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Technology · head to head

Attio vs Thought Machine

Attio logo

Attio

Technology

The CRM built for the next generation of companies

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Thought Machine logo

Thought Machine

Technology

Cloud native core banking where products are written as smart contracts

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Attio has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Attio the free plan stops at 3 seats and 50,000 records; Thought Machine a core replacement is a two to four year programme at an established bank, and the licence is a minority of total cost against system integrator fees, parallel running and data migration.
  • They diverge on capability: Attio covers Custom data model, Thought Machine covers Smart contract product engine.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Attio and Thought Machine actually diverge.

Attributes where Attio and Thought Machine differ
AttributeAttioThought Machine
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelfreemiumquote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Ios, Android, ApiWeb, API, Cloud
Founded2021Unknown

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 Attio

  • Custom data model
  • Flexible views
  • Email integration
  • Calendar sync
  • Automations
  • Mobile app
  • Real-time collaboration
  • Templates

Only in Thought Machine

  • Smart contract product engine
  • Cloud native architecture
  • Real time ledger
  • Vault Payments
  • API first design
  • Multi entity and multi currency
  • Product versioning and testing
  • Configurable posting rules

What people use each for

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

Attio

  • Sales pipelinenot Thought Machine
  • Customer managementnot Thought Machine
  • Deal trackingnot Thought Machine
  • Investor relationsnot Thought Machine
  • Partnership managementnot Thought Machine

Thought Machine

  • A large bank launching a separate digital brand on a clean core rather than migrating the back booknot Attio
  • A bank whose product launches are blocked by vendor change requests on a legacy corenot Attio
  • An institution needing real time balances and postings for instant payment obligationsnot Attio
  • A group consolidating multiple country cores onto one multi entity platformnot Attio

Where each one falls short

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

Attio

  • The free plan stops at 3 seats and 50,000 records
  • Outbound email is capped at 200 messages a month on the free plan and 1,000 on Plus
  • Call Intelligence, sequences, advanced reporting and permission controls all require the Pro tier
  • Custom objects are capped at 3 on free, 5 on Plus and 12 on Pro, with unlimited objects reserved for Enterprise
  • File storage is capped at 50 GB on the free and Plus tiers

Thought Machine

  • A core replacement is a two to four year programme at an established bank, and the licence is a minority of total cost against system integrator fees, parallel running and data migration.
  • The smart contract model presumes a bank can write and maintain Python financial products, and institutions without that engineering capability end up outsourcing the very flexibility they bought.
  • Cloud infrastructure cost sits with the bank and is not trivial at scale, so total cost of ownership comparisons against a hosted legacy core often miss a large recurring line.
  • Thought Machine has made two rounds of job cuts pursuing profitability, which is a legitimate supplier stability concern for a system a bank expects to run for fifteen years.
  • The functional footprint is core ledger and product engine, so origination, collections, regulatory reporting and channels all come from other vendors, and the integration estate around Vault is the bank's problem to design and own.

Pricing, plan by plan

Attio

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Up to 3 seats
    • 50000 records
    • 3 objects
  • Plus$44/month
    • Up to 10 seats
    • 250000 records
    • 5 objects
  • Pro$99/month
    • Unlimited seats
    • 1000000 records
    • 12 objects
  • EnterpriseFree
    • Custom pricing
    • Unlimited objects
    • Custom record limits

Thought Machine

On request
  • Vault Core$undefined/year
    • Quoted per institution, typically on account volumes or annual contract value
    • Implementation and system integrator costs commonly exceed the licence fee
    • Cloud infrastructure costs are the bank's and are not included

Which should you pick?

Choose Attio if

  • You need custom data model.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
  • You also want flexible views.
Attio review

Choose Thought Machine if

  • You need smart contract product engine.
  • You work on Web, API, Cloud.
  • You also want cloud native architecture.
Thought Machine review

Questions people ask

Is Attio or Thought Machine better?
Neither clearly leads. Attio starts at Free and Thought Machine at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Attio or Thought Machine?
Attio has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Attio and On request for Thought Machine.
Does Attio or Thought Machine run on more platforms?
Attio runs on Web, Ios, Android, Api. Thought Machine runs on Web, API, Cloud.
Can I use Attio for free?
Yes. Attio has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Thought Machine starts at On request.
What is Attio best used for?
Attio is most often used for sales pipeline, customer management, deal tracking, investor relations. Of those, sales pipeline and customer management are not what Thought Machine is typically brought in for.
What can Attio do that Thought Machine cannot?
Attio covers Custom data model, Flexible views, Email integration, Calendar sync. Thought Machine covers Smart contract product engine, Cloud native architecture, Real time ledger, Vault Payments.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Attio: How much does Attio cost per user?

Attio's Plus plan is $44/user/month (or $35/month annually with 20% discount). Pro is $99/user/month (or $79/month annually). The Free plan includes up to 3 seats at no cost.

Source
Thought Machine: Is Vault Core genuinely cloud native?

Yes. It is containerised, runs on Kubernetes on public cloud, and posts in real time rather than in overnight batch.

Attio: What are Attio's seat and record limits for each plan?

Free plan includes up to 3 seats with 50,000 records. Plus supports up to 10 seats with 250,000 records. Pro offers unlimited seats with 1 million records. Enterprise has custom record limits.

Source
Thought Machine: How long does a migration take?

Eighteen months at the absolute fastest for a narrow greenfield launch; two to four years for a phased migration at an established bank.

Attio: Are there additional costs for Attio beyond the per-user subscription?

Yes, workspace credits are available as add-ons ($70-$475/month depending on volume). Annual billing provides a 20% discount on the base per-user cost.

Source
Thought Machine: Does the licence fee represent the total cost?

No. Implementation, system integration, parallel running and cloud infrastructure typically cost more than the licence over the programme.

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