APIs · head to head
Basis Theory vs Paymentology
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
- -
Paymentology
APIs
Cloud issuer processing across emerging and developed markets
- 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.; Paymentology paymentology processes but does not hold issuing licences, so every market still needs your own licence or a sponsor bank, which is usually the slowest and most expensive part of a launch.
- They diverge on capability: Basis Theory covers Tokenisation API, Paymentology covers Global issuer processing.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Basis Theory and Paymentology actually diverge.
| Attribute | Basis Theory | Paymentology |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Paymentology
- Global issuer processing
- Real time transaction data
- Virtual and physical issuance
- Tokenisation
- Multi currency and multi product
- Card controls
- Programme management tools
- Fraud and risk integration
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 Paymentology
- A merchant locked into a processor by that processor vault that wants to hold its own tokens and route to more than one acquirernot Paymentology
- A fintech collecting bank account and identity data that needs it isolated from its application database before an enterprise security reviewnot Paymentology
- 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 Paymentology
Paymentology
- A neobank launching cards in an African or South East Asian market where hosted United States processors have no certificationnot Basis Theory
- A mobile money operator adding a card product on top of an existing wallet basenot Basis Theory
- A bank consolidating several regional card processors onto one platformnot Basis Theory
- A fintech expanding an existing card programme into the Gulf without re platformingnot 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.
Paymentology
- Paymentology processes but does not hold issuing licences, so every market still needs your own licence or a sponsor bank, which is usually the slowest and most expensive part of a launch.
- Fees include per active card charges and monthly minimums, so a portfolio with many dormant cards pays for plastic that generates no interchange.
- Certification, settlement and scheme relationships differ by country, so a multi market rollout is a series of separate projects rather than one integration.
- As a processor it sits between your product and the networks, meaning outages and scheme mandate changes reach your cardholders through a party you do not control.
- Documentation and developer self service are weaker than the United States hosted processors, so early integration depends heavily on Paymentology implementation staff.
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$undefined/month
- Quoted
- Additional compliance options for PII and PHI
- Responses for 95 percent of PCI SAQ D
Paymentology
On request- Paymentology processing$undefined/year
- Quoted per programme and per market
- Typically per transaction and per active card fees plus a monthly minimum
- Issuing licence or sponsor bank required in each market and not provided
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 Paymentology if
- You need global issuer processing.
- You work on Web, API.
- You also want real time transaction data.
Questions people ask
- Is Basis Theory or Paymentology better?
- Neither clearly leads. Basis Theory starts at $995/month and Paymentology at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Basis Theory or Paymentology?
- Basis Theory starts at $995/month and Paymentology at On request.
- Does Basis Theory or Paymentology run on more platforms?
- Basis Theory runs on Web, iOS, Android, Linux. Paymentology 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 Paymentology is typically brought in for.
- What can Basis Theory do that Paymentology cannot?
- Basis Theory covers Tokenisation API, Hosted elements, Outbound proxy, PCI attestation of compliance. Paymentology covers Global issuer processing, Real time transaction data, Virtual and physical issuance, Tokenisation.
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.
Paymentology: Does Paymentology provide the BIN and licence?
No. You need your own issuing licence or a sponsor bank in each market; Paymentology processes the transactions.
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.
Paymentology: What is the actual pricing model?
Per transaction and per active card, with a monthly minimum. Dormant cards still cost, so model your activation rate.
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.
Paymentology: Why choose it over a United States issuer processor?
Network certification and live programmes in markets where those processors do not operate, which decides feasibility rather than preference.
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 Paymentology
Other head to heads
- Basis Theory vs Skyflow
- Basis Theory vs Increase
- Basis Theory vs Lithic
- Basis Theory vs Volt
- Basis Theory vs Swan
- Basis Theory vs Moov
- Basis Theory vs Trustly
- Basis Theory vs Vodeno
- Basis Theory vs TrueLayer
- Basis Theory vs Akoya
- Basis Theory vs Sila
- Basis Theory vs Backbase
- Basis Theory vs Enfuce
- Basis Theory vs Griffin
- Basis Theory vs Stoplight
- Basis Theory vs Highnote
- Basis Theory vs Episode Six
- Basis Theory vs Marqeta
- Basis Theory vs i2c
- Basis Theory vs Thredd
- Basis Theory vs Tribe Payments
- Basis Theory vs Fintech Farm
- Basis Theory vs Synctera
- Basis Theory vs Unit
- Basis Theory vs Weavr
- Basis Theory vs Boomi API Management
- Basis Theory vs Codat
- Basis Theory vs curl
- Basis Theory vs Fintecture
- Basis Theory vs Formance
- Paymentology vs Skyflow
- Paymentology vs Increase
- Paymentology vs Lithic
- Paymentology vs Volt
- Paymentology vs Swan
- Paymentology vs Moov
- Paymentology vs Trustly
- Paymentology vs Vodeno
- Paymentology vs TrueLayer
- Paymentology vs Akoya
- Paymentology vs Sila
- Paymentology vs Backbase
- Paymentology vs Enfuce
- Paymentology vs Griffin
- Paymentology vs Stoplight
- Paymentology vs Highnote
- Paymentology vs Episode Six
- Paymentology vs Marqeta
- Paymentology vs i2c
- Paymentology vs Thredd
- Paymentology vs Tribe Payments
- Paymentology vs Fintech Farm
- Paymentology vs Synctera
- Paymentology vs Unit
- Paymentology vs Weavr
- Paymentology vs Boomi API Management
- Paymentology vs Codat
- Paymentology vs curl
- Paymentology vs Fintecture
- Paymentology vs Formance