Softwr

APIs · head to head

Microsoft Azure API Management vs Tink

Microsoft Azure API Management logo

Microsoft Azure API Management

APIs

Hybrid, multi-cloud API management service on Azure

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Tink logo

Tink

APIs

European open banking platform for account data and payment initiation

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Microsoft Azure API Management has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Microsoft Azure API Management prices are not shown on the pricing page itself; every tier renders as a placeholder and routes to the calculator or sales; Tink visa owns Tink, and pay-by-bank exists to move payments off card rails, so the roadmap and pricing of the product you are using to reduce interchange are set by the company that earns the interchange.
  • They diverge on capability: Microsoft Azure API Management covers API Gateway, Tink covers Account data access.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Microsoft Azure API Management and Tink actually diverge.

Attributes where Microsoft Azure API Management and Tink differ
AttributeMicrosoft Azure API ManagementTink
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelsubscriptionquote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsCloud, Hybrid, Multi-cloudAPI, Web
Founded1975Unknown

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 Microsoft Azure API Management

  • API Gateway
  • Developer Portal
  • API Policies
  • Azure services
  • AWS
  • Google Cloud
  • On-premises
  • Cloud support

Only in Tink

  • Account data access
  • Payment initiation
  • EEA passporting
  • Categorisation
  • Account verification
  • Risk and affordability signals
  • Variable recurring payments support
  • Consent management

What people use each for

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

Microsoft Azure API Management

  • API gateway and lifecycle management on Azurenot Tink
  • Throttling, keys and policies in front of backend servicesnot Tink
  • Developer portal for internal and partner APIsnot Tink
  • Hybrid deployments using self-hosted gatewaysnot Tink

Tink

  • A European lender that needs verified income and expense data from a borrower bank account across several EEA markets under one licencenot Microsoft Azure API Management
  • A merchant offering pay-by-bank at checkout to avoid card acceptance costs on high value basketsnot Microsoft Azure API Management
  • A fintech that does not hold its own PSD2 licence and needs to operate under an authorised provider passported across the EEAnot Microsoft Azure API Management
  • A bank building an account aggregation view of a customer external accounts without negotiating with each institution individuallynot Microsoft Azure API Management

Where each one falls short

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

Microsoft Azure API Management

  • Prices are not shown on the pricing page itself; every tier renders as a placeholder and routes to the calculator or sales
  • Two parallel generations of tiers, classic and v2, so the choice is which lineage before which size
  • The Developer tier is explicitly not for production
  • Self-hosted gateways and workspace gateways are charged separately from the service

Tink

  • Visa owns Tink, and pay-by-bank exists to move payments off card rails, so the roadmap and pricing of the product you are using to reduce interchange are set by the company that earns the interchange.
  • Coverage is Europe only, so a product serving both European and United States users runs a second aggregator with a different data model and a separate contract.
  • PSD2 connection quality varies sharply by bank, and headline connection counts hide wide differences in success rate, consent lifetime and re-authentication frequency that determine what users actually experience.
  • Consent under PSD2 expires and requires periodic re-authentication, so any product depending on continuous data access has a recurring user friction it cannot design away, and drop-off at re-consent is a real product problem.
  • Pricing is quoted with data access and payment initiation priced separately, and there is no published rate card, so small merchants cannot compare pay-by-bank economics against card acceptance without a sales process.

Pricing, plan by plan

Microsoft Azure API Management

Free
  • ConsumptionFree
    • 0-1 million API operations free monthly per subscription
  • Basic v2$undefined/mo
    • 10 million API requests included monthly
  • Standard v2$undefined/mo
    • 50 million API requests included monthly
  • Premium v2$undefined/mo
    • Unlimited included API requests

Tink

On request
  • Tink Platform$undefined/year
    • Priced by product, market and volume
    • Data access and payment initiation priced separately
    • Annual commitments typical for enterprise agreements

Which should you pick?

Choose Microsoft Azure API Management if

  • You need api gateway.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Cloud, Hybrid, Multi-cloud.
  • You also want developer portal.
Microsoft Azure API Management review

Choose Tink if

  • You need account data access.
  • You work on API, Web.
  • You also want payment initiation.
Tink review

Questions people ask

Is Microsoft Azure API Management or Tink better?
Neither clearly leads. Microsoft Azure API Management starts at Free and Tink at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Microsoft Azure API Management or Tink?
Microsoft Azure API Management has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Microsoft Azure API Management and On request for Tink.
Does Microsoft Azure API Management or Tink run on more platforms?
Microsoft Azure API Management runs on Cloud, Hybrid, Multi-cloud. Tink runs on API, Web.
Can I use Microsoft Azure API Management for free?
Yes. Microsoft Azure API Management has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Tink starts at On request.
What is Microsoft Azure API Management best used for?
Microsoft Azure API Management is most often used for api gateway and lifecycle management on azure, throttling, keys and policies in front of backend services, developer portal for internal and partner apis, hybrid deployments using self-hosted gateways. Of those, api gateway and lifecycle management on azure and throttling, keys and policies in front of backend services are not what Tink is typically brought in for.
What can Microsoft Azure API Management do that Tink cannot?
Microsoft Azure API Management covers API Gateway, Developer Portal, API Policies, Azure services. Tink covers Account data access, Payment initiation, EEA passporting, Categorisation.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Microsoft Azure API Management: Is Azure API Management free?

Azure API Management offers a Consumption tier with a free tier that includes 0-1 million API operations per subscription monthly at no cost, then charges per operation beyond that. Classic Consumption tier is pay-as-you-go billing.

Source
Tink: Who owns Tink?

Visa, since 2022. That is directly relevant if you are adopting pay-by-bank specifically to reduce card costs.

Microsoft Azure API Management: What are the API request limits for Azure API Management's v2 tiers?

Basic v2 includes 10 million API requests monthly, Standard v2 includes 50 million monthly, and Premium v2 includes unlimited API requests. Additional requests beyond included amounts incur standard rates.

Source
Tink: Do I need my own PSD2 licence?

No. Tink holds AIS and PIS licences from the Swedish FSA passported across the EEA, and customers can operate as its agent rather than obtaining their own authorisation.

Microsoft Azure API Management: What cache capacity does each Azure API Management tier provide?

Basic v2 provides 250 MB built-in cache, Standard v2 provides 1 GB cache, and Premium v2 provides 5 GB cache capacity for response caching.

Source
Tink: Does Tink cover the United States?

No. It is a European platform. US coverage requires a separate provider.

Tink: How reliable are the bank connections?

It varies by institution far more than the headline count of roughly 6,000 connections suggests. Ask for per market and per bank success rates and consent lifetimes for the banks your users actually hold accounts with.

Share

Related pages

More on Microsoft Azure API Management

More on Tink

Keep looking

Other head to heads