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APIs · head to head

Griffin vs Sila

Griffin logo

Griffin

APIs

UK banking-as-a-service from a company that holds its own full banking licence

From
£100/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Sila logo

Sila

APIs

US money movement API for ACH, RTP and FedNow with KYC and ledgering built in

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Griffin platform banking carries a one-off onboarding fee from 15,000 pounds and a 3,500 pound monthly minimum, which prices out early-stage companies entirely.; Sila no pricing is published, so you cannot compare Sila against Moov or Dwolla without entering two sales processes, and small programmes frequently find the monthly minimum dominates their cost at low volume.
  • They diverge on capability: Griffin covers Bank accounts by API, Sila covers ACH origination.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Griffin and Sila actually diverge.

Attributes where Griffin and Sila differ
AttributeGriffinSila
Starting price£100/monthOn request
Pricing modelPer month with usage drawdownquote
PlatformsWeb, REST APIWeb, API

Identical on both: 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 Griffin

  • Bank accounts by API
  • UK payment rails
  • Integrated ledger
  • Automated onboarding
  • Debit cards
  • Interest on balances

Only in Sila

  • ACH origination
  • Instant rails
  • KYC and KYB
  • Virtual accounts
  • Ledger
  • Wallets and holds
  • Webhooks
  • Bank-side deployment

What people use each for

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

Griffin

  • A wealth platform that must hold client money in a licensed bank rather than an EMI safeguarding accountnot Sila
  • A lender wanting UK accounts and payment rails without becoming a bank itselfnot Sila
  • A fintech burned by sponsor bank instability that wants the deposit holder and the API provider to be the same entitynot Sila
  • A platform needing sub-account ledgering for pooled client funds with a clean audit trailnot Sila

Sila

  • A small fintech that needs ACH, identity verification and a ledger from one vendor because it has no compliance team to assemble threenot Griffin
  • A marketplace paying out to sellers that wants same-day ACH and instant push options without becoming a money transmitter itselfnot Griffin
  • A community bank replacing batch file ACH processing with an API so it can offer real-time payments to business customersnot Griffin
  • A lending platform that must verify business identity, disburse funds and collect repayments on a schedule from a single integrationnot Griffin

Where each one falls short

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

Griffin

  • Platform banking carries a one-off onboarding fee from 15,000 pounds and a 3,500 pound monthly minimum, which prices out early-stage companies entirely.
  • It is UK-only, so a business with European or US operations needs a second banking provider and a second integration for those entities.
  • It is a young bank with a small balance sheet relative to incumbents, and enterprise counterparties still ask hard questions about concentration risk.
  • Holding a banking licence means Griffin applies bank-grade due diligence to its own clients, so onboarding is slower and more selective than an EMI-based provider.
  • Feature breadth is narrower than long-established providers, particularly in card programme management and in payment types beyond core UK rails.

Sila

  • No pricing is published, so you cannot compare Sila against Moov or Dwolla without entering two sales processes, and small programmes frequently find the monthly minimum dominates their cost at low volume.
  • Sila is materially smaller and less well capitalised than the banking-as-a-service names it competes with, which matters because your customer funds and your payment rails depend on the vendor still trading in three years.
  • The sponsor bank behind your programme determines what you can offer and how fast you can change it, and bank partnerships in this sector have been reshuffled repeatedly since 2023, so a bank change during your contract is a realistic risk rather than a theoretical one.
  • Coverage is United States only, so any product with cross-border ambitions needs a second payments vendor and a second reconciliation process from the outset.
  • Onboarding involves compliance diligence on your own programme, and teams routinely underestimate this, with weeks lost between signing and first live transaction while policies, flow of funds diagrams and BSA arrangements are reviewed.

Pricing, plan by plan

Griffin

£100/month
  • Business Banking$100/month
    • From 100 pounds per month
    • Interest or commission from around 1.75 percent AER variable
    • Operational accounts and UK payment rails
  • Platform Banking$3500/month
    • One-off onboarding fee from 15,000 pounds
    • Minimum monthly spend of 3,500 pounds, drawn down by usage
    • Higher committed tiers at 5,000 and 10,000 pounds with discounts
  • Enterprise$undefined/month
    • Custom pricing
    • Bespoke account structures and volumes
    • Negotiated interest or commission share

Sila

On request
  • Sila Payments Platform$undefined/month
    • ACH, RTP and FedNow
    • KYC and KYB verification
    • Virtual accounts and ledger

Which should you pick?

Choose Griffin if

  • You need bank accounts by api.
  • You work on Web, REST API.
  • You also want uk payment rails.
Griffin review

Choose Sila if

  • You need ach origination.
  • You work on Web, API.
  • You also want instant rails.
Sila review

Questions people ask

Is Griffin or Sila better?
Neither clearly leads. Griffin starts at £100/month and Sila at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Griffin or Sila?
Griffin starts at £100/month and Sila at On request.
Does Griffin or Sila run on more platforms?
Griffin runs on Web, REST API. Sila runs on Web, API.
What is Griffin best used for?
Griffin is most often used for a wealth platform that must hold client money in a licensed bank rather than an emi safeguarding account, a lender wanting uk accounts and payment rails without becoming a bank itself, a fintech burned by sponsor bank instability that wants the deposit holder and the api provider to be the same entity, a platform needing sub-account ledgering for pooled client funds with a clean audit trail. Of those, a wealth platform that must hold client money in a licensed bank rather than an emi safeguarding account and a lender wanting uk accounts and payment rails without becoming a bank itself are not what Sila is typically brought in for.
What can Griffin do that Sila cannot?
Griffin covers Bank accounts by API, UK payment rails, Integrated ledger, Automated onboarding. Sila covers ACH origination, Instant rails, KYC and KYB, Virtual accounts.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Griffin: Is Griffin actually a bank?

Yes. It received a UK banking licence with restrictions in March 2023 and a full licence in March 2024 after exiting mobilisation.

Sila: Does Sila require a sponsor bank?

Yes. Funds sit at a partner bank, and which bank that is affects your product features and your regulatory exposure, so ask before signing.

Griffin: What does it cost?

Business banking from 100 pounds a month; platform banking from a 15,000 pound onboarding fee plus a 3,500 pound monthly minimum drawn down by usage.

Sila: Is Sila still operating?

Yes. It continues to trade and announced an API integration with GBank in 2025 covering ACH, RTP and FedNow.

Griffin: Does it cover Europe?

No. Griffin is a UK bank serving UK accounts and UK payment rails.

Sila: What does it cost?

Sila does not publish rates. Expect per-transaction pricing plus a monthly minimum, quoted after a compliance conversation.

Sila: Can I use it outside the United States?

No. Sila covers US rails only.

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