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APIs · head to head

Highnote vs Solaris

Highnote logo

Highnote

APIs

Card issuing, acquiring and ledger on one platform for embedded payments

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Solaris logo

Solaris

APIs

German banking as a service with a full banking licence and a live regulatory problem

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Highnote card issuing requires a sponsor bank, and that bank sets programme approval, compliance obligations and often minimum volumes, so a small programme can be rejected regardless of technical fit.; Solaris baFin appointed a special representative in 2022 and extended the mandate in July 2024, so a partner is joining a bank under active supervisory monitoring, with slower approvals and heavier compliance demands as a direct consequence.
  • They diverge on capability: Highnote covers Merchant acquiring, Solaris covers German banking licence.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Highnote and Solaris actually diverge.

Attributes where Highnote and Solaris differ
AttributeHighnoteSolaris

Identical on both: starting price (On request), pricing model (quote), free tier (No), platforms (Web, API), 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 Highnote

  • Merchant acquiring
  • Unified ledger
  • Spend controls
  • GraphQL API
  • Programme management
  • Dispute handling
  • Real time authorisation webhooks

Only in Solaris

  • German banking licence
  • IBAN accounts
  • Lending as a service
  • Digital assets and custody
  • SEPA payments
  • KYC and onboarding
  • Deposit protection

Both cover

  • Card issuing

What people use each for

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

Highnote

  • A marketplace that both pays out to sellers and issues them spend cards, wanting one settlement ledgernot Solaris
  • A vertical software company embedding card acceptance and card issuing for the same customer basenot Solaris
  • A fintech launching a commercial charge card programme with custom authorisation logicnot Solaris
  • A platform replacing separate issuing and acquiring vendors to remove cross system reconciliationnot Solaris

Solaris

  • A retailer or platform launching a German current account or card product without applying for its own licencenot Highnote
  • A fintech that needs deposit taking and lending, which an e-money licence cannot providenot Highnote
  • A European business needing German IBANs because customers reject foreign IBANs for salary and direct debitnot Highnote
  • A company requiring German statutory deposit protection on customer balances as a product claimnot Highnote

Where each one falls short

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

Highnote

  • Card issuing requires a sponsor bank, and that bank sets programme approval, compliance obligations and often minimum volumes, so a small programme can be rejected regardless of technical fit.
  • Pricing is entirely quoted, including platform fees, per active card charges and monthly minimums that do not appear on the website, so the true cost per card is only visible late in a sales process.
  • Interchange sharing is the real revenue model for most customers, and the split is negotiated, capped for regulated debit under the Durbin amendment and sensitive to your spend mix, so revenue projections built on headline interchange rates overstate income.
  • Running issuing and acquiring with one provider concentrates risk: an outage or a compliance action affects both money in and money out at the same time.
  • Highnote is a younger company than the established issuer processors, so long term programme continuity, network certifications in new geographies and international coverage are thinner than the incumbent alternatives.

Solaris

  • BaFin appointed a special representative in 2022 and extended the mandate in July 2024, so a partner is joining a bank under active supervisory monitoring, with slower approvals and heavier compliance demands as a direct consequence.
  • BaFin fined Solaris EUR 6.5 million in March 2024 for systematically late suspicious activity reports and EUR 500,000 for breaching large exposure limits between January 2022 and March 2024, which is a track record a partner inherits reputationally.
  • Solaris has previously needed BaFin approval before onboarding new corporate clients, which can turn a commercial decision to launch into a regulatory timetable outside your control.
  • The 2024 restructuring involved job cuts and the closure of parts of a business unit, so product lines a partner depends on may not have the engineering behind them that the sales process implies.
  • SBI Holdings acquired majority control in 2025, so strategic direction now sits with a Japanese financial group whose priorities for the European business may differ from the roadmap you were sold.

Pricing, plan by plan

Highnote

On request
  • Highnote platform$undefined/year
    • Quoted per programme with no public rate card
    • Requires a sponsor bank relationship for card issuing
    • Interchange sharing terms negotiated per programme

Solaris

On request
  • Solaris banking as a service$undefined/year
    • Quoted per partner, typically setup fee plus monthly platform fee
    • Per account, per card and per transaction charges on top
    • Interchange sharing arrangements negotiated per programme

Which should you pick?

Choose Highnote if

  • You need merchant acquiring.
  • You work on Web, API.
  • You also want unified ledger.
Highnote review

Choose Solaris if

  • You need german banking licence.
  • You work on Web, API.
  • You also want iban accounts.
Solaris review

Questions people ask

Is Highnote or Solaris better?
Neither clearly leads. Highnote starts at On request and Solaris at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Highnote or Solaris?
Highnote starts at On request and Solaris at On request.
Does Highnote or Solaris run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, API, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
What is Highnote best used for?
Highnote is most often used for a marketplace that both pays out to sellers and issues them spend cards, wanting one settlement ledger, a vertical software company embedding card acceptance and card issuing for the same customer base, a fintech launching a commercial charge card programme with custom authorisation logic, a platform replacing separate issuing and acquiring vendors to remove cross system reconciliation. Of those, a marketplace that both pays out to sellers and issues them spend cards, wanting one settlement ledger and a vertical software company embedding card acceptance and card issuing for the same customer base are not what Solaris is typically brought in for.
What can Highnote do that Solaris cannot?
Highnote covers Merchant acquiring, Unified ledger, Spend controls, GraphQL API. Solaris covers German banking licence, IBAN accounts, Lending as a service, Digital assets and custody. Both handle Card issuing.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Highnote: Do I need a sponsor bank?

Yes for card issuing in the United States. Highnote is a processor and programme platform, not a bank, and the sponsor bank sets approval and compliance terms.

Solaris: Does Solaris have a real banking licence?

Yes. Solaris SE is a German credit institution, which is why it can offer deposits and lending, unlike e-money based competitors.

Highnote: How do customers make money on a card programme?

Mostly interchange sharing. Negotiate the split explicitly and model it against your actual spend mix, since regulated debit interchange is capped.

Solaris: Is the BaFin action still live?

The special representative appointed in 2022 had the mandate extended in July 2024, and fines were issued in March 2024. Treat supervisory oversight as an active condition in your diligence.

Highnote: Can Highnote handle both accepting and issuing payments?

Yes since its 2025 acquiring launch, on the same ledger, which is its main structural differentiator.

Solaris: Who owns Solaris now?

SBI Holdings of Japan agreed in December 2024 and January 2025 to take a majority stake of over seventy per cent for around EUR 100 million.

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