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APIs · head to head

Enable Banking vs PubNub

Enable Banking logo

Enable Banking

APIs

European bank API aggregation with a free restricted production tier for your own accounts

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
PubNub logo

PubNub

APIs

Realtime communication platform for chat, IoT, and live data apps

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Enable Banking production pricing is quoted per connected account and call volume with no published rate card, so a free proof of concept gives you no idea of cost at scale.; PubNub free plan storage history is limited to 7 days, which is short for apps needing longer message retention.
  • They diverge on capability: Enable Banking covers European bank coverage, PubNub covers Pub/sub messaging.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Enable Banking and PubNub actually diverge.

Attributes where Enable Banking and PubNub differ
AttributeEnable BankingPubNub
Pricing modelPer connected account per monthfreemium
PlatformsWeb, REST APIweb, ios, android, api

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 Enable Banking

  • European bank coverage
  • Free sandbox
  • Restricted production
  • TPP infrastructure as a service
  • Consent handling
  • Payment initiation

Only in PubNub

  • Pub/sub messaging
  • Presence tracking
  • Message persistence
  • Serverless Functions
  • File sharing
  • Encryption and access controls

What people use each for

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

Enable Banking

  • A small fintech that needs to operate as an agent rather than wait a year for its own AISP authorisationnot PubNub
  • An accounting software vendor pulling bank transactions across several European countriesnot PubNub
  • A treasury tool building and testing a real integration before committing to a contractnot PubNub
  • A lender verifying applicant income from bank data across the Nordics and the EUnot PubNub

PubNub

  • Building realtime chat applicationsnot Enable Banking
  • Streaming live IoT sensor datanot Enable Banking
  • Adding presence indicators to collaborative appsnot Enable Banking
  • Running edge logic with serverless Functions on realtime eventsnot Enable Banking

Where each one falls short

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

Enable Banking

  • Production pricing is quoted per connected account and call volume with no published rate card, so a free proof of concept gives you no idea of cost at scale.
  • Coverage is European, which rules it out as a single supplier for anyone needing UK plus North American bank data as well.
  • Operating as an agent under the Enable Banking licence means your regulatory permission depends on another company remaining authorised and willing to sponsor you.
  • Bank API quality varies widely across Europe, and outages or degraded endpoints at individual institutions surface as failures in your own product.
  • It is a small Finnish company selling into regulated financial services, so enterprise procurement and vendor resilience reviews are a recurring obstacle.

PubNub

  • Free plan storage history is limited to 7 days, which is short for apps needing longer message retention.
  • MAU-based pricing means costs scale directly with user growth, which can be less predictable than flat message-based pricing.
  • Pro-tier custom pricing above 50,000 MAU requires contacting sales rather than self-serve checkout.

Pricing, plan by plan

Enable Banking

Free
  • Sandbox and restricted productionFree
    • Mock and real bank sandbox access
    • Production access limited to accounts you link yourself
    • Full API surface for development and certification
  • Production$undefined/year
    • Quoted by connected accounts per month and call volume
    • Priced by number of institutions and markets in scope
    • Different rates under your own licence or as an agent

PubNub

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Up to 200 MAU or 1M transactions
    • 1GB data storage (7 days)
    • 5 test Serverless Functions
  • Starter$98/month
    • 1,000 MAU included
    • User management
    • Insights
  • Pro$undefined/month
    • Custom MAU packages
    • Volume discounts
    • Enterprise-scale configurations

Which should you pick?

Choose Enable Banking if

  • You need european bank coverage.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, REST API.
  • You also want free sandbox.
Enable Banking review

Choose PubNub if

  • You need pub/sub messaging.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on web, ios, android, api.
  • You also want presence tracking.
PubNub review

Questions people ask

Is Enable Banking or PubNub better?
Neither clearly leads. Enable Banking starts at Free and PubNub at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Enable Banking or PubNub?
Enable Banking starts at Free and PubNub at Free.
Does Enable Banking or PubNub run on more platforms?
Enable Banking runs on Web, REST API. PubNub runs on web, ios, android, api.
Can I use Enable Banking for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Enable Banking best used for?
Enable Banking is most often used for a small fintech that needs to operate as an agent rather than wait a year for its own aisp authorisation, an accounting software vendor pulling bank transactions across several european countries, a treasury tool building and testing a real integration before committing to a contract, a lender verifying applicant income from bank data across the nordics and the eu. Of those, a small fintech that needs to operate as an agent rather than wait a year for its own aisp authorisation and an accounting software vendor pulling bank transactions across several european countries are not what PubNub is typically brought in for.
What can Enable Banking do that PubNub cannot?
Enable Banking covers European bank coverage, Free sandbox, Restricted production, TPP infrastructure as a service. PubNub covers Pub/sub messaging, Presence tracking, Message persistence, Serverless Functions.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Enable Banking: Is there really a free tier?

Yes, sandbox plus restricted production against accounts you link yourself. Commercial third-party access is quoted separately.

PubNub: What does PubNub cost?

PubNub offers a free plan for up to 200 MAU or 1 million transactions, a Starter plan at $98/month for 1,000 MAU, and custom Pro pricing for larger volumes, e.g. around $550/month for 10,000 MAU.

Source
Enable Banking: Do I need my own AISP licence?

No. Enable Banking offers third-party provider infrastructure as a service so you can operate as an agent under its authorisation.

PubNub: Is there a free plan, and what are its limits?

Yes, the free plan supports up to 200 monthly active users or 1 million transactions, includes 1GB of data storage retained for 7 days, and requires no credit card.

Source
Enable Banking: How is production priced?

By connected accounts per month and call volume, adjusted for markets in scope and whether you use your own licence.

PubNub: How is usage metered?

PubNub bills primarily by Monthly Active Users, defined as a unique user who connects at least once in a billing cycle; messages are bundled into MAU pricing with no separate per-message fees, and overage is billed proportionally.

Source
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