APIs · head to head
Basis Theory vs Moov
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
- -
Moov
APIs
Payments API with a published rate card covering card acceptance, ACH and instant payouts
- From
- $500/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.; Moov the 500 US dollar monthly minimum makes Moov unattractive below roughly 80,000 dollars a month of card volume, since the minimum rather than the rate becomes your effective price.
- They diverge on capability: Basis Theory covers Tokenisation API, Moov covers Interchange-plus card acceptance.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Basis Theory and Moov actually diverge.
| Attribute | Basis Theory | Moov |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $995/month | $500/month |
| Pricing model | Per month by token volume | Per transaction plus monthly minimum |
| Platforms | Web, iOS, Android, Linux | Web, API, iOS, Android |
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 Moov
- Interchange-plus card acceptance
- ACH transfers
- Instant payments
- Wallets
- Payment links and invoices
- Virtual cards
- Account verification
- Card account updater
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 Moov
- A merchant locked into a processor by that processor vault that wants to hold its own tokens and route to more than one acquirernot Moov
- A fintech collecting bank account and identity data that needs it isolated from its application database before an enterprise security reviewnot Moov
- 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 Moov
Moov
- A vertical SaaS company embedding payments that needs published unit economics to price its own product before signing anythingnot Basis Theory
- A marketplace paying contractors that wants same-day ACH and instant push-to-card in one API with the cost of each visiblenot Basis Theory
- A platform that must hold balances for end users between collection and payout without becoming a money transmitternot Basis Theory
- A software company moving off a legacy gateway that wants interchange-plus transparency instead of a blended rate that hides interchange increasesnot 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.
Moov
- The 500 US dollar monthly minimum makes Moov unattractive below roughly 80,000 dollars a month of card volume, since the minimum rather than the rate becomes your effective price.
- The 50 cent monthly charge per active wallet penalises platforms with many end users who transact rarely, and that cost grows with your user base rather than your revenue.
- United States only, so any platform with international sellers or buyers needs a second provider and a second reconciliation process.
- At very high volume the published interchange-plus markup is less competitive than a directly negotiated acquiring relationship, so success eventually creates a reason to leave.
- The ecosystem of prebuilt integrations, plugins and third-party tooling is far smaller than Stripe's, so anything outside the core API, from tax handling to subscription logic, is work you build yourself.
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
Moov
$500/month- Standard$500/month
- 500 USD monthly minimum, no setup fee
- Card online at interchange plus 0.60% and 15c
- Tap to pay at interchange plus 0.50% and 15c
- Custom$undefined/month
- Negotiated rates for high volume
- Specialised business models
- Dedicated support
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 Moov if
- You need interchange-plus card acceptance.
- You work on Web, API, iOS, Android.
- You also want ach transfers.
Questions people ask
- Is Basis Theory or Moov better?
- Neither clearly leads. Basis Theory starts at $995/month and Moov at $500/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Basis Theory or Moov?
- Basis Theory starts at $995/month and Moov at $500/month.
- Does Basis Theory or Moov run on more platforms?
- Basis Theory runs on Web, iOS, Android, Linux. Moov runs on Web, API, iOS, Android.
- 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 Moov is typically brought in for.
- What can Basis Theory do that Moov cannot?
- Basis Theory covers Tokenisation API, Hosted elements, Outbound proxy, PCI attestation of compliance. Moov covers Interchange-plus card acceptance, ACH transfers, Instant payments, 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.
Moov: Does Moov publish its prices?
Yes, in unusual detail: interchange-plus card rates, per-transaction ACH and RTP charges, dispute and return fees, and the monthly minimum are all on the pricing page.
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.
Moov: What is the monthly minimum?
500 US dollars, with no setup fee. Wallet charges and transaction fees count towards it.
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.
Moov: Can I use Moov outside the United States?
No. Moov handles US payments only, though it accepts international cards at an extra 1.5 percent.
Basis Theory: Is data stored outside the United States?
Not on Starter, which is US only. Other regions require a Scale or Enterprise agreement.
Moov: Is Moov a bank?
No. It is a payments platform working with partner financial institutions, so account and settlement arrangements depend on those partners.
Related pages
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