APIs · head to head
Aiia vs Basis Theory
Aiia
APIs
Open banking and open finance API platform, now operating as Mastercard Open Banking
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
Basis Theory
APIs
Developer tokenisation platform that holds card and sensitive data inside a PCI Level 1 environment you do not operate
- From
- $995/month
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Aiia it is now part of Mastercard rather than an independent company, so a business specifically wanting to avoid card network dependency in its banking infrastructure no longer gets that separation by choosing Aiia.; Basis Theory the Starter plan is 995 US dollars a month before any volume, which is a real floor for an early stage company and puts the product out of reach of teams tokenising a few thousand records.
- They diverge on capability: Aiia covers Bank account data access, Basis Theory covers Tokenisation API.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Aiia and Basis Theory actually diverge.
| Attribute | Aiia | Basis Theory |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | On request | $995/month |
| Pricing model | quote | Per month by token volume |
| Platforms | Web, API | Web, iOS, Android, Linux |
Identical on both: 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 Aiia
- Bank account data access
- Payment initiation
- Mastercard Open Finance integration
- Modern authentication support
- Multi-country coverage
- Developer documentation and sandbox
Only in Basis Theory
- Tokenisation API
- Hosted elements
- Outbound proxy
- PCI attestation of compliance
- Processor portability
- Reactors
- Access controls and audit
- PII and PHI options
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Aiia
- A lending or credit product needing affordability checks via European bank account datanot Basis Theory
- A personal finance or accounting product needing transaction history across Nordic and European banksnot Basis Theory
- A payments product wanting account-to-account payment initiation under open banking regulationnot Basis Theory
- A business wanting the stability and continued investment of Mastercard ownership behind its banking connectivity providernot Basis Theory
Basis Theory
- A payments company that wants card on file without bringing its own infrastructure into PCI scope and paying for the assessment that followsnot Aiia
- A merchant locked into a processor by that processor vault that wants to hold its own tokens and route to more than one acquirernot Aiia
- A fintech collecting bank account and identity data that needs it isolated from its application database before an enterprise security reviewnot Aiia
- A team that needs to send stored card data to a third party for a one-off integration without that data traversing its own serversnot Aiia
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Aiia
- It is now part of Mastercard rather than an independent company, so a business specifically wanting to avoid card network dependency in its banking infrastructure no longer gets that separation by choosing Aiia.
- Pricing is not published and requires engaging Mastercard's open finance sales process, which can be a heavier sales motion than dealing with a smaller independent open banking provider.
- Its strongest bank coverage remains concentrated in the Nordics and Northern Europe, so companies needing dense coverage in Southern or Eastern Europe should verify current bank connectivity before committing.
- Brand confusion is real: developer documentation, login portals and older case studies still reference "Aiia" while newer Mastercard material refers to "Mastercard Open Banking," and a company researching either name in isolation may miss half the relevant material.
- As with any open banking platform, reliability still depends on the consistency of the underlying banks' own APIs, which is a systemic industry issue rather than something Aiia specifically controls.
Basis Theory
- The Starter plan is 995 US dollars a month before any volume, which is a real floor for an early stage company and puts the product out of reach of teams tokenising a few thousand records.
- Starter is limited to the US region, so a company with European data residency requirements is pushed into a quoted Scale or Enterprise agreement immediately.
- Log retention on Starter is 24 hours, which is well below what most security teams expect for a system holding cardholder data and forces an upgrade for reasons unrelated to volume.
- Migrating away means moving card data out of the vault, which requires processor and assessor involvement and is slow, so the portability argument that attracts buyers cuts against them at exit.
- An attestation of compliance covers the vendor environment, not your assessment; your assessor still decides what is in scope, and buyers occasionally discover their integration pattern pulled systems back into scope anyway.
Pricing, plan by plan
Aiia
On request- Aiia Enterprise (Mastercard Open Banking)$undefined/year
- Pricing not published, quote via Mastercard Open Finance sales
Basis Theory
$995/month- Starter$995/month
- 20,000 tokens included
- Production PCI Level 1 environment
- US region only
- Scale$undefined/month
- Quoted
- Higher token volumes
- Additional regions
- Enterprise$undefined/month
- Quoted
- Additional compliance options for PII and PHI
- Responses for 95 percent of PCI SAQ D
Which should you pick?
Choose Aiia if
- You need bank account data access.
- You work on Web, API.
- You also want payment initiation.
Choose Basis Theory if
- You need tokenisation api.
- You work on Web, iOS, Android, Linux.
- You also want hosted elements.
Questions people ask
- Is Aiia or Basis Theory better?
- Neither clearly leads. Aiia starts at On request and Basis Theory at $995/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Aiia or Basis Theory?
- Aiia starts at On request and Basis Theory at $995/month.
- Does Aiia or Basis Theory run on more platforms?
- Aiia runs on Web, API. Basis Theory runs on Web, iOS, Android, Linux.
- What is Aiia best used for?
- Aiia is most often used for a lending or credit product needing affordability checks via european bank account data, a personal finance or accounting product needing transaction history across nordic and european banks, a payments product wanting account-to-account payment initiation under open banking regulation, a business wanting the stability and continued investment of mastercard ownership behind its banking connectivity provider. Of those, a lending or credit product needing affordability checks via european bank account data and a personal finance or accounting product needing transaction history across nordic and european banks are not what Basis Theory is typically brought in for.
- What can Aiia do that Basis Theory cannot?
- Aiia covers Bank account data access, Payment initiation, Mastercard Open Finance integration, Modern authentication support. Basis Theory covers Tokenisation API, Hosted elements, Outbound proxy, PCI attestation of compliance.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Aiia: Is Aiia still an independent company?
No, it was acquired by Mastercard in 2021 and now operates as part of Mastercard Open Finance Solutions, referenced as Aiia Enterprise.
Basis Theory: Does this make us PCI compliant?
It removes cardholder data from your systems and gives you an AOC plus documented responses for most of a SAQ D. Your assessor still determines your scope, and a careless integration can pull systems back in.
Aiia: Does the Aiia brand still exist?
Yes, in developer documentation and login portals, but the company behind it is Mastercard.
Basis Theory: What does it cost to start?
995 US dollars a month on Starter, including 20,000 tokens, a production PCI Level 1 environment and US hosting. Higher tiers are quoted.
Aiia: Which banks does it cover?
Around 3,000 European banks, with strongest coverage in the Nordics and Northern Europe.
Basis Theory: Can we switch payment processors without re-collecting cards?
Yes, that is the main non-compliance reason to buy it. You hold the tokens and detokenise into whichever processor you route to.
Basis Theory: Is data stored outside the United States?
Not on Starter, which is US only. Other regions require a Scale or Enterprise agreement.
Related pages
More on Basis Theory
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