APIs · head to head
Basis Theory vs Griffin
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
- -
Griffin
APIs
UK banking-as-a-service from a company that holds its own full banking licence
- From
- £100/month
- 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.; Griffin platform banking carries a one-off onboarding fee from 15,000 pounds and a 3,500 pound monthly minimum, which prices out early-stage companies entirely.
- They diverge on capability: Basis Theory covers Tokenisation API, Griffin covers Bank accounts by API.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Basis Theory and Griffin actually diverge.
| Attribute | Basis Theory | Griffin |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $995/month | £100/month |
| Pricing model | Per month by token volume | Per month with usage drawdown |
| Platforms | Web, iOS, Android, Linux | Web, REST API |
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 Griffin
- Bank accounts by API
- UK payment rails
- Integrated ledger
- Automated onboarding
- Debit cards
- Interest on balances
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 Griffin
- A merchant locked into a processor by that processor vault that wants to hold its own tokens and route to more than one acquirernot Griffin
- A fintech collecting bank account and identity data that needs it isolated from its application database before an enterprise security reviewnot Griffin
- 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 Griffin
Griffin
- A wealth platform that must hold client money in a licensed bank rather than an EMI safeguarding accountnot Basis Theory
- A lender wanting UK accounts and payment rails without becoming a bank itselfnot Basis Theory
- A fintech burned by sponsor bank instability that wants the deposit holder and the API provider to be the same entitynot Basis Theory
- A platform needing sub-account ledgering for pooled client funds with a clean audit trailnot 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.
Griffin
- Platform banking carries a one-off onboarding fee from 15,000 pounds and a 3,500 pound monthly minimum, which prices out early-stage companies entirely.
- It is UK-only, so a business with European or US operations needs a second banking provider and a second integration for those entities.
- It is a young bank with a small balance sheet relative to incumbents, and enterprise counterparties still ask hard questions about concentration risk.
- Holding a banking licence means Griffin applies bank-grade due diligence to its own clients, so onboarding is slower and more selective than an EMI-based provider.
- Feature breadth is narrower than long-established providers, particularly in card programme management and in payment types beyond core UK rails.
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
Griffin
£100/month- Business Banking$100/month
- From 100 pounds per month
- Interest or commission from around 1.75 percent AER variable
- Operational accounts and UK payment rails
- Platform Banking$3500/month
- One-off onboarding fee from 15,000 pounds
- Minimum monthly spend of 3,500 pounds, drawn down by usage
- Higher committed tiers at 5,000 and 10,000 pounds with discounts
- Enterprise$undefined/month
- Custom pricing
- Bespoke account structures and volumes
- Negotiated interest or commission share
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 Griffin if
- You need bank accounts by api.
- You work on Web, REST API.
- You also want uk payment rails.
Questions people ask
- Is Basis Theory or Griffin better?
- Neither clearly leads. Basis Theory starts at $995/month and Griffin at £100/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Basis Theory or Griffin?
- Basis Theory starts at $995/month and Griffin at £100/month.
- Does Basis Theory or Griffin run on more platforms?
- Basis Theory runs on Web, iOS, Android, Linux. Griffin runs on Web, REST API.
- 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 Griffin is typically brought in for.
- What can Basis Theory do that Griffin cannot?
- Basis Theory covers Tokenisation API, Hosted elements, Outbound proxy, PCI attestation of compliance. Griffin covers Bank accounts by API, UK payment rails, Integrated ledger, Automated onboarding.
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.
Griffin: Is Griffin actually a bank?
Yes. It received a UK banking licence with restrictions in March 2023 and a full licence in March 2024 after exiting mobilisation.
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.
Griffin: What does it cost?
Business banking from 100 pounds a month; platform banking from a 15,000 pound onboarding fee plus a 3,500 pound monthly minimum drawn down by usage.
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.
Griffin: Does it cover Europe?
No. Griffin is a UK bank serving UK accounts and UK payment rails.
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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