Softwr

APIs · head to head

Basis Theory vs Dodo Payments

Basis Theory logo

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
-
Full reviewWebsite
Dodo Payments logo

Dodo Payments

Accounting

Unified billing, payments, and distribution for AI and SaaS companies

From
$4/percent + $0.40
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: 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.; Dodo Payments per-transaction fees higher for specialized payment methods
  • They diverge on capability: Basis Theory covers Tokenisation API, Dodo Payments covers Global Payments.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Basis Theory and Dodo Payments actually diverge.

Attributes where Basis Theory and Dodo Payments differ
AttributeBasis TheoryDodo Payments
Starting price$995/month$4/percent + $0.40
Pricing modelPer month by token volumePercentage of transaction plus fixed per-transaction fee
PlatformsWeb, iOS, Android, LinuxWeb, API, SDK
CategoryAPIsAccounting
FoundedUnknown2024

Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated).

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 Basis Theory

  • Tokenisation API
  • Hosted elements
  • Outbound proxy
  • PCI attestation of compliance
  • Processor portability
  • Reactors
  • Access controls and audit
  • PII and PHI options

Only in Dodo Payments

  • Global Payments
  • Multi-Currency Support
  • Flexible Billing Models
  • Merchant of Record
  • Developer-Friendly SDKs
  • No-Code Checkout
  • PCI DSS Level 1

What people use each for

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

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 Dodo Payments
  • A merchant locked into a processor by that processor vault that wants to hold its own tokens and route to more than one acquirernot Dodo Payments
  • A fintech collecting bank account and identity data that needs it isolated from its application database before an enterprise security reviewnot Dodo Payments
  • 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 Dodo Payments

Dodo Payments

  • Billing for AI API usage across multiple international marketsnot Basis Theory
  • Processing subscriptions with usage-based overagesnot Basis Theory
  • Accepting local payment methods in emerging marketsnot Basis Theory
  • Launching global SaaS products without multi-country payment setupnot Basis Theory

Where each one falls short

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

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.

Dodo Payments

  • Per-transaction fees higher for specialized payment methods
  • BNPL and PayPal surcharges add cost complexity
  • ACH/SEPA fees capped at $15/$15 EUR may not scale for large transactions
  • Startup program requires application process

Pricing, plan by plan

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

Dodo Payments

$4/percent + $0.40
  • StandardFree
    • 4% + $0.40 per domestic US transaction
    • International: +1.5%
    • Subscription billing: +0.5%
  • EnterpriseFree
    • Custom pricing negotiated
    • Unified platform for billing, payments, and distribution
    • Cross-border compliance support
  • Startup ProgramFree
    • Up to 12 months free credits
    • Preferential rates on full platform
    • Access to 40+ payment methods

Which should you pick?

Choose Basis Theory if

  • You need tokenisation api.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, Linux.
  • You also want hosted elements.
Basis Theory review

Choose Dodo Payments if

  • You need global payments.
  • You work on Web, API, SDK.
  • You also want multi-currency support.
Dodo Payments review

Questions people ask

Is Basis Theory or Dodo Payments better?
Neither clearly leads. Basis Theory starts at $995/month and Dodo Payments at $4/percent + $0.40, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Basis Theory or Dodo Payments?
Basis Theory starts at $995/month and Dodo Payments at $4/percent + $0.40.
Does Basis Theory or Dodo Payments run on more platforms?
Basis Theory runs on Web, iOS, Android, Linux. Dodo Payments runs on Web, API, SDK.
What is Basis Theory best used for?
Basis Theory is most often used for a payments company that wants card on file without bringing its own infrastructure into pci scope and paying for the assessment that follows, a merchant locked into a processor by that processor vault that wants to hold its own tokens and route to more than one acquirer, a fintech collecting bank account and identity data that needs it isolated from its application database before an enterprise security review, a team that needs to send stored card data to a third party for a one-off integration without that data traversing its own servers. Of those, a payments company that wants card on file without bringing its own infrastructure into pci scope and paying for the assessment that follows and a merchant locked into a processor by that processor vault that wants to hold its own tokens and route to more than one acquirer are not what Dodo Payments is typically brought in for.
What can Basis Theory do that Dodo Payments cannot?
Basis Theory covers Tokenisation API, Hosted elements, Outbound proxy, PCI attestation of compliance. Dodo Payments covers Global Payments, Multi-Currency Support, Flexible Billing Models, Merchant of Record.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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.

Dodo Payments: What countries does Dodo Payments support?

Dodo Payments operates in 220+ countries with 40+ local payment methods and support for 80+ currencies.

Source
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.

Dodo Payments: Does Dodo handle tax compliance?

Yes, Dodo Payments acts as merchant of record and handles sales tax, VAT, and GST compliance automatically across all markets.

Source
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.

Dodo Payments: Is there a startup program?

Yes, early-stage companies can apply for up to 12 months of free credits plus preferential rates on the full platform.

Source
Basis Theory: Is data stored outside the United States?

Not on Starter, which is US only. Other regions require a Scale or Enterprise agreement.

Share

Related pages

More on Basis Theory

More on Dodo Payments

Keep looking

Other head to heads