APIs · head to head
Basis Theory vs PubNub
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
- -
PubNub
APIs
Realtime communication platform for chat, IoT, and live data apps
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only PubNub has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- 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.; PubNub free plan storage history is limited to 7 days, which is short for apps needing longer message retention.
- They diverge on capability: Basis Theory covers Tokenisation API, PubNub covers Pub/sub messaging.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Basis Theory and PubNub actually diverge.
| Attribute | Basis Theory | PubNub |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $995/month | Free |
| Pricing model | Per month by token volume | freemium |
| Free tier | No | Yes |
| Platforms | Web, iOS, Android, Linux | web, ios, android, api |
Identical on both: 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 PubNub
- Pub/sub messaging
- Presence tracking
- Message persistence
- Serverless Functions
- File sharing
- Encryption and access controls
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 PubNub
- A merchant locked into a processor by that processor vault that wants to hold its own tokens and route to more than one acquirernot PubNub
- A fintech collecting bank account and identity data that needs it isolated from its application database before an enterprise security reviewnot PubNub
- 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 PubNub
PubNub
- Building realtime chat applicationsnot Basis Theory
- Streaming live IoT sensor datanot Basis Theory
- Adding presence indicators to collaborative appsnot Basis Theory
- Running edge logic with serverless Functions on realtime eventsnot 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.
PubNub
- Free plan storage history is limited to 7 days, which is short for apps needing longer message retention.
- MAU-based pricing means costs scale directly with user growth, which can be less predictable than flat message-based pricing.
- Pro-tier custom pricing above 50,000 MAU requires contacting sales rather than self-serve checkout.
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
PubNub
Free- FreeFree
- Up to 200 MAU or 1M transactions
- 1GB data storage (7 days)
- 5 test Serverless Functions
- Starter$98/month
- 1,000 MAU included
- User management
- Insights
- Pro$undefined/month
- Custom MAU packages
- Volume discounts
- Enterprise-scale configurations
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 PubNub if
- You need pub/sub messaging.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on web, ios, android, api.
- You also want presence tracking.
Questions people ask
- Is Basis Theory or PubNub better?
- Neither clearly leads. Basis Theory starts at $995/month and PubNub at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Basis Theory or PubNub?
- PubNub has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $995/month for Basis Theory and Free for PubNub.
- Does Basis Theory or PubNub run on more platforms?
- Basis Theory runs on Web, iOS, Android, Linux. PubNub runs on web, ios, android, api.
- Can I use PubNub for free?
- Yes. PubNub has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Basis Theory starts at $995/month.
- 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 PubNub is typically brought in for.
- What can Basis Theory do that PubNub cannot?
- Basis Theory covers Tokenisation API, Hosted elements, Outbound proxy, PCI attestation of compliance. PubNub covers Pub/sub messaging, Presence tracking, Message persistence, Serverless Functions.
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.
PubNub: What does PubNub cost?
PubNub offers a free plan for up to 200 MAU or 1 million transactions, a Starter plan at $98/month for 1,000 MAU, and custom Pro pricing for larger volumes, e.g. around $550/month for 10,000 MAU.
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.
PubNub: Is there a free plan, and what are its limits?
Yes, the free plan supports up to 200 monthly active users or 1 million transactions, includes 1GB of data storage retained for 7 days, and requires no credit card.
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.
PubNub: How is usage metered?
PubNub bills primarily by Monthly Active Users, defined as a unique user who connects at least once in a billing cycle; messages are bundled into MAU pricing with no separate per-message fees, and overage is billed proportionally.
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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