APIs · head to head
Basis Theory vs Tuum
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
- -
Tuum
APIs
Modular core banking platform from Estonia, formerly branded Modularbank
- 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.; Tuum it is a smaller, younger company than Mambu, so it has fewer live reference deployments and a shorter track record to evaluate risk against.
- They diverge on capability: Basis Theory covers Tokenisation API, Tuum covers Modular product structure.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Basis Theory and Tuum actually diverge.
| Attribute | Basis Theory | Tuum |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Tuum
- Modular product structure
- Low-code integration middleware
- Cloud-agnostic deployment
- Multi-currency real-time accounts
- Cards and lending modules
- Faster migration timeline
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 Tuum
- A merchant locked into a processor by that processor vault that wants to hold its own tokens and route to more than one acquirernot Tuum
- A fintech collecting bank account and identity data that needs it isolated from its application database before an enterprise security reviewnot Tuum
- 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 Tuum
Tuum
- A bank wanting to migrate specific banking products to the cloud within months rather than replacing its entire core at oncenot Basis Theory
- A fintech in the DACH region or Middle East wanting a European core banking vendor with regional expansion focusnot Basis Theory
- An institution wanting low-code middleware to connect new modules to an existing legacy core rather than a full rebuildnot Basis Theory
- A company researching "Modularbank" that needs to confirm it is the same company now branded Tuumnot 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.
Tuum
- It is a smaller, younger company than Mambu, so it has fewer live reference deployments and a shorter track record to evaluate risk against.
- The 2022-era rebrand from Modularbank to Tuum means older funding records, case studies and press coverage appear under a different name, complicating due diligence for anyone unaware of the change.
- Pricing is entirely unpublished, requiring a sales conversation to budget against competing composable core vendors.
- Its geographic expansion into DACH and the Middle East is comparatively recent, so support depth and local regulatory expertise in those markets are less proven than in its home Baltic and Nordic base.
- As with any core banking platform, choosing Tuum is a multi-year infrastructure commitment; switching cores after implementation is a major undertaking regardless of how modular the initial adoption was.
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$undefined/month
- Quoted
- Additional compliance options for PII and PHI
- Responses for 95 percent of PCI SAQ D
Tuum
On request- Tuum$undefined/year
- Subscription and module-based pricing, not published
- Custom quote required via sales
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 Tuum if
- You need modular product structure.
- You work on Web, API.
- You also want low-code integration middleware.
Questions people ask
- Is Basis Theory or Tuum better?
- Neither clearly leads. Basis Theory starts at $995/month and Tuum at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Basis Theory or Tuum?
- Basis Theory starts at $995/month and Tuum at On request.
- Does Basis Theory or Tuum run on more platforms?
- Basis Theory runs on Web, iOS, Android, Linux. Tuum 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 Tuum is typically brought in for.
- What can Basis Theory do that Tuum cannot?
- Basis Theory covers Tokenisation API, Hosted elements, Outbound proxy, PCI attestation of compliance. Tuum covers Modular product structure, Low-code integration middleware, Cloud-agnostic deployment, Multi-currency real-time 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.
Tuum: Is Tuum the same company as Modularbank?
Yes, Modularbank rebranded to Tuum; it is the same company and platform.
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.
Tuum: Where is it strongest geographically?
Its base is Estonia and the Nordic and Baltic region, with newer expansion into DACH and the Middle East.
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.
Tuum: Is pricing published?
No, subscription and module pricing require a sales 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.
Related pages
More on Basis Theory
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