APIs · head to head
Basis Theory vs Mambu
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
- -
Mambu
APIs
Composable cloud core banking platform used by banks, lenders and fintechs in 65-plus countries
- 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stage company and puts the product out of reach of teams tokenising a few thousand records.; Mambu pricing is entirely unpublished, and as subscription and usage-based fees scale with a bank's book of business, total cost at scale is hard to forecast before a detailed vendor conversation.
- They diverge on capability: Basis Theory covers Tokenisation API, Mambu covers Composable engine architecture.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Basis Theory and Mambu actually diverge.
| Attribute | Basis Theory | Mambu |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $995/month | On request |
| Pricing model | Per month by token volume | quote |
| Platforms | Web, iOS, Android, Linux | Web, 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 Mambu
- Composable engine architecture
- Deposits and lending core
- Cloud-native SaaS delivery
- Marketplace of connectors
- Multi-country regulatory support
- API-first orchestration
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 Mambu
- A merchant locked into a processor by that processor vault that wants to hold its own tokens and route to more than one acquirernot Mambu
- A fintech collecting bank account and identity data that needs it isolated from its application database before an enterprise security reviewnot Mambu
- 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 Mambu
Mambu
- A digital-first challenger bank wanting a cloud-native core without building banking infrastructure from scratchnot Basis Theory
- A lender needing configurable loan product engines to launch new credit products fasternot Basis Theory
- An established bank doing incremental core modernisation rather than a full monolithic core replacementnot Basis Theory
- A fintech in an emerging or regulated market needing pre-built compliance configuration across many jurisdictionsnot 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.
Mambu
- Pricing is entirely unpublished, and as subscription and usage-based fees scale with a bank's book of business, total cost at scale is hard to forecast before a detailed vendor conversation.
- A core banking implementation is a multi-year, high-switching-cost commitment regardless of vendor, and Mambu is no exception; a wrong initial configuration choice is expensive to unwind.
- Composability is a genuine strength but also means more integration and configuration decisions fall to the bank's own team or system integrator, versus a more opinionated, less flexible fixed-core alternative.
- As cloud-hosted core banking infrastructure, a bank is trusting Mambu's own uptime and security posture for its most business-critical system, concentrating operational risk in one vendor relationship.
- Newer entrants such as Thought Machine and 10x Banking compete directly on similar composable positioning, so Mambu's tenure advantage is real but narrowing as competitors mature.
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$undefined/month
- Quoted
- Additional compliance options for PII and PHI
- Responses for 95 percent of PCI SAQ D
Mambu
On request- Mambu$undefined/year
- Subscription pricing, structured by modules and usage
- Exact rates not published, custom quote required
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 Mambu if
- You need composable engine architecture.
- You work on Web, API.
- You also want deposits and lending core.
Questions people ask
- Is Basis Theory or Mambu better?
- Neither clearly leads. Basis Theory starts at $995/month and Mambu at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Basis Theory or Mambu?
- Basis Theory starts at $995/month and Mambu at On request.
- Does Basis Theory or Mambu run on more platforms?
- Basis Theory runs on Web, iOS, Android, Linux. Mambu runs on Web, 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 Mambu is typically brought in for.
- What can Basis Theory do that Mambu cannot?
- Basis Theory covers Tokenisation API, Hosted elements, Outbound proxy, PCI attestation of compliance. Mambu covers Composable engine architecture, Deposits and lending core, Cloud-native SaaS delivery, Marketplace of connectors.
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.
Mambu: Is Mambu on-premise or cloud?
Cloud-native SaaS delivery, not an on-premise installation.
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.
Mambu: Does it publish pricing?
No, pricing is subscription-based, structured by modules and usage, but not published publicly.
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.
Mambu: How many countries does it operate in?
It is used by banks, lenders and fintechs across more than 65 countries.
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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- Mambu vs Sila
- Mambu vs Backbase
- Mambu vs Enfuce
- Mambu vs Griffin
- Mambu vs Stoplight
- Mambu vs Tuum
- Mambu vs Fintech Farm
- Mambu vs Temenos Transact
- Mambu vs 10x Banking
- Mambu vs Treasury Prime
- Mambu vs i2c
- Mambu vs Skaleet
- Mambu vs Synctera
- Mambu vs Apidog
- Mambu vs Astra
- Mambu vs Asyncapi
- Mambu vs AWS API Gateway
- Mambu vs Microsoft Azure API Management