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APIs · head to head

Directus vs Tink

Directus logo

Directus

APIs

Open-source data platform providing REST and GraphQL APIs

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Tink logo

Tink

APIs

European open banking platform for account data and payment initiation

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Directus has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Directus free permissive use of the self hosted product is limited to organisations under $5M annual revenue with fewer than 50 employees, so crossing either threshold turns a free dependency into a paid licence; Tink visa owns Tink, and pay-by-bank exists to move payments off card rails, so the roadmap and pricing of the product you are using to reduce interchange are set by the company that earns the interchange.
  • They diverge on capability: Directus covers REST API, Tink covers Account data access.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Directus and Tink actually diverge.

Attributes where Directus and Tink differ
AttributeDirectusTink
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelopen-sourcequote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsNode.js, Cloud, Self-hosted, DockerAPI, Web
Founded2014Unknown

Identical on both: 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 Directus

  • REST API
  • GraphQL API
  • Database management
  • PostgreSQL
  • MySQL
  • SQLite
  • Webhooks
  • Node.js support

Only in Tink

  • Account data access
  • Payment initiation
  • EEA passporting
  • Categorisation
  • Account verification
  • Risk and affordability signals
  • Variable recurring payments support
  • Consent management

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Directus

  • Wrapping an existing SQL database in a REST and GraphQL API with an admin interfacenot Tink
  • Running a self hosted headless CMS over a schema you already ownnot Tink

Tink

  • A European lender that needs verified income and expense data from a borrower bank account across several EEA markets under one licencenot Directus
  • A merchant offering pay-by-bank at checkout to avoid card acceptance costs on high value basketsnot Directus
  • A fintech that does not hold its own PSD2 licence and needs to operate under an authorised provider passported across the EEAnot Directus
  • A bank building an account aggregation view of a customer external accounts without negotiating with each institution individuallynot Directus

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Directus

  • Free permissive use of the self hosted product is limited to organisations under $5M annual revenue with fewer than 50 employees, so crossing either threshold turns a free dependency into a paid licence
  • The free Core tier is a hard limit of 3 seats, 25 collections and 5 flows
  • The Team plan is $499 a month billed annually, or $599 monthly, with extra seats at $50 each
  • Team caps collections at 50, expandable to 100, and flows at 20

Tink

  • Visa owns Tink, and pay-by-bank exists to move payments off card rails, so the roadmap and pricing of the product you are using to reduce interchange are set by the company that earns the interchange.
  • Coverage is Europe only, so a product serving both European and United States users runs a second aggregator with a different data model and a separate contract.
  • PSD2 connection quality varies sharply by bank, and headline connection counts hide wide differences in success rate, consent lifetime and re-authentication frequency that determine what users actually experience.
  • Consent under PSD2 expires and requires periodic re-authentication, so any product depending on continuous data access has a recurring user friction it cannot design away, and drop-off at re-consent is a real product problem.
  • Pricing is quoted with data access and payment initiation priced separately, and there is no published rate card, so small merchants cannot compare pay-by-bank economics against card acceptance without a sales process.

Pricing, plan by plan

Directus

Free
  • CommunityFree
    • Self-hosted Directus
    • Community support
  • Cloud$25/monthly
    • Managed cloud
    • Automatic updates
    • Backups

Tink

On request
  • Tink Platform$undefined/year
    • Priced by product, market and volume
    • Data access and payment initiation priced separately
    • Annual commitments typical for enterprise agreements

Which should you pick?

Choose Directus if

  • You need rest api.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Node.js, Cloud, Self-hosted, Docker.
  • You also want graphql api.
Directus review

Choose Tink if

  • You need account data access.
  • You work on API, Web.
  • You also want payment initiation.
Tink review

Questions people ask

Is Directus or Tink better?
Neither clearly leads. Directus starts at Free and Tink at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Directus or Tink?
Directus has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Directus and On request for Tink.
Does Directus or Tink run on more platforms?
Directus runs on Node.js, Cloud, Self-hosted, Docker. Tink runs on API, Web.
Can I use Directus for free?
Yes. Directus has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Tink starts at On request.
What is Directus best used for?
Directus is most often used for wrapping an existing sql database in a rest and graphql api with an admin interface, running a self hosted headless cms over a schema you already own. Of those, wrapping an existing sql database in a rest and graphql api with an admin interface and running a self hosted headless cms over a schema you already own are not what Tink is typically brought in for.
What can Directus do that Tink cannot?
Directus covers REST API, GraphQL API, Database management, PostgreSQL. Tink covers Account data access, Payment initiation, EEA passporting, Categorisation.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Directus: What is Directus's pricing?

Directus Core is free and self-hosted. The Team tier costs $499/month (annual) or $599/month (rolling), including 10 user seats and cloud hosting at $99/month additional. Enterprise plans have custom pricing. Additional seats cost $50/month each.

Source
Tink: Who owns Tink?

Visa, since 2022. That is directly relevant if you are adopting pay-by-bank specifically to reduce card costs.

Directus: Can I use Directus for free?

Yes, Directus Core is completely free with 3 user seats, 25 Collections, 5 Flows, AI Assistant, and Advanced RBAC. Self-hosting is available at no cost.

Source
Tink: Do I need my own PSD2 licence?

No. Tink holds AIS and PIS licences from the Swedish FSA passported across the EEA, and customers can operate as its agent rather than obtaining their own authorisation.

Directus: How many user seats does each Directus tier include?

Core includes 3 user seats, Team includes 10 SSO seats, and Enterprise includes custom SSO seat counts. Additional Team seats cost $50/seat per month.

Source
Tink: Does Tink cover the United States?

No. It is a European platform. US coverage requires a separate provider.

Directus: What happens to my monthly Directus plan if I switch?

Monthly plans are grandfathered for six months after switching, and annual plans are honored until renewal. Self-hosted licenses are handled case-by-case at renewal.

Source
Tink: How reliable are the bank connections?

It varies by institution far more than the headline count of roughly 6,000 connections suggests. Ask for per market and per bank success rates and consent lifetimes for the banks your users actually hold accounts with.

Directus: Is there a free trial for Directus?

No trial period is mentioned. Users can start with the free Core tier immediately without a credit card.

Source
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