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APIs · head to head

Salt Edge vs Stainless

Salt Edge logo

Salt Edge

APIs

Independent open banking aggregator covering Europe by PSD2 API and other markets by direct connection

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Stainless logo

Stainless

APIs

Generates client SDKs, API docs, and MCP servers from an OpenAPI spec

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Stainless has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Salt Edge coverage outside regulated open banking markets is not all direct bank API, and connections that are not regulated interfaces break when a bank changes its systems, so a headline country count overstates the reliability you will actually experience.; Stainless starter and Pro plan prices are not published and require contacting the company.
  • They diverge on capability: Salt Edge covers Account information, Stainless covers SDK generation.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Salt Edge and Stainless actually diverge.

Attributes where Salt Edge and Stainless differ
AttributeSalt EdgeStainless
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquotefreemium
Free tierNoYes

Identical on both: 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 Salt Edge

  • Account information
  • Payment initiation
  • Wide country coverage
  • Open Banking Gateway
  • Categorisation and enrichment
  • Consent management
  • Partner and white label
  • Sandbox

Only in Stainless

  • SDK generation
  • MCP server generation
  • Docs site generation
  • Webhooks and streaming support
  • Automated unit tests
  • Git integration

What people use each for

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

Salt Edge

  • A lender operating across several European and non-EU markets that needs one aggregation contract rather than a different provider per countrynot Stainless
  • A fintech that wants an aggregator not owned by a card network because its use case competes with card productsnot Stainless
  • An accounting or treasury product that needs bank feeds in markets the large aggregators do not servenot Stainless
  • A bank that must publish PSD2-compliant APIs and would rather buy the compliance layer than build itnot Stainless

Stainless

  • Generating typed SDKs for a public APInot Salt Edge
  • Producing an MCP server from an existing OpenAPI specnot Salt Edge
  • Building an API documentation site alongside client librariesnot Salt Edge
  • Giving open-source APIs a free SDK generation pathnot Salt Edge

Where each one falls short

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

Salt Edge

  • Coverage outside regulated open banking markets is not all direct bank API, and connections that are not regulated interfaces break when a bank changes its systems, so a headline country count overstates the reliability you will actually experience.
  • Pricing is not published and is usage-based, so two providers cannot be compared without running both sales processes, and cost grows with the connected user base rather than with revenue.
  • Support and engineering are distributed across Eastern Europe and Canada, and buyers in other time zones report slower turnaround on connection-specific breakages than they get from a domestic provider.
  • PSD2 consent rules require customers to reauthenticate periodically, and Salt Edge cannot change that, so any product depending on continuous data must design for consent expiry and the drop-off it causes.
  • United States coverage is weaker than Plaid or Mastercard Open Banking, so a company with meaningful US volume ends up running two aggregators and normalising between them.

Stainless

  • Starter and Pro plan prices are not published and require contacting the company.
  • The free plan caps APIs at 25 endpoints, which excludes larger production APIs.
  • Overage charges apply per SDK/endpoint/month once limits are exceeded, which can make costs unpredictable at scale.

Pricing, plan by plan

Salt Edge

On request
  • Salt Edge Open Banking API$undefined/year
    • Account information and payment initiation
    • Coverage across 50 plus countries
    • Consent management and enrichment

Stainless

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Up to 5 generators (SDKs, docs, or MCP servers)
    • 5 seats
    • APIs with 25 or fewer endpoints
  • Starter$undefined/mo
    • Unlimited generators
    • Expanded seats
    • Private SDKs of any size
  • Pro$undefined/mo
    • Custom enterprise features and pricing
  • Enterprise$undefined/mo
    • Dedicated support
    • SOC 2 compliance reports
    • Purchase order/invoicing with negotiable terms

Which should you pick?

Choose Salt Edge if

  • You need account information.
  • You work on Web, API.
  • You also want payment initiation.
Salt Edge review

Choose Stainless if

  • You need sdk generation.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on web, api.
  • You also want mcp server generation.
Stainless review

Questions people ask

Is Salt Edge or Stainless better?
Neither clearly leads. Salt Edge starts at On request and Stainless at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Salt Edge or Stainless?
Stainless has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Salt Edge and Free for Stainless.
Does Salt Edge or Stainless run on more platforms?
Salt Edge runs on Web, API. Stainless runs on web, api.
Can I use Stainless for free?
Yes. Stainless has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Salt Edge starts at On request.
What is Salt Edge best used for?
Salt Edge is most often used for a lender operating across several european and non-eu markets that needs one aggregation contract rather than a different provider per country, a fintech that wants an aggregator not owned by a card network because its use case competes with card products, an accounting or treasury product that needs bank feeds in markets the large aggregators do not serve, a bank that must publish psd2-compliant apis and would rather buy the compliance layer than build it. Of those, a lender operating across several european and non-eu markets that needs one aggregation contract rather than a different provider per country and a fintech that wants an aggregator not owned by a card network because its use case competes with card products are not what Stainless is typically brought in for.
What can Salt Edge do that Stainless cannot?
Salt Edge covers Account information, Payment initiation, Wide country coverage, Open Banking Gateway. Stainless covers SDK generation, MCP server generation, Docs site generation, Webhooks and streaming support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Salt Edge: Who owns Salt Edge?

It is independently owned, unlike Tink (Visa), Finicity (Mastercard) or Yodlee (Envestnet), which matters if your use case competes with the owner.

Stainless: Is there a free plan, and what are its limits?

Yes. The Free plan supports up to 5 generators, 5 seats, APIs with 25 or fewer endpoints, and 100 preview builds per month, with email support.

Source
Salt Edge: Is all coverage direct bank API?

No. Inside PSD2 markets connections use regulated APIs; elsewhere coverage relies on direct connections whose reliability depends on the bank not changing its systems. Ask for a per-institution answer.

Stainless: Who owns the generated SDK code?

The generated SDK code is owned by the customer and published by Stainless under the Apache 2.0 license.

Source
Salt Edge: Does it do payments as well as data?

Yes, payment initiation is supported in European markets where PSD2 applies.

Stainless: What happens if I exceed my plan's endpoint limit?

Customers exceeding their endpoint limits are billed per SDK, per endpoint, per month for the overage.

Source
Salt Edge: What does it cost?

Not published. Pricing is usage-based and quoted, though the sandbox is free.

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