite includes Auth (with multi-factor auth), Databases, Storage (with compression and encryption), Serverless Functions, Messaging, Realtime subscriptions, and Sites (for hosting static and full-stack apps).

Source
Appwrite: Does Appwrite include real-time capabilities?

Yes. Appwrite's Realtime service covers all platform services by default through WebSocket subscriptions, enabling real-time updates across databases, functions, and messages.

Source
Appwrite: How does Appwrite compare to Firebase on costs?

Appwrite offers better cost predictability. Firebase's pay-per-read/write model can lead to unexpected bills with runaway queries, while Appwrite's self-hosted model only requires paying for your own infrastructure with completely predictable costs.

Source
Share

Related pages

More on Appwrite

More on Trustly

Keep looking

Other head to heads