Is Directus or Unit better?

Neither clearly leads. Directus starts at Free and Unit at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, Directus or Unit?

Directus has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Directus and On request for Unit.

Does Directus or Unit run on more platforms?

Directus runs on Node.js, Cloud, Self-hosted, Docker. Unit runs on Web, iOS, Android.

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 Unit is typically brought in for.

What can Directus do that Unit cannot?

Directus covers REST API, GraphQL API, Database management, PostgreSQL. Unit covers Deposit accounts, Card issuing, Payments, White label components.

APIs · head to head

Directus vs Unit

Directus

APIs

Open-source data platform providing REST and GraphQL APIs

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

Unit

APIs

Banking as a service platform for embedding deposit accounts, cards and payments, with a sponsor bank behind it

From: On request
Rated: -

Full review Website

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; Unit your product depends on a sponsor bank you do not contract with directly, and 2024 showed what that means: Thread Bank received an FDIC enforcement action naming its banking as a service programmes and Blue Ridge Bank went under an OCC consent order and offboarded fintech partners.
They diverge on capability: Directus covers REST API, Unit covers Deposit accounts.
Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Directus and Unit actually diverge.

Attributes where Directus and Unit differ
Attribute	Directus	Unit
Starting price	Free	On request
Pricing model	open-source	quote
Free tier	Yes	No
Platforms	Node.js, Cloud, Self-hosted, Docker	Web, iOS, Android
Founded	2014	Unknown

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 Unit

Deposit accounts
Card issuing
Payments
White label components
Compliance operations
Lending
Programme reporting
Sandbox

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 Unit
Running a self hosted headless CMS over a schema you already ownnot Unit

Unit

A vertical SaaS platform for contractors that wants to hold customer funds and issue expense cards without pursuing a charternot Directus
A payroll or benefits platform embedding accounts so employees can be paid ahead of schedulenot Directus
A marketplace that wants seller balances to sit in real accounts under its own brand rather than as ledger entries at a processornot Directus
A company that needs interchange revenue from a card programme to make the unit economics of its core product worknot 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

Unit

Your product depends on a sponsor bank you do not contract with directly, and 2024 showed what that means: Thread Bank received an FDIC enforcement action naming its banking as a service programmes and Blue Ridge Bank went under an OCC consent order and offboarded fintech partners.
Programme approval by the bank is a separate gate from signing with Unit, and it can add months and impose product restrictions that were not visible during the commercial conversation.
Compliance obligations are shared but the operational load lands on you, and platforms consistently underestimate the staffing needed for disputes, escalations and the bank ongoing oversight requests.
Pricing is unpublished and blends platform fees, per-account and per-transaction charges and interchange sharing, which makes it hard to model unit economics before you have volume and easy to be surprised by the minimum.
Migrating a live deposit programme to a different provider or bank is extremely disruptive because it involves moving customer accounts and card credentials, so switching costs are far higher than for ordinary software.

Pricing, plan by plan

Directus

Free

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

Unit

On request

Unit Banking as a Service$undefined/year
- Platform fee plus per-account and per-transaction charges, quoted
- Interchange sharing arrangements negotiated per programme
- Minimum commitment typical

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 Unit if

You need deposit accounts.
You work on Web, iOS, Android.
You also want card issuing.

Unit review

Questions people ask

Is Directus or Unit better?: Neither clearly leads. Directus starts at Free and Unit at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Directus or Unit?: Directus has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Directus and On request for Unit.
Does Directus or Unit run on more platforms?: Directus runs on Node.js, Cloud, Self-hosted, Docker. Unit runs on Web, iOS, Android.
Can I use Directus for free?: Yes. Directus has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Unit 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 Unit is typically brought in for.
What can Directus do that Unit cannot?: Directus covers REST API, GraphQL API, Database management, PostgreSQL. Unit covers Deposit accounts, Card issuing, Payments, White label components.

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

Unit: Who actually holds the money?

A chartered partner bank, not Unit. Deposits sit at the sponsor bank and FDIC insurance flows from that bank, so its condition is your condition.

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

Unit: What happened with Unit sponsor banks in 2024?

Thread Bank received an FDIC enforcement action that explicitly named its banking as a service and lending as a service programmes, and Blue Ridge Bank was under an OCC consent order from January 2024 and offboarded fintech partners. Blue Ridge exited the order in late 2025.

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

Unit: What does Unit cost?

Not published. Expect a platform fee, per-account and per-transaction charges, an interchange share and a minimum commitment.

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

Unit: Do we need our own compliance team?

Yes. Unit supplies tooling and the bank sets the rules, but disputes, escalations and evidence for bank oversight require named people on your side.

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

Directus vs Unit

Directus

Unit

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in Directus

Only in Unit

What people use each for

Directus

Unit

Where each one falls short

Directus

Unit

Pricing, plan by plan

Directus

Unit

Which should you pick?

Choose Directus if

Choose Unit if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on Directus

More on Unit

Keep looking

Other head to heads