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APIs · head to head

Griffin vs Thredd

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
Thredd logo

Thredd

APIs

Issuer processing platform for fintechs and digital banks, formerly Global Processing Services

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pounds and a 3,500 pound monthly minimum, which prices out early-stage companies entirely.; Thredd pricing is entirely unpublished, so cost comparison against competing processors requires a sales process.
  • They diverge on capability: Griffin covers Bank accounts by API, Thredd covers Issuer processing.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Griffin and Thredd actually diverge.

Attributes where Griffin and Thredd differ
AttributeGriffinThredd
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 Thredd

  • Issuer processing
  • Multi-country reach
  • Scheme certification
  • Programme support across verticals
  • High platform availability
  • Global office footprint

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 Thredd
  • A lender wanting UK accounts and payment rails without becoming a bank itselfnot Thredd
  • A fintech burned by sponsor bank instability that wants the deposit holder and the API provider to be the same entitynot Thredd
  • A platform needing sub-account ledgering for pooled client funds with a clean audit trailnot Thredd

Thredd

  • A digital bank or fintech needing issuer processing across many countries under one contractnot Griffin
  • A BNPL, lending or crypto product needing certified card processing behind its own brandnot Griffin
  • A company that finds outdated Global Processing Services (GPS) material and needs to confirm it is now Threddnot Griffin
  • An embedded finance platform wanting a processor already integrated with core banking systems such as Mambunot 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.

Thredd

  • Pricing is entirely unpublished, so cost comparison against competing processors requires a sales process.
  • The 2023 rebrand from GPS to Thredd means research under either name alone can miss relevant material, and partner or press references before 2023 will still say GPS.
  • Issuer processing does not include the banking licence itself, so a fintech still needs a separate BIN sponsor or bank partner, adding a second relationship to manage.
  • As shared infrastructure behind many fintech brands, an outage or processing delay at Thredd becomes a simultaneous incident for every programme running on it, with limited visibility for any single customer into root cause.
  • Its verticals span crypto, BNPL and remittance broadly, so depth of specialist support in any one vertical may be thinner than a processor focused narrowly on that niche.

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

Thredd

On request
  • Thredd$undefined/year
    • Volume and programme-based pricing, not published
    • Custom quote required via sales

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 Thredd if

  • You need issuer processing.
  • You work on Web, API.
  • You also want multi-country reach.
Thredd review

Questions people ask

Is Griffin or Thredd better?
Neither clearly leads. Griffin starts at £100/month and Thredd at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Griffin or Thredd?
Griffin starts at £100/month and Thredd at On request.
Does Griffin or Thredd run on more platforms?
Griffin runs on Web, REST API. Thredd 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 Thredd is typically brought in for.
What can Griffin do that Thredd cannot?
Griffin covers Bank accounts by API, UK payment rails, Integrated ledger, Automated onboarding. Thredd covers Issuer processing, Multi-country reach, Scheme certification, Programme support across verticals.

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.

Thredd: Is Thredd the same company as Global Processing Services?

Yes, GPS rebranded as Thredd in 2023; it is the same company and platform.

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.

Thredd: Does it hold the banking licence for programmes it processes?

No, Thredd is the issuer processor; a separate bank or BIN sponsor holds the actual issuing licence.

Griffin: Does it cover Europe?

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

Thredd: Is pricing published?

No, it requires a sales conversation.

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