APIs · head to head
Lithic vs Tyk
Lithic
APIs
API-first card issuing platform with direct Visa, Mastercard and Amex network connections
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Tyk has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Lithic pricing is entirely undisclosed, so a company cannot compare total cost against Marqeta, Galileo or Highnote without a sales conversation.; Tyk professional and Enterprise plan pricing not published; contact required
- They diverge on capability: Lithic covers Direct network connections, Tyk covers API Gateway.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Lithic and Tyk 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 Lithic
- Direct network connections
- Processor Client mode
- Lithic Program Management
- Card lifecycle APIs
- Sandbox environment
- Real-time authorization controls
Only in Tyk
- API Gateway
- Rate Limiting
- Authentication
- Kubernetes
- Docker
- AWS
- Azure
- Linux support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Lithic
- A fintech wanting direct Visa or Mastercard network access rather than routing through a third-party processornot Tyk
- A company that already holds its own issuing licence and wants API access without full programme managementnot Tyk
- A neobank or expense platform wanting Lithic to manage bank and network relationships end to endnot Tyk
- A product team prototyping a card programme in sandbox before committing to a launchnot Tyk
Tyk
- API gateway and API management platformsnot Lithic
- Microservices architecture orchestrationnot Lithic
- High-growth teams standardizing on API platformsnot Lithic
- Enterprises requiring advanced security and governancenot Lithic
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Lithic
- Pricing is entirely undisclosed, so a company cannot compare total cost against Marqeta, Galileo or Highnote without a sales conversation.
- Choosing Processor Client mode still leaves the company responsible for holding its own issuing licence and managing the regulatory relationship, which is a substantial undertaking many teams underestimate.
- As with any card infrastructure provider, an outage or network issue at Lithic becomes a direct outage for every card programme built on it, and a customer has limited visibility into root cause during an incident.
- Building a card programme on API infrastructure requires real engineering investment; it is not a plug-and-play product for a non-technical team.
- Switching card infrastructure providers after launch is a major undertaking involving card reissuance and programme migration, so the initial choice carries lasting lock-in.
Tyk
- Professional and Enterprise plan pricing not published; contact required
- Core plan uses consumption-based model with variable costs
- No upfront pricing transparency for production deployments
Pricing, plan by plan
Lithic
On request- Lithic$undefined/year
- Volume and interchange-based pricing, not published
- Separate Processor Client and Program Management pricing tracks
- Custom quote required via sales
Tyk
Free- Free TrialFree
- Fully featured 48-hour trial
- No credit card required
- Tyk Cloud access
- Core Plan$null/month
- Usage-based flexible pricing
- Cloud, Hybrid, or Self-managed deployment
- Unlimited API gateways
- Professional Plan$null/month
- One fixed price with unlimited access
- All deployment options
- Unlimited APIs and requests
- Enterprise Plan$null/month
- Custom pricing required
- Advanced governance and security
- Premium support with custom SLAs
Which should you pick?
Choose Lithic if
- You need direct network connections.
- You work on Web, API.
- You also want processor client mode.
Choose Tyk if
- You need api gateway.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Linux, Docker, Kubernetes, Cloud.
- You also want rate limiting.
Questions people ask
- Is Lithic or Tyk better?
- Neither clearly leads. Lithic starts at On request and Tyk at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Lithic or Tyk?
- Tyk has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Lithic and Free for Tyk.
- Does Lithic or Tyk run on more platforms?
- Lithic runs on Web, API. Tyk runs on Linux, Docker, Kubernetes, Cloud.
- Can I use Tyk for free?
- Yes. Tyk has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Lithic starts at On request.
- What is Lithic best used for?
- Lithic is most often used for a fintech wanting direct visa or mastercard network access rather than routing through a third-party processor, a company that already holds its own issuing licence and wants api access without full programme management, a neobank or expense platform wanting lithic to manage bank and network relationships end to end, a product team prototyping a card programme in sandbox before committing to a launch. Of those, a fintech wanting direct visa or mastercard network access rather than routing through a third-party processor and a company that already holds its own issuing licence and wants api access without full programme management are not what Tyk is typically brought in for.
- What can Lithic do that Tyk cannot?
- Lithic covers Direct network connections, Processor Client mode, Lithic Program Management, Card lifecycle APIs. Tyk covers API Gateway, Rate Limiting, Authentication, Kubernetes.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Lithic: Does Lithic publish pricing?
No, pricing is volume-based and requires a sales conversation.
Tyk: How much does Tyk cost?
Tyk offers a free 48-hour trial with no credit card required. The Core plan uses usage-based pricing on a flexible model. Professional plan offers unlimited access at a fixed price (amount not published). Enterprise plans require custom pricing.
SourceLithic: What is the difference between Processor Client and Program Management?
Processor Client suits companies with their own issuing licence and bank relationships; Program Management is for companies wanting Lithic to coordinate those relationships on their behalf.
Tyk: Is there a free trial of Tyk?
Yes, Tyk provides a fully featured 48-hour free trial of Tyk Cloud that requires no credit card to start.
SourceLithic: Which networks does it connect to?
Visa, Mastercard and American Express directly.
Tyk: What deployment options are included in Tyk pricing?
All Tyk plans support Cloud, Hybrid, or Self-managed deployment options without feature restrictions, allowing flexible infrastructure choices across pricing tiers.
SourceRelated pages
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