APIs · head to head
Basis Theory vs i2c
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
- -
i2c
APIs
Configurable card issuing and banking processing platform for banks and programme managers
- 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.; i2c developer experience lags API-native competitors, and teams expecting Stripe-grade documentation and sandboxes find an enterprise integration project instead.
- They diverge on capability: Basis Theory covers Tokenisation API, i2c covers Configurable product engine.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Basis Theory and i2c actually diverge.
| Attribute | Basis Theory | i2c |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $995/month | On request |
| Pricing model | Per month by token volume | quote |
| 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 i2c
- Configurable product engine
- Credit and instalments
- Multi-currency
- Fraud and risk tooling
- Digital banking front ends
- Global scheme connectivity
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 i2c
- A merchant locked into a processor by that processor vault that wants to hold its own tokens and route to more than one acquirernot i2c
- A fintech collecting bank account and identity data that needs it isolated from its application database before an enterprise security reviewnot i2c
- 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 i2c
i2c
- A bank wanting credit, debit and prepaid portfolios on one processor rather than threenot Basis Theory
- An issuer in a market where local scheme and currency support rules out US-centric processorsnot Basis Theory
- A programme manager launching instalment products without building a lending corenot Basis Theory
- A credit union replacing an ageing processor without writing custom code for product rulesnot 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.
i2c
- Developer experience lags API-native competitors, and teams expecting Stripe-grade documentation and sandboxes find an enterprise integration project instead.
- Implementations lean on i2c or partner professional services, so timelines and costs are set by a services queue rather than by your own engineering speed.
- Pricing is per active card and per transaction with monthly minimums, none of it published, so comparing bids requires modelling your own portfolio carefully.
- Configuration flexibility means product behaviour lives in platform settings rather than in your repository, which complicates version control, testing and audit trails.
- As a private company with a broad global footprint, regional support depth is uneven, and a programme in a smaller market may get thinner service than a flagship account.
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$undefined/month
- Quoted
- Additional compliance options for PII and PHI
- Responses for 95 percent of PCI SAQ D
i2c
On request- i2c processing platform$undefined/year
- Per-active-card and per-transaction processing fees
- Minimum monthly commitments by programme
- Implementation and configuration professional services
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 i2c if
- You need configurable product engine.
- You work on Web, REST API.
- You also want credit and instalments.
Questions people ask
- Is Basis Theory or i2c better?
- Neither clearly leads. Basis Theory starts at $995/month and i2c at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Basis Theory or i2c?
- Basis Theory starts at $995/month and i2c at On request.
- Does Basis Theory or i2c run on more platforms?
- Basis Theory runs on Web, iOS, Android, Linux. i2c 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 i2c is typically brought in for.
- What can Basis Theory do that i2c cannot?
- Basis Theory covers Tokenisation API, Hosted elements, Outbound proxy, PCI attestation of compliance. i2c covers Configurable product engine, Credit and instalments, Multi-currency, Fraud and risk tooling.
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.
i2c: Does i2c issue the cards itself?
No. It processes; issuance sits with a bank or licensed issuer, and in most markets you need that relationship separately.
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.
i2c: Can it handle revolving credit?
Yes. Credit, instalments and buy-now-pay-later sit on the same platform as debit and prepaid, which is unusual among modern processors.
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.
i2c: Is it self-serve?
No. Expect a configuration-led implementation with professional services rather than signing up and calling an API.
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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- i2c vs Temenos Transact
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- i2c vs PubNub
- i2c vs Svix
- i2c vs Synctera
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