APIs · head to head
Basis Theory vs Token.io
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
- -
Token.io
APIs
Account to account pay by bank infrastructure across the UK and Europe
- 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.; Token.io account to account payments carry no chargeback scheme, so merchants gain cost savings but consumers lose the dispute protection cards provide, which limits adoption in general retail.
- They diverge on capability: Basis Theory covers Tokenisation API, Token.io covers Payment initiation.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Basis Theory and Token.io actually diverge.
| Attribute | Basis Theory | Token.io |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Token.io
- Payment initiation
- Variable recurring payments
- Bank network coverage
- giroAPI membership
- Payouts and refunds
- Data and account information
- Hosted payment pages
- Reconciliation reporting
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 Token.io
- A merchant locked into a processor by that processor vault that wants to hold its own tokens and route to more than one acquirernot Token.io
- A fintech collecting bank account and identity data that needs it isolated from its application database before an enterprise security reviewnot Token.io
- 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 Token.io
Token.io
- A utility or telecom collecting high value bills where card interchange makes acceptance expensivenot Basis Theory
- An investment or trading platform funding customer accounts without card chargeback exposurenot Basis Theory
- A payment service provider adding pay by bank to its merchant proposition without building bank connectivitynot Basis Theory
- A German merchant using giroAPI scheme access for recurring and future dated bank paymentsnot 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.
Token.io
- Account to account payments carry no chargeback scheme, so merchants gain cost savings but consumers lose the dispute protection cards provide, which limits adoption in general retail.
- Conversion depends on each bank's own authentication journey, and slow or broken bank redirects cost sales in ways the merchant cannot fix or even always diagnose.
- Variable recurring payments beyond sweeping are still being rolled out unevenly across banks and markets, so a subscription use case may be supported at one bank and not another.
- Token.io initiates payments rather than acting as acquirer of record, so merchants still need settlement, safeguarding and reconciliation arrangements elsewhere.
- Coverage and feature parity vary by country, so a pan European rollout means different capabilities and different bank behaviour in each market rather than one uniform product.
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$undefined/month
- Quoted
- Additional compliance options for PII and PHI
- Responses for 95 percent of PCI SAQ D
Token.io
On request- Token.io platform$undefined/year
- Quoted per customer, typically per initiated payment
- Volume tiers and monthly minimums are common
- No interchange, so unit cost is usually well below card acceptance
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 Token.io if
- You need payment initiation.
- You work on Web, API.
- You also want variable recurring payments.
Questions people ask
- Is Basis Theory or Token.io better?
- Neither clearly leads. Basis Theory starts at $995/month and Token.io at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Basis Theory or Token.io?
- Basis Theory starts at $995/month and Token.io at On request.
- Does Basis Theory or Token.io run on more platforms?
- Basis Theory runs on Web, iOS, Android, Linux. Token.io 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 Token.io is typically brought in for.
- What can Basis Theory do that Token.io cannot?
- Basis Theory covers Tokenisation API, Hosted elements, Outbound proxy, PCI attestation of compliance. Token.io covers Payment initiation, Variable recurring payments, Bank network coverage, giroAPI membership.
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.
Token.io: Does pay by bank remove card fees?
It removes interchange and scheme fees, so unit cost is normally far below card acceptance, particularly on high value payments.
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.
Token.io: What about chargebacks?
There are none. That is the cost saving and the consumer protection gap, which is why it suits bills, top ups and account funding more than retail.
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.
Token.io: Is Token.io regulated?
Yes, it is an authorised third party provider under UK and European open banking rules, but it initiates payments rather than holding merchant funds as an acquirer.
Basis 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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