APIs · head to head
Astra vs Neonomics
Astra
APIs
Instant payments API for push-to-card, card-to-account and FedNow transfers
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
Neonomics
APIs
Nordic open banking payments and data, now with UK coverage through Ordo
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Astra push-to-card costs materially more per transaction than ACH, so a platform that switches all payouts to instant sees payment costs rise sharply, and the usual answer of charging the recipient for speed only works where recipients will pay.; Neonomics coverage outside the Nordics and the UK is comparatively shallow, so a pan European merchant will find gaps and inconsistent bank behaviour in southern and eastern markets.
- They diverge on capability: Astra covers Instant disbursements, Neonomics covers Payment initiation.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Astra and Neonomics actually diverge.
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 Astra
- Instant disbursements
- Card to account
- Net debit mode
- FedNow and RTP transfers
- ACH transfers
- Routing logic
- SDK
- Sandbox
Only in Neonomics
- Payment initiation
- Account information
- Nordic bank depth
- UK coverage via Ordo
- Variable recurring payments
- Request to pay
- White label journeys
- Reconciliation data
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Astra
- A gig or marketplace platform paying workers to their debit cards at the end of a shift rather than on a weekly ACH cyclenot Neonomics
- An insurer settling small claims instantly to a claimant debit card to remove the cheque processnot Neonomics
- A lending product disbursing approved funds in seconds so the borrower experience matches the approval decisionnot Neonomics
- A consumer fintech letting users fund a new account from an existing debit card so the balance is usable immediatelynot Neonomics
Neonomics
- A Norwegian or Swedish merchant collecting payments directly from bank accounts to avoid card feesnot Astra
- A debt collection agency sending request to pay messages instead of chasing bank transfers manuallynot Astra
- A software vendor embedding pay by bank into an accounting or invoicing product for Nordic customersnot Astra
- A business needing both UK and Nordic bank payment coverage from one suppliernot Astra
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Astra
- Push-to-card costs materially more per transaction than ACH, so a platform that switches all payouts to instant sees payment costs rise sharply, and the usual answer of charging the recipient for speed only works where recipients will pay.
- Original Credit Transaction support is not universal across card issuers, so a proportion of payouts fall back to slower rails and you must build and explain a two speed experience rather than promising instant to everyone.
- The programme depends on Cross River Bank as sponsor, a bank with concentrated fintech exposure and a documented regulatory history, so a single supervisory action on that institution is a direct operational risk to your payouts.
- Nothing is published on pricing, and per transaction economics vary by rail and volume, so small platforms cannot estimate cost before a sales conversation and have limited leverage in it.
- FedNow reach still depends on the recipient bank participating, so instant account-to-account is not available to every recipient and the routing logic has to degrade gracefully, which is more integration work than the single API framing suggests.
Neonomics
- Coverage outside the Nordics and the UK is comparatively shallow, so a pan European merchant will find gaps and inconsistent bank behaviour in southern and eastern markets.
- It is a small company relative to Tink and TrueLayer, so supplier viability and the depth of engineering support behind bank API changes are genuine procurement questions.
- Payment initiation only means the merchant handles settlement, reconciliation and refunds, and there is no chargeback framework to fall back on.
- Integrating a recently acquired UK business means two regulatory entities and, for a period, two technology stacks, so cross market feature parity is a promise rather than an existing state.
- Conversion is governed by each bank's own authentication experience, and Nordic BankID flows behave differently from UK app redirects, so a single UX cannot be assumed across the footprint.
Pricing, plan by plan
Astra
On request- Astra Payments$undefined/year
- Per transaction pricing quoted by volume and rail
- Push-to-card economics differ materially from ACH
- Net debit mode available in place of prefunding
Neonomics
On request- Neonomics platform$undefined/year
- Quoted per customer, typically per initiated payment or per API call
- Volume commitments and monthly minimums are common
- Payment initiation only; merchant handles settlement and refunds
Which should you pick?
Choose Astra if
- You need instant disbursements.
- You work on API, Web, iOS, Android.
- You also want card to account.
Choose Neonomics if
- You need payment initiation.
- You work on Web, API.
- You also want account information.
Questions people ask
- Is Astra or Neonomics better?
- Neither clearly leads. Astra starts at On request and Neonomics at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Astra or Neonomics?
- Astra starts at On request and Neonomics at On request.
- Does Astra or Neonomics run on more platforms?
- Astra runs on API, Web, iOS, Android. Neonomics runs on Web, API.
- What is Astra best used for?
- Astra is most often used for a gig or marketplace platform paying workers to their debit cards at the end of a shift rather than on a weekly ach cycle, an insurer settling small claims instantly to a claimant debit card to remove the cheque process, a lending product disbursing approved funds in seconds so the borrower experience matches the approval decision, a consumer fintech letting users fund a new account from an existing debit card so the balance is usable immediately. Of those, a gig or marketplace platform paying workers to their debit cards at the end of a shift rather than on a weekly ach cycle and an insurer settling small claims instantly to a claimant debit card to remove the cheque process are not what Neonomics is typically brought in for.
- What can Astra do that Neonomics cannot?
- Astra covers Instant disbursements, Card to account, Net debit mode, FedNow and RTP transfers. Neonomics covers Payment initiation, Account information, Nordic bank depth, UK coverage via Ordo.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Astra: Who is the sponsor bank?
Cross River Bank. All banking and payment services run through that relationship, so the bank should be part of your diligence rather than an implementation detail.
Neonomics: Is Neonomics authorised in the UK?
Yes, through the acquisition of Ordo, an FCA authorised open banking payments firm, approved by the FCA and the Norwegian regulator.
Astra: Do I have to prefund payouts?
Not necessarily. Astra offers a net debit arrangement where disbursements settle against a reserve rather than a permanently funded float account, which is the main working capital argument for the product.
Neonomics: Does it support variable recurring payments?
Yes in the UK through the Ordo capability, subject to which banks support commercial VRP; support elsewhere is more limited.
Astra: Is every payout instant?
No. Push-to-card requires the recipient card issuer to support Original Credit Transactions, and FedNow requires the recipient bank to participate. The rest fall back to ACH.
Neonomics: Does Neonomics hold merchant funds?
No. It initiates payments; settlement, reconciliation and refunds remain with the merchant or its payment provider.
Astra: What does it cost?
Nothing is published. Pricing is per transaction and varies by rail and volume, and card rails cost considerably more than ACH.
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