APIs · head to head
Basis Theory vs Yodlee
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
- -
Yodlee
APIs
Long-running financial data aggregation with deep transaction history
- 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.; Yodlee ownership has changed twice in two years, from Envestnet to Bain Capital control and then to STG in 2025, so the roadmap is now set by a financial sponsor and long term product direction is harder to rely on than it was.
- They diverge on capability: Basis Theory covers Tokenisation API, Yodlee covers Account aggregation.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Basis Theory and Yodlee actually diverge.
| Attribute | Basis Theory | Yodlee |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $995/month | On request |
| Pricing model | Per month by token volume | quote |
| Platforms | Web, iOS, Android, Linux | API, Web |
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 Yodlee
- Account aggregation
- Long transaction history
- Investment and holdings data
- Account verification
- Transaction enrichment
- Cash flow analytics
- Document retrieval
- International coverage
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 Yodlee
- A merchant locked into a processor by that processor vault that wants to hold its own tokens and route to more than one acquirernot Yodlee
- A fintech collecting bank account and identity data that needs it isolated from its application database before an enterprise security reviewnot Yodlee
- 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 Yodlee
Yodlee
- A wealth platform that needs held-away brokerage holdings as well as bank balances to show a client their complete positionnot Basis Theory
- A lender doing cash flow underwriting that needs several years of transaction history rather than the ninety days newer aggregators returnnot Basis Theory
- A financial institution needing statement and tax document retrieval alongside transaction datanot Basis Theory
- A firm operating in several countries that wants one aggregator rather than a US provider plus a European onenot 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.
Yodlee
- Ownership has changed twice in two years, from Envestnet to Bain Capital control and then to STG in 2025, so the roadmap is now set by a financial sponsor and long term product direction is harder to rely on than it was.
- Parts of the connection estate still depend on credential based access, which banks and regulators are phasing out in favour of FDX APIs, so coverage will shift as institutions withdraw the older method and the migration is not under your control.
- The platform predates modern API design and developers consistently find the integration heavier and the data model more idiosyncratic than newer aggregators, which lengthens build time.
- Pricing is enterprise shaped with annual commitments and nothing published, so small and mid sized buyers have no anchor and cannot start without a sales cycle.
- Investment data, document retrieval and analytics are licensed on top of core aggregation, so the capabilities that justify choosing Yodlee over a cheaper rival are the ones that raise the price above it.
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$undefined/month
- Quoted
- Additional compliance options for PII and PHI
- Responses for 95 percent of PCI SAQ D
Yodlee
On request- Yodlee Data Platform$undefined/year
- Priced by connected users, refresh frequency and data types
- Investment and document retrieval licensed separately from core aggregation
- Enterprise agreements with annual commitments
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 Yodlee if
- You need account aggregation.
- You work on API, Web.
- You also want long transaction history.
Questions people ask
- Is Basis Theory or Yodlee better?
- Neither clearly leads. Basis Theory starts at $995/month and Yodlee at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Basis Theory or Yodlee?
- Basis Theory starts at $995/month and Yodlee at On request.
- Does Basis Theory or Yodlee run on more platforms?
- Basis Theory runs on Web, iOS, Android, Linux. Yodlee runs on API, Web.
- 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 Yodlee is typically brought in for.
- What can Basis Theory do that Yodlee cannot?
- Basis Theory covers Tokenisation API, Hosted elements, Outbound proxy, PCI attestation of compliance. Yodlee covers Account aggregation, Long transaction history, Investment and holdings data, Account verification.
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.
Yodlee: Who owns Yodlee now?
Private equity firm STG, which acquired it from Envestnet in a deal closing in 2025. Envestnet, itself taken private by Bain Capital and Reverence Capital in 2024, retained access through a partnership.
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.
Yodlee: Why choose Yodlee over Plaid?
Longer transaction history, deeper investment and held-away account coverage, and document retrieval. Those are wealth management and underwriting requirements rather than consumer fintech ones.
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.
Yodlee: Does it still use screen scraping?
Parts of the estate rely on credential based connections, which the industry is phasing out in favour of regulated APIs. Ask for direct API coverage by institution before signing.
Basis Theory: Is data stored outside the United States?
Not on Starter, which is US only. Other regions require a Scale or Enterprise agreement.
Yodlee: Is pricing published?
No. It is quoted by connected users, refresh frequency and data types, with investment data and document retrieval priced separately.
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