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APIs · head to head

Q2 Digital Banking vs Solaris

Q2 Digital Banking logo

Q2 Digital Banking

APIs

Digital banking platform for US banks and credit unions, with a developer marketplace

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: Q2 Digital Banking contracts are multi-year and priced per user or account, so a bank whose digital adoption grows faster than its revenue sees costs rise ahead of the benefit.; 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: Q2 Digital Banking covers Retail digital banking, Solaris covers German banking licence.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Q2 Digital Banking and Solaris actually diverge.

Attributes where Q2 Digital Banking and Solaris differ
AttributeQ2 Digital BankingSolaris
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb, 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 Q2 Digital Banking

  • Retail digital banking
  • Commercial and treasury
  • Innovation Studio
  • SDK
  • Fraud analytics
  • Onboarding

Only in Solaris

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

What people use each for

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

Q2 Digital Banking

  • A community bank whose mobile app is losing younger customers to national brandsnot Solaris
  • A credit union that wants to add partner features without a vendor roadmap requestnot Solaris
  • A bank chasing commercial deposits and needing real treasury management entitlementsnot Solaris
  • An institution wanting behavioural fraud detection across digital channels rather than at the corenot Solaris

Solaris

  • A retailer or platform launching a German current account or card product without applying for its own licencenot Q2 Digital Banking
  • A fintech that needs deposit taking and lending, which an e-money licence cannot providenot Q2 Digital Banking
  • A European business needing German IBANs because customers reject foreign IBANs for salary and direct debitnot Q2 Digital Banking
  • A company requiring German statutory deposit protection on customer balances as a product claimnot Q2 Digital Banking

Where each one falls short

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

Q2 Digital Banking

  • Contracts are multi-year and priced per user or account, so a bank whose digital adoption grows faster than its revenue sees costs rise ahead of the benefit.
  • It is a channel layer, not a core, so any limitation in the underlying core banking system remains and integration work sits with the bank.
  • Implementations are long and consume scarce internal technology capacity at institutions that typically have very small IT teams.
  • Marketplace applications carry separate third-party contracts and fees, so the extensibility that justifies the purchase adds cost rather than being included.
  • It is US-only, and its assumptions about payment rails, regulation and account structures do not transfer to institutions outside the United States.

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

Q2 Digital Banking

On request
  • Q2 Digital Banking$undefined/year
    • Multi-year contract priced per registered user or per account
    • Separate licensing for retail, commercial and onboarding modules
    • Implementation and core integration charged as a project

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 Q2 Digital Banking if

  • You need retail digital banking.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want commercial and treasury.
Q2 Digital Banking 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 Q2 Digital Banking or Solaris better?
Neither clearly leads. Q2 Digital Banking 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, Q2 Digital Banking or Solaris?
Q2 Digital Banking starts at On request and Solaris at On request.
Does Q2 Digital Banking or Solaris run on more platforms?
Q2 Digital Banking runs on Web, iOS, Android. Solaris runs on Web, API.
What is Q2 Digital Banking best used for?
Q2 Digital Banking is most often used for a community bank whose mobile app is losing younger customers to national brands, a credit union that wants to add partner features without a vendor roadmap request, a bank chasing commercial deposits and needing real treasury management entitlements, an institution wanting behavioural fraud detection across digital channels rather than at the core. Of those, a community bank whose mobile app is losing younger customers to national brands and a credit union that wants to add partner features without a vendor roadmap request are not what Solaris is typically brought in for.
What can Q2 Digital Banking do that Solaris cannot?
Q2 Digital Banking covers Retail digital banking, Commercial and treasury, Innovation Studio, SDK. Solaris covers German banking licence, IBAN accounts, Card issuing, Lending as a service.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Q2 Digital Banking: Does Q2 replace our core banking system?

No. It is the digital channel layer that sits over your existing core and integrates with the major US core providers.

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.

Q2 Digital Banking: What is Innovation Studio?

A marketplace and SDK that lets a bank enable partner applications or build its own features without waiting for Q2 to develop them.

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.

Q2 Digital Banking: Is it available outside the United States?

Not meaningfully. The platform is built around US banking rails, regulation and institution types.

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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