APIs · head to head
Hasura vs Marqeta
Hasura
APIs
GraphQL engine that instantly creates production-ready GraphQL API from databases
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
Marqeta
APIs
Card issuing and transaction processing APIs with just-in-time funding
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Hasura has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Hasura active model definition: model/command accessed more than 1,000 times monthly; Marqeta you still need a sponsor bank and a BIN, so the timeline and compliance burden of launching are set by a bank you must separately court and satisfy.
- They diverge on capability: Hasura covers GraphQL API, Marqeta covers Just-in-time funding.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Hasura and Marqeta actually diverge.
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 Hasura
- GraphQL API
- Real-time subscriptions
- Access control
- PostgreSQL
- MySQL
- Webhooks
- REST APIs
- Cloud support
Only in Marqeta
- Just-in-time funding
- Virtual and physical issuing
- Spend controls
- Programme management tools
- Multi-region issuing
- Webhooks and ledger data
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Hasura
- Automatic GraphQL API generation from existing databasesnot Marqeta
- Real-time data subscriptions for modern applicationsnot Marqeta
- Backend infrastructure for web and mobile applicationsnot Marqeta
- Event-triggered webhooks for database changesnot Marqeta
Marqeta
- A delivery marketplace funding courier cards only at the moment a courier pays for the ordernot Hasura
- An expense platform issuing a virtual card per subscription with merchant locksnot Hasura
- A lender issuing a card that draws on an approved credit line rather than a stored balancenot Hasura
- A fintech wanting the same issuing stack across US and European programmesnot Hasura
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Hasura
- Active model definition: model/command accessed more than 1,000 times monthly
- Private DDN requires Base or Advanced plan
Marqeta
- You still need a sponsor bank and a BIN, so the timeline and compliance burden of launching are set by a bank you must separately court and satisfy.
- Pricing carries minimum monthly platform commitments, so a programme with modest card volume pays for capacity it never uses.
- Programme revenue depends heavily on interchange, which means regulated debit interchange caps and European interchange caps materially change the business case by market.
- Disputes, chargebacks and fraud losses sit with the programme, and teams that assumed the processor absorbed them discover a real operations headcount requirement.
- Just-in-time funding makes your own authorisation endpoint a hard availability dependency; if it is slow or down, cards decline at the point of sale.
Pricing, plan by plan
Hasura
Free- DDN FreeFree
- Unlimited models
- 1 supergraph developer
- 15-minute observability retention
- DDN Base$5/month
- Per active model billing
- Unlimited developers
- 30-day observability retention
- DDN Advanced$30/month
- Per active model billing
- Federated collaboration
- Multi-repo CI/CD
Marqeta
On request- Marqeta card issuing$undefined/year
- Minimum monthly platform fee plus per-transaction and per-active-card charges
- Interchange share negotiated between programme, processor and sponsor bank
- Sponsor bank required, with its own fees and approval process
Which should you pick?
Choose Hasura if
- You need graphql api.
- You want to start without paying.
- You also want real-time subscriptions.
Choose Marqeta if
- You need just-in-time funding.
- You work on Web, REST API.
- You also want virtual and physical issuing.
Questions people ask
- Is Hasura or Marqeta better?
- Neither clearly leads. Hasura starts at Free and Marqeta at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Hasura or Marqeta?
- Hasura has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Hasura and On request for Marqeta.
- Does Hasura or Marqeta run on more platforms?
- Hasura runs on Web. Marqeta runs on Web, REST API.
- Can I use Hasura for free?
- Yes. Hasura has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Marqeta starts at On request.
- What is Hasura best used for?
- Hasura is most often used for automatic graphql api generation from existing databases, real-time data subscriptions for modern applications, backend infrastructure for web and mobile applications, event-triggered webhooks for database changes. Of those, automatic graphql api generation from existing databases and real-time data subscriptions for modern applications are not what Marqeta is typically brought in for.
- What can Hasura do that Marqeta cannot?
- Hasura covers GraphQL API, Real-time subscriptions, Access control, PostgreSQL. Marqeta covers Just-in-time funding, Virtual and physical issuing, Spend controls, Programme management tools.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Hasura: How much does Hasura cost?
Hasura DDN Free is free. DDN Base starts at $5/active model/month, and DDN Advanced starts at $30/active model/month.
SourceMarqeta: Do I need a sponsor bank?
Yes. Marqeta is an issuer processor, not a bank. Card programmes run on a sponsor bank BIN, and that bank approves and supervises your programme.
Hasura: What is an active model in Hasura pricing?
An active model is defined as any model or command accessed more than 1,000 times monthly.
SourceMarqeta: How does the pricing really work?
A minimum monthly platform fee plus per-transaction and per-active-card charges, offset by a negotiated share of interchange. The interchange split is the substance of the deal.
Hasura: Is there a free version of Hasura?
Yes, Hasura DDN Free is always free and includes unlimited models, 1 supergraph developer, and 15-minute observability retention.
SourceMarqeta: What is just-in-time funding?
Marqeta calls your endpoint at authorisation so you decide and fund each transaction, rather than pre-loading balances onto cards.
Related pages
Other head to heads
- Hasura vs PocketBase
- Hasura vs Parse Server
- Hasura vs Appwrite
- Hasura vs GraphQL Apollo
- Hasura vs GraphQL Playground
- Hasura vs Directus
- Hasura vs Asyncapi
- Hasura vs Janus Gateway
- Hasura vs Strapi
- Hasura vs Gravitee
- Hasura vs Bruno
- Hasura vs KeystoneJS
- Hasura vs Lithic
- Hasura vs Stoplight
- Hasura vs Swan
- Hasura vs Temenos Transact
- Hasura vs Token.io
- Hasura vs Treasury Prime
- Hasura vs i2c
- Hasura vs Enfuce
- Hasura vs Paymentology
- Hasura vs Highnote
- Hasura vs Tribe Payments
- Hasura vs Thredd
- Hasura vs Unit
- Hasura vs Episode Six
- Hasura vs Yapily
- Hasura vs Synctera
- Hasura vs REST Client VSCode
- Hasura vs Rutter
- Hasura vs Sensedia
- Hasura vs Sila
- Hasura vs Spring Cloud Gateway
- Hasura vs Swagger
- Marqeta vs PocketBase
- Marqeta vs Parse Server
- Marqeta vs Appwrite
- Marqeta vs GraphQL Apollo
- Marqeta vs GraphQL Playground
- Marqeta vs Directus
- Marqeta vs Asyncapi
- Marqeta vs Janus Gateway
- Marqeta vs Strapi
- Marqeta vs Gravitee
- Marqeta vs Bruno
- Marqeta vs KeystoneJS
- Marqeta vs Lithic
- Marqeta vs Stoplight
- Marqeta vs Swan
- Marqeta vs Temenos Transact
- Marqeta vs Token.io
- Marqeta vs Treasury Prime
- Marqeta vs i2c
- Marqeta vs Enfuce
- Marqeta vs Paymentology
- Marqeta vs Highnote
- Marqeta vs Tribe Payments
- Marqeta vs Thredd
- Marqeta vs Unit
- Marqeta vs Episode Six
- Marqeta vs Yapily
- Marqeta vs Synctera
- Marqeta vs REST Client VSCode
- Marqeta vs Rutter
- Marqeta vs Sensedia
- Marqeta vs Sila
- Marqeta vs Spring Cloud Gateway
- Marqeta vs Swagger