APIs · head to head
Basis Theory vs Sila
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
- -
Sila
APIs
US money movement API for ACH, RTP and FedNow with KYC and ledgering built in
- 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.; Sila no pricing is published, so you cannot compare Sila against Moov or Dwolla without entering two sales processes, and small programmes frequently find the monthly minimum dominates their cost at low volume.
- They diverge on capability: Basis Theory covers Tokenisation API, Sila covers ACH origination.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Basis Theory and Sila actually diverge.
| Attribute | Basis Theory | Sila |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Sila
- ACH origination
- Instant rails
- KYC and KYB
- Virtual accounts
- Ledger
- Wallets and holds
- Webhooks
- Bank-side deployment
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 Sila
- A merchant locked into a processor by that processor vault that wants to hold its own tokens and route to more than one acquirernot Sila
- A fintech collecting bank account and identity data that needs it isolated from its application database before an enterprise security reviewnot Sila
- 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 Sila
Sila
- A small fintech that needs ACH, identity verification and a ledger from one vendor because it has no compliance team to assemble threenot Basis Theory
- A marketplace paying out to sellers that wants same-day ACH and instant push options without becoming a money transmitter itselfnot Basis Theory
- A community bank replacing batch file ACH processing with an API so it can offer real-time payments to business customersnot Basis Theory
- A lending platform that must verify business identity, disburse funds and collect repayments on a schedule from a single integrationnot 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.
Sila
- No pricing is published, so you cannot compare Sila against Moov or Dwolla without entering two sales processes, and small programmes frequently find the monthly minimum dominates their cost at low volume.
- Sila is materially smaller and less well capitalised than the banking-as-a-service names it competes with, which matters because your customer funds and your payment rails depend on the vendor still trading in three years.
- The sponsor bank behind your programme determines what you can offer and how fast you can change it, and bank partnerships in this sector have been reshuffled repeatedly since 2023, so a bank change during your contract is a realistic risk rather than a theoretical one.
- Coverage is United States only, so any product with cross-border ambitions needs a second payments vendor and a second reconciliation process from the outset.
- Onboarding involves compliance diligence on your own programme, and teams routinely underestimate this, with weeks lost between signing and first live transaction while policies, flow of funds diagrams and BSA arrangements are reviewed.
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$undefined/month
- Quoted
- Additional compliance options for PII and PHI
- Responses for 95 percent of PCI SAQ D
Sila
On request- Sila Payments Platform$undefined/month
- ACH, RTP and FedNow
- KYC and KYB verification
- Virtual accounts and ledger
Which should you pick?
Choose Basis Theory if
- You need tokenisation api.
- You work on Web, iOS, Android, Linux.
- You also want hosted elements.
Questions people ask
- Is Basis Theory or Sila better?
- Neither clearly leads. Basis Theory starts at $995/month and Sila at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Basis Theory or Sila?
- Basis Theory starts at $995/month and Sila at On request.
- Does Basis Theory or Sila run on more platforms?
- Basis Theory runs on Web, iOS, Android, Linux. Sila 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 Sila is typically brought in for.
- What can Basis Theory do that Sila cannot?
- Basis Theory covers Tokenisation API, Hosted elements, Outbound proxy, PCI attestation of compliance. Sila covers ACH origination, Instant rails, KYC and KYB, Virtual accounts.
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.
Sila: Does Sila require a sponsor bank?
Yes. Funds sit at a partner bank, and which bank that is affects your product features and your regulatory exposure, so ask before signing.
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.
Sila: Is Sila still operating?
Yes. It continues to trade and announced an API integration with GBank in 2025 covering ACH, RTP and FedNow.
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.
Sila: What does it cost?
Sila does not publish rates. Expect per-transaction pricing plus a monthly minimum, quoted after a compliance conversation.
Basis Theory: Is data stored outside the United States?
Not on Starter, which is US only. Other regions require a Scale or Enterprise agreement.
Sila: Can I use it outside the United States?
No. Sila covers US rails only.
Related pages
More on Basis Theory
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 Paymentology
- Basis Theory vs Akoya
- Basis Theory vs Backbase
- Basis Theory vs Enfuce
- Basis Theory vs Griffin
- Basis Theory vs Stoplight
- Basis Theory vs Dwolla
- Basis Theory vs Astra
- Basis Theory vs Column
- Basis Theory vs Formance
- Basis Theory vs Treasury Prime
- Basis Theory vs Unit
- Basis Theory vs Weavr
- Basis Theory vs Solaris
- Basis Theory vs Parse Server
- Basis Theory vs Paw
- Basis Theory vs Q2 Digital Banking
- Basis Theory vs Stainless
- Sila vs Skyflow
- Sila vs Increase
- Sila vs Lithic
- Sila vs Volt
- Sila vs Swan
- Sila vs Moov
- Sila vs Trustly
- Sila vs Vodeno
- Sila vs TrueLayer
- Sila vs Paymentology
- Sila vs Akoya
- Sila vs Backbase
- Sila vs Enfuce
- Sila vs Griffin
- Sila vs Stoplight
- Sila vs Dwolla
- Sila vs Astra
- Sila vs Column
- Sila vs Formance
- Sila vs Treasury Prime
- Sila vs Unit
- Sila vs Weavr
- Sila vs Solaris
- Sila vs Parse Server
- Sila vs Paw
- Sila vs Q2 Digital Banking
- Sila vs Stainless