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APIs · head to head

Ozone API vs Strands

Ozone API logo

Ozone API

APIs

Standards-compliant open banking API layer for banks and regulators

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Strands logo

Strands

Personal Finance

Personal and business financial management modules for banks, owned by CRIF

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Ozone API it provides the API layer, not the core connectivity, so the bulk of the project is still integrating your own core banking systems and that cost is not in the licence.; Strands transaction categorisation accuracy depends on local merchant data, and banks in smaller markets face months of tuning before customers trust the categories shown.
  • They diverge on capability: Ozone API covers Multi-standard support, Strands covers Transaction categorisation.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Ozone API and Strands actually diverge.

Attributes where Ozone API and Strands differ
AttributeOzone APIStrands
PlatformsWeb, REST API, LinuxWeb, iOS, Android, REST API
CategoryAPIsPersonal Finance

Identical on both: starting price (On request), pricing model (quote), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated).

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 Ozone API

  • Multi-standard support
  • Consent management
  • Developer portal
  • Regulatory reporting
  • Premium API monetisation
  • Deployment flexibility

Only in Strands

  • Transaction categorisation
  • Personal financial management
  • Business financial management
  • Lighthouse
  • Automated savings
  • Account aggregation

What people use each for

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

Ozone API

  • A building society facing an open banking compliance deadline with no API team of its ownnot Strands
  • A bank operating in several jurisdictions that must satisfy different open banking standards at oncenot Strands
  • A regulator or standards body building national open finance infrastructurenot Strands
  • A bank wanting to sell premium APIs beyond the regulatory minimum without building entitlement plumbingnot Strands

Strands

  • A retail bank adding budgeting and spending insight without building a categorisation enginenot Ozone API
  • A bank wanting personalised product offers driven by observed spending and credit datanot Ozone API
  • A credit union offering small business customers cash flow forecasting inside online bankingnot Ozone API
  • A Nordic institution combining Strands insight with open banking account aggregationnot Ozone API

Where each one falls short

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

Ozone API

  • It provides the API layer, not the core connectivity, so the bulk of the project is still integrating your own core banking systems and that cost is not in the licence.
  • Value is driven by regulatory obligation, so an institution not under a mandate struggles to build a business case for the spend.
  • It is a small UK vendor selling to large regulated institutions, which raises procurement and vendor viability questions during bank due diligence.
  • Premium API monetisation is a genuine capability but few banks have found real demand, so revenue projections used to justify the purchase often do not materialise.
  • Standards evolve continuously and each revision means a change programme in your own systems, even where Ozone absorbs the specification work at the API edge.

Strands

  • Transaction categorisation accuracy depends on local merchant data, and banks in smaller markets face months of tuning before customers trust the categories shown.
  • It is now a product line inside CRIF, a credit bureau, so roadmap priorities follow group data strategy rather than standalone software competition.
  • Commercial terms are often bundled with other CRIF services, which makes a standalone comparison against a pure PFM vendor harder to run.
  • Money management features have weak measurable impact on bank revenue, so the business case relies on engagement metrics that are difficult to tie to profit.
  • It is a white-label component, so the bank still owns design, support and customer communication, and a poor in-app implementation reflects on the bank rather than the vendor.

Pricing, plan by plan

Ozone API

On request
  • Ozone API$undefined/year
    • Annual licence or managed service subscription, quoted
    • Scaling by institution size, standards in scope and API call volume
    • Implementation and core integration charged separately

Strands

On request
  • Strands AI Finance Suite$undefined/year
    • Licence scaled by end customers or active users
    • Modules licensed separately for personal, business and Lighthouse
    • Implementation and categorisation tuning charged as a project

Which should you pick?

Choose Ozone API if

  • You need multi-standard support.
  • You work on Web, REST API, Linux.
  • You also want consent management.
Ozone API review

Choose Strands if

  • You need transaction categorisation.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, REST API.
  • You also want personal financial management.
Strands review

Questions people ask

Is Ozone API or Strands better?
Neither clearly leads. Ozone API starts at On request and Strands at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Ozone API or Strands?
Ozone API starts at On request and Strands at On request.
Does Ozone API or Strands run on more platforms?
Ozone API runs on Web, REST API, Linux. Strands runs on Web, iOS, Android, REST API.
What is Ozone API best used for?
Ozone API is most often used for a building society facing an open banking compliance deadline with no api team of its own, a bank operating in several jurisdictions that must satisfy different open banking standards at once, a regulator or standards body building national open finance infrastructure, a bank wanting to sell premium apis beyond the regulatory minimum without building entitlement plumbing. Of those, a building society facing an open banking compliance deadline with no api team of its own and a bank operating in several jurisdictions that must satisfy different open banking standards at once are not what Strands is typically brought in for.
What can Ozone API do that Strands cannot?
Ozone API covers Multi-standard support, Consent management, Developer portal, Regulatory reporting. Strands covers Transaction categorisation, Personal financial management, Business financial management, Lighthouse.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Ozone API: Is this a competitor to Plaid or TrueLayer?

No, the opposite side. Ozone is bought by the bank exposing data; Plaid and TrueLayer consume it on behalf of third parties.

Strands: Who owns Strands?

CRIF, the Italian credit bureau and information services group, which acquired it to combine money management software with credit data.

Ozone API: Does it connect to my core banking system?

It provides the standards-compliant API surface and adapters, but connecting your core is an integration project you scope separately.

Strands: Is it sold to consumers?

No. It is licensed to banks and credit unions who embed it in their own applications under their own brand.

Ozone API: Which standards does it support?

UK Open Banking, Berlin Group, FDX, Consumer Data Right and Gulf regional standards, among others, from one platform.

Strands: Does it include account aggregation?

It supports aggregated external accounts, with CRIF and partners such as Enable Banking supplying the open banking connectivity.

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