APIs · head to head
Basis Theory vs Episode Six
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
- -
Episode Six
APIs
Payment processing and ledger platform deployable on premise or in your own cloud
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
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.; Episode Six deployment on premise or in a private tenancy means the institution carries infrastructure, upgrade and PCI scope work that a hosted processor would absorb.
- They diverge on capability: Basis Theory covers Tokenisation API, Episode Six covers Tritium API platform.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Basis Theory and Episode Six actually diverge.
| Attribute | Basis Theory | Episode Six |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $995/month | On request |
| Pricing model | Per month by token volume | quote |
| Platforms | Web, iOS, Android, Linux | Web, API, On-premise |
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 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 Episode Six
- Tritium API platform
- Flexible deployment
- Multi product issuing
- Digital wallets
- Multi currency ledger
- Network connectivity
- Configurable product engine
- Institutional controls
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 Episode Six
- A merchant locked into a processor by that processor vault that wants to hold its own tokens and route to more than one acquirernot Episode Six
- A fintech collecting bank account and identity data that needs it isolated from its application database before an enterprise security reviewnot Episode Six
- 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 Episode Six
Episode Six
- A bank in a jurisdiction with data residency rules that forbid processing customer data in a shared multi tenant cloudnot Basis Theory
- A large institution replacing a legacy card processor without moving off its own infrastructurenot Basis Theory
- A telco or airline launching a branded wallet and card product at national scalenot Basis Theory
- A bank running prepaid, debit and credit products that wants them on one ledger rather than three processorsnot 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.
Episode Six
- Deployment on premise or in a private tenancy means the institution carries infrastructure, upgrade and PCI scope work that a hosted processor would absorb.
- Implementation runs to quarters and involves core banking, network certification and fraud system integration, so time to first card is far longer than with a self serve issuer processor.
- Pricing is entirely bespoke and weighted to large programmes, which prices out fintechs and small issuers who would be better served by a hosted platform.
- Being smaller than the incumbent processors, its network certifications and operational presence vary by region, so a global rollout can find gaps in specific markets.
- The flexibility of six hundred APIs and a configurable product engine shifts design responsibility onto the buyer, and institutions without strong internal payments architects end up dependent on professional services.
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$undefined/month
- Quoted
- Additional compliance options for PII and PHI
- Responses for 95 percent of PCI SAQ D
Episode Six
On request- Tritium platform$undefined/year
- Licence and implementation quoted per institution
- Deployment model affects cost materially: on premise, private cloud or hosted
- Processing fees typically per transaction or per active card
Which should you pick?
Choose Basis Theory if
- You need tokenisation api.
- You work on Web, iOS, Android, Linux.
- You also want hosted elements.
Choose Episode Six if
- You need tritium api platform.
- You work on Web, API, On-premise.
- You also want flexible deployment.
Questions people ask
- Is Basis Theory or Episode Six better?
- Neither clearly leads. Basis Theory starts at $995/month and Episode Six at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Basis Theory or Episode Six?
- Basis Theory starts at $995/month and Episode Six at On request.
- Does Basis Theory or Episode Six run on more platforms?
- Basis Theory runs on Web, iOS, Android, Linux. Episode Six runs on Web, API, On-premise.
- 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 Episode Six is typically brought in for.
- What can Basis Theory do that Episode Six cannot?
- Basis Theory covers Tokenisation API, Hosted elements, Outbound proxy, PCI attestation of compliance. Episode Six covers Tritium API platform, Flexible deployment, Multi product issuing, Digital wallets.
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.
Episode Six: Can Episode Six run inside our own data centre?
Yes. On premise and private cloud deployment is the main reason banks choose it over hosted only processors.
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.
Episode Six: Is it suitable for a startup issuing its first cards?
Not really. The licence, implementation timeline and cost are aimed at banks and large institutions.
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.
Episode Six: Do we still need a card licence or sponsor?
Yes. Episode Six is a processor. Network membership, licensing or a sponsor arrangement remains your responsibility.
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
More on Episode Six
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- Episode Six vs TrueLayer
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- Episode Six vs Griffin
- Episode Six vs Stoplight
- Episode Six vs Highnote
- Episode Six vs i2c
- Episode Six vs Marqeta
- Episode Six vs Mambu
- Episode Six vs Tribe Payments
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- Episode Six vs Treasury Prime
- Episode Six vs Thredd
- Episode Six vs Gravitee
- Episode Six vs Hoppscotch
- Episode Six vs HTTPie
- Episode Six vs Janus Gateway
- Episode Six vs LiteLLM
- Episode Six vs Method Financial