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APIs · head to head

Marqeta vs Tuum

Marqeta logo

Marqeta

APIs

Card issuing and transaction processing APIs with just-in-time funding

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Tuum logo

Tuum

APIs

Modular core banking platform from Estonia, formerly branded Modularbank

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: 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.; Tuum it is a smaller, younger company than Mambu, so it has fewer live reference deployments and a shorter track record to evaluate risk against.
  • They diverge on capability: Marqeta covers Just-in-time funding, Tuum covers Modular product structure.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Marqeta and Tuum actually diverge.

Attributes where Marqeta and Tuum differ
AttributeMarqetaTuum
PlatformsWeb, REST APIWeb, API

Identical on both: starting price (On request), pricing model (quote), 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 Marqeta

  • Just-in-time funding
  • Virtual and physical issuing
  • Spend controls
  • Programme management tools
  • Multi-region issuing
  • Webhooks and ledger data

Only in Tuum

  • Modular product structure
  • Low-code integration middleware
  • Cloud-agnostic deployment
  • Multi-currency real-time accounts
  • Cards and lending modules
  • Faster migration timeline

What people use each for

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

Marqeta

  • A delivery marketplace funding courier cards only at the moment a courier pays for the ordernot Tuum
  • An expense platform issuing a virtual card per subscription with merchant locksnot Tuum
  • A lender issuing a card that draws on an approved credit line rather than a stored balancenot Tuum
  • A fintech wanting the same issuing stack across US and European programmesnot Tuum

Tuum

  • A bank wanting to migrate specific banking products to the cloud within months rather than replacing its entire core at oncenot Marqeta
  • A fintech in the DACH region or Middle East wanting a European core banking vendor with regional expansion focusnot Marqeta
  • An institution wanting low-code middleware to connect new modules to an existing legacy core rather than a full rebuildnot Marqeta
  • A company researching "Modularbank" that needs to confirm it is the same company now branded Tuumnot Marqeta

Where each one falls short

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

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.

Tuum

  • It is a smaller, younger company than Mambu, so it has fewer live reference deployments and a shorter track record to evaluate risk against.
  • The 2022-era rebrand from Modularbank to Tuum means older funding records, case studies and press coverage appear under a different name, complicating due diligence for anyone unaware of the change.
  • Pricing is entirely unpublished, requiring a sales conversation to budget against competing composable core vendors.
  • Its geographic expansion into DACH and the Middle East is comparatively recent, so support depth and local regulatory expertise in those markets are less proven than in its home Baltic and Nordic base.
  • As with any core banking platform, choosing Tuum is a multi-year infrastructure commitment; switching cores after implementation is a major undertaking regardless of how modular the initial adoption was.

Pricing, plan by plan

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

Tuum

On request
  • Tuum$undefined/year
    • Subscription and module-based pricing, not published
    • Custom quote required via sales

Which should you pick?

Choose Marqeta if

  • You need just-in-time funding.
  • You work on Web, REST API.
  • You also want virtual and physical issuing.
Marqeta review

Choose Tuum if

  • You need modular product structure.
  • You work on Web, API.
  • You also want low-code integration middleware.
Tuum review

Questions people ask

Is Marqeta or Tuum better?
Neither clearly leads. Marqeta starts at On request and Tuum at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Marqeta or Tuum?
Marqeta starts at On request and Tuum at On request.
Does Marqeta or Tuum run on more platforms?
Marqeta runs on Web, REST API. Tuum runs on Web, API.
What is Marqeta best used for?
Marqeta is most often used for a delivery marketplace funding courier cards only at the moment a courier pays for the order, an expense platform issuing a virtual card per subscription with merchant locks, a lender issuing a card that draws on an approved credit line rather than a stored balance, a fintech wanting the same issuing stack across us and european programmes. Of those, a delivery marketplace funding courier cards only at the moment a courier pays for the order and an expense platform issuing a virtual card per subscription with merchant locks are not what Tuum is typically brought in for.
What can Marqeta do that Tuum cannot?
Marqeta covers Just-in-time funding, Virtual and physical issuing, Spend controls, Programme management tools. Tuum covers Modular product structure, Low-code integration middleware, Cloud-agnostic deployment, Multi-currency real-time accounts.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Marqeta: 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.

Tuum: Is Tuum the same company as Modularbank?

Yes, Modularbank rebranded to Tuum; it is the same company and platform.

Marqeta: 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.

Tuum: Where is it strongest geographically?

Its base is Estonia and the Nordic and Baltic region, with newer expansion into DACH and the Middle East.

Marqeta: 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.

Tuum: Is pricing published?

No, subscription and module pricing require a sales conversation.

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