Developer Tools · head to head
Deno vs Unit21
Deno
Developer Tools
A fast, open-source, fully Node-compatible JS runtime with TypeScript baked right in
- From
- Free
- Free plan
- Yes
Unit21
Cybersecurity
No-code fraud and AML risk operations platform for fintechs and neobanks
- From
- On request
- Free plan
- No
The short version
- Only Deno has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Deno egress bandwidth overage costs $0.20/GB which can become expensive for high-traffic applications; Unit21 it is built for fintech scale rather than card issuer scale, so organisations reaching very high transaction volumes generally re-evaluate against heavier platforms and face a migration.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Deno and Unit21 actually diverge.
Identical on both: platforms (Web), user rating (Not yet rated).
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 Deno
Nothing recorded that Unit21 does not also cover.
Only in Unit21
- No-code rule builder
- Case management
- SAR filing
- Backtesting
- Identity and device signals
- Data ingestion API
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Deno
- Running TypeScript natively without transpilation overheadnot Unit21
- Migrating Node.js applications to secure-by-default runtimenot Unit21
- Deploying edge functions and serverless containers seamlesslynot Unit21
- Consolidating developer tools into single binarynot Unit21
Unit21
- A neobank whose sponsor bank requires a documented monitoring programme before it will keep the BIN sponsorshipnot Deno
- A crypto exchange needing SAR filing and case management without building an internal compliance engineering teamnot Deno
- A payments startup where the fraud lead needs to ship a new rule the same day a new attack pattern appearsnot Deno
- A lender consolidating fraud alerts from three point tools into one investigator queue with a single audit trailnot Deno
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Deno
- Egress bandwidth overage costs $0.20/GB which can become expensive for high-traffic applications
- CPU time overage is $0.10/hour on Pro and Builder tiers, adding to costs for compute-intensive workloads
- Enterprise pricing is not disclosed; requires sales contact
Unit21
- It is built for fintech scale rather than card issuer scale, so organisations reaching very high transaction volumes generally re-evaluate against heavier platforms and face a migration.
- No-code rule authoring shifts power to the risk team, which is the point, but without governance it produces rule sprawl that nobody can explain to an examiner two years later.
- Detection quality depends on the signals you feed it, so a thin integration produces thin results and the platform cannot compensate with proprietary consortium data the way larger vendors do.
- Pricing is quoted by volume with an annual commitment, so a fintech whose growth stalls pays for headroom it did not use.
- SAR filing coverage is oriented to United States FinCEN reporting, so firms filing in the United Kingdom, European Union or Asia handle those submissions outside the tool.
Pricing, plan by plan
Deno
Free- FreeFree
- 1 million requests/month
- 20GB egress bandwidth
- 10 apps
- Pro$20/month
- 5 million requests/month
- 200GB egress
- 50 apps
- Builder$200/month
- 25 million requests/month
- 2,000GB egress
- 10,000 apps
- Enterprise$null/month
- Custom limits on all metrics
- 99.95% reliability SLA
- Email support with SLA
Unit21
On request- Unit21 Platform$undefined/year
- Priced by monitored volume and modules, annual contract
- Fraud, AML and case management packaged separately
- Implementation and historical data backfill quoted with the subscription
Which should you pick?
Questions people ask
- Is Deno or Unit21 better?
- Neither clearly leads. Deno starts at Free and Unit21 at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Deno or Unit21?
- Deno has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Deno and On request for Unit21.
- Does Deno or Unit21 run on more platforms?
- Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
- Can I use Deno for free?
- Yes. Deno has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Unit21 starts at On request.
- What is Deno best used for?
- Deno is most often used for running typescript natively without transpilation overhead, migrating node.js applications to secure-by-default runtime, deploying edge functions and serverless containers seamlessly, consolidating developer tools into single binary. Of those, running typescript natively without transpilation overhead and migrating node.js applications to secure-by-default runtime are not what Unit21 is typically brought in for.
- What can Deno do that Unit21 cannot?
- Unit21 covers No-code rule builder, Case management, SAR filing, Backtesting.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Deno: How much does Deno Deploy cost?
Deno Deploy offers a free tier at $0/month, Pro at $20/month, and Builder at $200/month. Enterprise has custom pricing. All plans include base request and bandwidth limits, with overage charges for additional usage.
SourceUnit21: Do we need engineers to run it?
Only for the initial data integration. After that the design intent is that risk and compliance staff author and deploy rules themselves.
Deno: What are Deno Deploy's overage charges?
Egress bandwidth overages cost $0.20 per GB. CPU time overages are $0.10 per hour on Pro and Builder tiers. Memory time and KV database operations also incur charges beyond included limits.
SourceUnit21: Does it file SARs?
Yes, it generates and electronically files suspicious activity reports to FinCEN. Non-US regimes are not covered to the same depth.
Deno: How many apps can I deploy on Deno's free plan?
The free tier includes 10 apps with up to 1 concurrent build. Pro tier supports 50 apps with 3 concurrent builds, and Builder supports 10,000 apps with 20 concurrent builds.
SourceUnit21: Can we test a rule before it goes live?
Yes. Backtesting against historical data to see projected alert volume is one of the more useful parts of the product, because alert volume is the real cost.
Deno: How many team members can access Deno Deploy?
The free tier supports up to 3 team members. Pro supports 10 team members. Builder supports 25 team members. Enterprise has custom seat limits.
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