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APIs · head to head

Basis Theory vs Swagger UI

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
Swagger UI logo

Swagger UI

Developer Tools

Interactive API documentation generated from OpenAPI specs

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Swagger UI 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.; Swagger UI only as good as the specification: a thin OpenAPI file produces thin documentation
  • They diverge on capability: Basis Theory covers Tokenisation API, Swagger UI covers OpenAPI rendering.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Basis Theory and Swagger UI actually diverge.

Attributes where Basis Theory and Swagger UI differ
AttributeBasis TheorySwagger UI
Starting price$995/monthFree
Pricing modelPer month by token volumeOpen source, no licence fee
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, iOS, Android, LinuxWeb, Self-hosted, Docker
CategoryAPIsDeveloper Tools

Identical on both: 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 Swagger UI

  • OpenAPI rendering
  • Try it out
  • Schema display
  • Self-hostable

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

Swagger UI

  • Publishing API documentation that stays in step with the specificationnot Basis Theory
  • Letting developers try endpoints before writing any client codenot Basis Theory
  • Internal API discovery across teamsnot 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.

Swagger UI

  • Only as good as the specification: a thin OpenAPI file produces thin documentation
  • Default presentation is dated compared with modern documentation tools
  • Large specifications render slowly and become hard to navigate
  • Try it out against production needs care with authentication and CORS, and is often disabled as a result

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

Swagger UI

Free
  • Swagger UIFree
    • Full functionality
    • Commercial use permitted
    • Community support

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 Swagger UI if

  • You need openapi rendering.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Self-hosted, Docker.
  • You also want try it out.
Swagger UI review

Questions people ask

Is Basis Theory or Swagger UI better?
Neither clearly leads. Basis Theory starts at $995/month and Swagger UI at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Basis Theory or Swagger UI?
Swagger UI has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $995/month for Basis Theory and Free for Swagger UI.
Does Basis Theory or Swagger UI run on more platforms?
Basis Theory runs on Web, iOS, Android, Linux. Swagger UI runs on Web, Self-hosted, Docker.
Can I use Swagger UI for free?
Yes. Swagger UI 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 Swagger UI is typically brought in for.
What can Basis Theory do that Swagger UI cannot?
Basis Theory covers Tokenisation API, Hosted elements, Outbound proxy, PCI attestation of compliance. Swagger UI covers OpenAPI rendering, Try it out, Schema display, Self-hostable.

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.

Swagger UI: Is Swagger UI free?

Yes, open source under the Apache 2.0 licence. SmartBear sells commercial SwaggerHub separately.

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.

Swagger UI: What is the difference between Swagger and OpenAPI?

OpenAPI is the specification format; Swagger is the toolset around it, including Swagger UI. The specification was renamed from Swagger to OpenAPI in 2016.

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.

Swagger UI: Can Swagger UI make real API calls?

Yes, through its try-it-out control, though authentication and CORS configuration often mean it is disabled for production APIs.

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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