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APIs · head to head

Basis Theory vs Q2 Digital Banking

Basis Theory logo

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
-
Full reviewWebsite
Q2 Digital Banking logo

Q2 Digital Banking

APIs

Digital banking platform for US banks and credit unions, with a developer marketplace

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

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.; Q2 Digital Banking contracts are multi-year and priced per user or account, so a bank whose digital adoption grows faster than its revenue sees costs rise ahead of the benefit.
  • They diverge on capability: Basis Theory covers Tokenisation API, Q2 Digital Banking covers Retail digital banking.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Basis Theory and Q2 Digital Banking actually diverge.

Attributes where Basis Theory and Q2 Digital Banking differ
AttributeBasis TheoryQ2 Digital Banking
Starting price$995/monthOn request
Pricing modelPer month by token volumequote
PlatformsWeb, iOS, Android, LinuxWeb, 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 Q2 Digital Banking

  • Retail digital banking
  • Commercial and treasury
  • Innovation Studio
  • SDK
  • Fraud analytics
  • Onboarding

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 Q2 Digital Banking
  • A merchant locked into a processor by that processor vault that wants to hold its own tokens and route to more than one acquirernot Q2 Digital Banking
  • A fintech collecting bank account and identity data that needs it isolated from its application database before an enterprise security reviewnot Q2 Digital Banking
  • 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 Q2 Digital Banking

Q2 Digital Banking

  • A community bank whose mobile app is losing younger customers to national brandsnot Basis Theory
  • A credit union that wants to add partner features without a vendor roadmap requestnot Basis Theory
  • A bank chasing commercial deposits and needing real treasury management entitlementsnot Basis Theory
  • An institution wanting behavioural fraud detection across digital channels rather than at the corenot 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.

Q2 Digital Banking

  • Contracts are multi-year and priced per user or account, so a bank whose digital adoption grows faster than its revenue sees costs rise ahead of the benefit.
  • It is a channel layer, not a core, so any limitation in the underlying core banking system remains and integration work sits with the bank.
  • Implementations are long and consume scarce internal technology capacity at institutions that typically have very small IT teams.
  • Marketplace applications carry separate third-party contracts and fees, so the extensibility that justifies the purchase adds cost rather than being included.
  • It is US-only, and its assumptions about payment rails, regulation and account structures do not transfer to institutions outside the United States.

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

Q2 Digital Banking

On request
  • Q2 Digital Banking$undefined/year
    • Multi-year contract priced per registered user or per account
    • Separate licensing for retail, commercial and onboarding modules
    • Implementation and core integration charged as a project

Which should you pick?

Choose Basis Theory if

  • You need tokenisation api.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, Linux.
  • You also want hosted elements.
Basis Theory review

Choose Q2 Digital Banking if

  • You need retail digital banking.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want commercial and treasury.
Q2 Digital Banking review

Questions people ask

Is Basis Theory or Q2 Digital Banking better?
Neither clearly leads. Basis Theory starts at $995/month and Q2 Digital Banking at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Basis Theory or Q2 Digital Banking?
Basis Theory starts at $995/month and Q2 Digital Banking at On request.
Does Basis Theory or Q2 Digital Banking run on more platforms?
Basis Theory runs on Web, iOS, Android, Linux. Q2 Digital Banking 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 Q2 Digital Banking is typically brought in for.
What can Basis Theory do that Q2 Digital Banking cannot?
Basis Theory covers Tokenisation API, Hosted elements, Outbound proxy, PCI attestation of compliance. Q2 Digital Banking covers Retail digital banking, Commercial and treasury, Innovation Studio, SDK.

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.

Q2 Digital Banking: Does Q2 replace our core banking system?

No. It is the digital channel layer that sits over your existing core and integrates with the major US core providers.

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.

Q2 Digital Banking: What is Innovation Studio?

A marketplace and SDK that lets a bank enable partner applications or build its own features without waiting for Q2 to develop them.

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.

Q2 Digital Banking: Is it available outside the United States?

Not meaningfully. The platform is built around US banking rails, regulation and institution types.

Basis Theory: Is data stored outside the United States?

Not on Starter, which is US only. Other regions require a Scale or Enterprise agreement.

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