APIs · head to head
Basis Theory vs Payoneer
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
- -
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.; Payoneer an annual account fee of $29.95 USD applies if the account receives less than $6,000 USD in any 12 consecutive months
- They diverge on capability: Basis Theory covers Tokenisation API, Payoneer covers Receive payments.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Basis Theory and Payoneer actually diverge.
| Attribute | Basis Theory | Payoneer |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $995/month | $29/month |
| Pricing model | Per month by token volume | usage-based |
| Platforms | Web, iOS, Android, Linux | Web, Ios, Android |
| Category | APIs | Accounting |
| Founded | Unknown | 2005 |
Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated).
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 Payoneer
- Receive payments
- Multi-currency accounts
- Working capital
- Mass payouts
- Marketplace integrations
- Amazon
- Fiverr
- Upwork
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 Payoneer
- A merchant locked into a processor by that processor vault that wants to hold its own tokens and route to more than one acquirernot Payoneer
- A fintech collecting bank account and identity data that needs it isolated from its application database before an enterprise security reviewnot Payoneer
- 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 Payoneer
Payoneer
- Freelancer payment collection from Upwork, Fiverr, and global marketplacesnot Basis Theory
- Multi-currency account management with 70+ currencies supportednot Basis Theory
- International wire transfers to 190+ countries and territoriesnot Basis Theory
- Business contractor payments and global workforce managementnot Basis Theory
- Marketplace mass payouts for seller platforms and gig economynot 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.
Payoneer
- An annual account fee of $29.95 USD applies if the account receives less than $6,000 USD in any 12 consecutive months
- The Payoneer card carries a $29.95 USD annual fee and $12.95 USD for a replacement
- Converting between Payoneer balances in different currencies costs 0.50%
- Receiving into a non local currency receiving account costs 1%, minimum $1.00 USD
- Receiving by credit card costs up to 3.99% plus $0.49 USD
- Withdrawing to a bank in the recipient's local currency costs 1.2% to 4%
- ATM withdrawals cost $3.15 USD plus up to 1.8%, rising to 3.5% when currency is converted
- Card purchases requiring conversion cost up to 3.5%
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
Payoneer
$29/month- StandardFree
- Receive payments
- Multi-currency
- Marketplace connections
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 Payoneer if
- You need receive payments.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android.
- You also want multi-currency accounts.
Questions people ask
- Is Basis Theory or Payoneer better?
- Neither clearly leads. Basis Theory starts at $995/month and Payoneer at $29/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Basis Theory or Payoneer?
- Basis Theory starts at $995/month and Payoneer at $29/month.
- Does Basis Theory or Payoneer run on more platforms?
- Basis Theory runs on Web, iOS, Android, Linux. Payoneer runs on Web, 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 Payoneer is typically brought in for.
- What can Basis Theory do that Payoneer cannot?
- Basis Theory covers Tokenisation API, Hosted elements, Outbound proxy, PCI attestation of compliance. Payoneer covers Receive payments, Multi-currency accounts, Working capital, Mass payouts.
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.
Payoneer: What are Payoneer's withdrawal fees?
Payoneer states its mission is to simplify international payments, but specific withdrawal fees are not published on the homepage. Fee details are accessed via the pricing section.
SourceBasis 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.
Payoneer: How much does Payoneer charge for currency conversion?
Payoneer manages multi-currency transactions but does not display conversion rates or fee percentages on the main website.
SourceBasis 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.
Payoneer: Is there a monthly fee to keep a Payoneer account?
Payoneer does not list account maintenance fees on its homepage. Specific pricing for account types (freelancer, business, marketplace) requires accessing the pricing page.
SourceBasis 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
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