APIs · head to head
Astra vs Toqio
Astra
APIs
Instant payments API for push-to-card, card-to-account and FedNow transfers
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
Toqio
APIs
No code platform for building embedded finance products on your own providers
- 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.; Toqio toqio holds no licence and provides no sponsor bank, so you must find, contract and manage regulated providers yourself, which is the slowest part of any embedded finance launch.
- They diverge on capability: Astra covers Instant disbursements, Toqio covers No code product builder.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Astra and Toqio 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 Toqio
- No code product builder
- Provider orchestration
- Account and card modules
- Embedded financing
- Back office tooling
- Multi entity and multi brand
- White label mobile apps
- Marketplace of providers
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 Toqio
- An insurer settling small claims instantly to a claimant debit card to remove the cheque processnot Toqio
- A lending product disbursing approved funds in seconds so the borrower experience matches the approval decisionnot Toqio
- A consumer fintech letting users fund a new account from an existing debit card so the balance is usable immediatelynot Toqio
Toqio
- A manufacturer offering branded working capital finance to its dealer networknot Astra
- A B2B marketplace launching accounts and cards for its sellers without becoming regulated itselfnot Astra
- A corporate that wants to switch card issuer without rebuilding its customer facing productnot Astra
- A group launching the same embedded finance product across several markets with different local providersnot 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.
Toqio
- Toqio holds no licence and provides no sponsor bank, so you must find, contract and manage regulated providers yourself, which is the slowest part of any embedded finance launch.
- Because it orchestrates rather than provides, the customer experience is only as good as the underlying bank or issuer, and Toqio cannot fix a partner's settlement delays or outages.
- Pricing is quoted with no public rate card, so comparing it against building in house or against a bundled banking as a service provider requires a full sales process.
- With around EUR 30 million raised in total it is a small supplier to underpin a financial product a large corporate expects to run for a decade, which raises real continuity questions in procurement.
- No code configuration covers standard patterns well but bespoke customer journeys eventually require custom development, at which point the main advantage over building directly on provider APIs narrows.
Pricing, plan by plan
Astra
On request- Astra Payments$undefined/year
- Per transaction pricing quoted by volume and rail
- Push-to-card economics differ materially from ACH
- Net debit mode available in place of prefunding
Toqio
On request- Toqio platform$undefined/year
- Quoted per customer, typically setup plus recurring platform fee
- Regulated provider fees are separate and contracted by you
- Card interchange and lending economics belong to your provider agreements
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 Toqio if
- You need no code product builder.
- You work on Web, iOS, Android, API.
- You also want provider orchestration.
Questions people ask
- Is Astra or Toqio better?
- Neither clearly leads. Astra starts at On request and Toqio at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Astra or Toqio?
- Astra starts at On request and Toqio at On request.
- Does Astra or Toqio run on more platforms?
- Astra runs on API, Web, iOS, Android. Toqio runs on Web, iOS, Android, 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 Toqio is typically brought in for.
- What can Astra do that Toqio cannot?
- Astra covers Instant disbursements, Card to account, Net debit mode, FedNow and RTP transfers. Toqio covers No code product builder, Provider orchestration, Account and card modules, Embedded financing.
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.
Toqio: Does Toqio provide the banking licence?
No, deliberately. You contract your own bank, issuer or lender, which is why you can replace them without rebuilding the product.
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.
Toqio: Who is it aimed at?
Large corporates and B2B ecosystem operators embedding finance for suppliers, dealers or marketplace sellers, not consumer fintech startups.
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.
Toqio: How much does it cost?
Not published. Expect a setup fee plus a recurring platform fee, with all regulated provider costs on top and separately contracted.
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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