APIs · head to head
Basis Theory vs Synctera
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
- -
Synctera
APIs
Banking-as-a-service platform that brings its own sponsor bank and compliance tooling
- 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.; Synctera implementation fee, platform fee and monthly minimum are all charged and none are published, so a programme cannot model its fixed cost floor without a sales process, and at low volume those fixed fees rather than transaction pricing determine your economics.
- They diverge on capability: Basis Theory covers Tokenisation API, Synctera covers Sponsor bank matching.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Basis Theory and Synctera actually diverge.
| Attribute | Basis Theory | Synctera |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Synctera
- Sponsor bank matching
- Accounts and ledger
- Card issuing
- Money movement
- KYC and KYB
- Transaction monitoring
- Shared bank dashboard
- Lending support
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 Synctera
- A merchant locked into a processor by that processor vault that wants to hold its own tokens and route to more than one acquirernot Synctera
- A fintech collecting bank account and identity data that needs it isolated from its application database before an enterprise security reviewnot Synctera
- 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 Synctera
Synctera
- A software company adding branded debit cards and accounts that has no appetite for sourcing and negotiating with a sponsor bank itselfnot Basis Theory
- A fintech whose current bank partner is exiting the programme and needs a replacement with the oversight tooling already in placenot Basis Theory
- A community bank that wants to run a fintech sponsorship line of business without building transaction monitoring and reconciliation from scratchnot Basis Theory
- A B2B platform issuing spend cards to its customers that needs KYB, monitoring and card issuing from one contractnot 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.
Synctera
- Implementation fee, platform fee and monthly minimum are all charged and none are published, so a programme cannot model its fixed cost floor without a sales process, and at low volume those fixed fees rather than transaction pricing determine your economics.
- The sponsor bank remains a third party whose risk appetite governs what you can launch, and a bank exiting or tightening its programme can force product changes you did not choose, which has happened repeatedly across the sector.
- Onboarding runs on bank timelines, so several months typically pass between contract and first live customer while compliance policies and flow of funds are reviewed by both Synctera and the bank.
- Coverage is United States focused, so a fintech with cross-border plans needs an entirely separate stack for other markets rather than an extension of this one.
- Sitting between you and the bank means Synctera is another party in the reconciliation chain, and when balances disagree you are coordinating between two organisations rather than one, which lengthens incident resolution.
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$undefined/month
- Quoted
- Additional compliance options for PII and PHI
- Responses for 95 percent of PCI SAQ D
Synctera
On request- Synctera Platform$undefined/year
- Sponsor bank relationship included
- Accounts, ledger and card issuing
- ACH, wire and instant rails
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 Synctera if
- You need sponsor bank matching.
- You work on Web, API.
- You also want accounts and ledger.
Questions people ask
- Is Basis Theory or Synctera better?
- Neither clearly leads. Basis Theory starts at $995/month and Synctera at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Basis Theory or Synctera?
- Basis Theory starts at $995/month and Synctera at On request.
- Does Basis Theory or Synctera run on more platforms?
- Basis Theory runs on Web, iOS, Android, Linux. Synctera 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 Synctera is typically brought in for.
- What can Basis Theory do that Synctera cannot?
- Basis Theory covers Tokenisation API, Hosted elements, Outbound proxy, PCI attestation of compliance. Synctera covers Sponsor bank matching, Accounts and ledger, Card issuing, Money movement.
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.
Synctera: Does Synctera provide the bank?
Yes. Unlike a pure technology vendor, Synctera contracts with sponsor banks and brings one into your programme.
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.
Synctera: What does it cost?
Nothing is published. Expect an implementation fee, a recurring platform fee and a monthly minimum, plus usage charges.
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.
Synctera: How long does it take to launch?
Plan for months, not weeks, because both Synctera and the sponsor bank run compliance diligence on your programme.
Basis Theory: Is data stored outside the United States?
Not on Starter, which is US only. Other regions require a Scale or Enterprise agreement.
Synctera: Is it available outside the United States?
Its focus is the United States; it has offered Canadian capability but non-US coverage is limited.
Related pages
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