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APIs · head to head

Episode Six vs Unit

Episode Six logo

Episode Six

APIs

Payment processing and ledger platform deployable on premise or in your own cloud

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Unit logo

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 reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Episode Six deployment on premise or in a private tenancy means the institution carries infrastructure, upgrade and PCI scope work that a hosted processor would absorb.; 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: Episode Six covers Tritium API platform, Unit covers Deposit accounts.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Episode Six and Unit actually diverge.

Attributes where Episode Six and Unit differ
AttributeEpisode SixUnit
PlatformsWeb, API, On-premiseWeb, iOS, Android

Identical on both: starting price (On request), pricing model (quote), 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 Episode Six

  • Tritium API platform
  • Flexible deployment
  • Multi product issuing
  • Digital wallets
  • Multi currency ledger
  • Network connectivity
  • Configurable product engine
  • Institutional controls

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.

Episode Six

  • A bank in a jurisdiction with data residency rules that forbid processing customer data in a shared multi tenant cloudnot Unit
  • A large institution replacing a legacy card processor without moving off its own infrastructurenot Unit
  • A telco or airline launching a branded wallet and card product at national scalenot Unit
  • A bank running prepaid, debit and credit products that wants them on one ledger rather than three processorsnot Unit

Unit

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

Where each one falls short

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

Episode Six

  • Deployment on premise or in a private tenancy means the institution carries infrastructure, upgrade and PCI scope work that a hosted processor would absorb.
  • Implementation runs to quarters and involves core banking, network certification and fraud system integration, so time to first card is far longer than with a self serve issuer processor.
  • Pricing is entirely bespoke and weighted to large programmes, which prices out fintechs and small issuers who would be better served by a hosted platform.
  • Being smaller than the incumbent processors, its network certifications and operational presence vary by region, so a global rollout can find gaps in specific markets.
  • The flexibility of six hundred APIs and a configurable product engine shifts design responsibility onto the buyer, and institutions without strong internal payments architects end up dependent on professional services.

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

Episode Six

On request
  • Tritium platform$undefined/year
    • Licence and implementation quoted per institution
    • Deployment model affects cost materially: on premise, private cloud or hosted
    • Processing fees typically per transaction or per active card

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 Episode Six if

  • You need tritium api platform.
  • You work on Web, API, On-premise.
  • You also want flexible deployment.
Episode Six 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 Episode Six or Unit better?
Neither clearly leads. Episode Six starts at On request and Unit at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Episode Six or Unit?
Episode Six starts at On request and Unit at On request.
Does Episode Six or Unit run on more platforms?
Episode Six runs on Web, API, On-premise. Unit runs on Web, iOS, Android.
What is Episode Six best used for?
Episode Six is most often used for a bank in a jurisdiction with data residency rules that forbid processing customer data in a shared multi tenant cloud, a large institution replacing a legacy card processor without moving off its own infrastructure, a telco or airline launching a branded wallet and card product at national scale, a bank running prepaid, debit and credit products that wants them on one ledger rather than three processors. Of those, a bank in a jurisdiction with data residency rules that forbid processing customer data in a shared multi tenant cloud and a large institution replacing a legacy card processor without moving off its own infrastructure are not what Unit is typically brought in for.
What can Episode Six do that Unit cannot?
Episode Six covers Tritium API platform, Flexible deployment, Multi product issuing, Digital wallets. Unit covers Deposit accounts, Card issuing, Payments, White label components.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Episode Six: Can Episode Six run inside our own data centre?

Yes. On premise and private cloud deployment is the main reason banks choose it over hosted only processors.

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.

Episode Six: Is it suitable for a startup issuing its first cards?

Not really. The licence, implementation timeline and cost are aimed at banks and large institutions.

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.

Episode Six: Do we still need a card licence or sponsor?

Yes. Episode Six is a processor. Network membership, licensing or a sponsor arrangement remains your responsibility.

Unit: What does Unit cost?

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

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.

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