APIs · head to head
Basis Theory vs Toqio
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
- -
Toqio
APIs
No code platform for building embedded finance products on your own providers
- 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.; Toqio toqio holds no licence and provides no sponsor bank, so you must find, contract and manage regulated providers yourself, which is the slowest part of any embedded finance launch.
- They diverge on capability: Basis Theory covers Tokenisation API, Toqio covers No code product builder.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Basis Theory and Toqio actually diverge.
| Attribute | Basis Theory | Toqio |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $995/month | On request |
| Pricing model | Per month by token volume | quote |
| Platforms | Web, iOS, Android, Linux | Web, iOS, Android, 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 Toqio
- No code product builder
- Provider orchestration
- Account and card modules
- Embedded financing
- Back office tooling
- Multi entity and multi brand
- White label mobile apps
- Marketplace of providers
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 Toqio
- A merchant locked into a processor by that processor vault that wants to hold its own tokens and route to more than one acquirernot Toqio
- A fintech collecting bank account and identity data that needs it isolated from its application database before an enterprise security reviewnot Toqio
- 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 Toqio
Toqio
- A manufacturer offering branded working capital finance to its dealer networknot Basis Theory
- A B2B marketplace launching accounts and cards for its sellers without becoming regulated itselfnot Basis Theory
- A corporate that wants to switch card issuer without rebuilding its customer facing productnot Basis Theory
- A group launching the same embedded finance product across several markets with different local providersnot 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.
Toqio
- Toqio holds no licence and provides no sponsor bank, so you must find, contract and manage regulated providers yourself, which is the slowest part of any embedded finance launch.
- Because it orchestrates rather than provides, the customer experience is only as good as the underlying bank or issuer, and Toqio cannot fix a partner's settlement delays or outages.
- Pricing is quoted with no public rate card, so comparing it against building in house or against a bundled banking as a service provider requires a full sales process.
- With around EUR 30 million raised in total it is a small supplier to underpin a financial product a large corporate expects to run for a decade, which raises real continuity questions in procurement.
- No code configuration covers standard patterns well but bespoke customer journeys eventually require custom development, at which point the main advantage over building directly on provider APIs narrows.
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$undefined/month
- Quoted
- Additional compliance options for PII and PHI
- Responses for 95 percent of PCI SAQ D
Toqio
On request- Toqio platform$undefined/year
- Quoted per customer, typically setup plus recurring platform fee
- Regulated provider fees are separate and contracted by you
- Card interchange and lending economics belong to your provider agreements
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 Toqio if
- You need no code product builder.
- You work on Web, iOS, Android, API.
- You also want provider orchestration.
Questions people ask
- Is Basis Theory or Toqio better?
- Neither clearly leads. Basis Theory starts at $995/month and Toqio at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Basis Theory or Toqio?
- Basis Theory starts at $995/month and Toqio at On request.
- Does Basis Theory or Toqio run on more platforms?
- Basis Theory runs on Web, iOS, Android, Linux. Toqio runs on Web, iOS, Android, 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 Toqio is typically brought in for.
- What can Basis Theory do that Toqio cannot?
- Basis Theory covers Tokenisation API, Hosted elements, Outbound proxy, PCI attestation of compliance. Toqio covers No code product builder, Provider orchestration, Account and card modules, Embedded financing.
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.
Toqio: Does Toqio provide the banking licence?
No, deliberately. You contract your own bank, issuer or lender, which is why you can replace them without rebuilding the product.
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.
Toqio: Who is it aimed at?
Large corporates and B2B ecosystem operators embedding finance for suppliers, dealers or marketplace sellers, not consumer fintech startups.
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.
Toqio: How much does it cost?
Not published. Expect a setup fee plus a recurring platform fee, with all regulated provider costs on top and separately contracted.
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
More on Basis Theory
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