Is Solaris or Stoplight better?

Neither clearly leads. Solaris starts at On request and Stoplight at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, Solaris or Stoplight?

Stoplight has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Solaris and Free for Stoplight.

Does Solaris or Stoplight run on more platforms?

Solaris runs on Web, API. Stoplight runs on Web, Cloud.

Can I use Stoplight for free?

Yes. Stoplight has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Solaris starts at On request.

What is Solaris best used for?

Solaris is most often used for a retailer or platform launching a german current account or card product without applying for its own licence, a fintech that needs deposit taking and lending, which an e-money licence cannot provide, a european business needing german ibans because customers reject foreign ibans for salary and direct debit, a company requiring german statutory deposit protection on customer balances as a product claim. Of those, a retailer or platform launching a german current account or card product without applying for its own licence and a fintech that needs deposit taking and lending, which an e-money licence cannot provide are not what Stoplight is typically brought in for.

What can Solaris do that Stoplight cannot?

Solaris covers German banking licence, IBAN accounts, Card issuing, Lending as a service. Stoplight covers API Design, API Documentation, Governance, GitHub.

APIs · head to head

Solaris vs Stoplight

Solaris

APIs

German banking as a service with a full banking licence and a live regulatory problem

From: On request
Rated: -

Full review Website

Stoplight

APIs

API design, documentation, and governance platform

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

Only Stoplight has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
Each has a real cost: 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.; Stoplight the free plan allows one project and one user
They diverge on capability: Solaris covers German banking licence, Stoplight covers API Design.
Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Solaris and Stoplight actually diverge.

Attributes where Solaris and Stoplight differ
Attribute	Solaris	Stoplight
Starting price	On request	Free
Pricing model	quote	subscription
Free tier	No	Yes
Platforms	Web, API	Web, Cloud
Founded	Unknown	2014

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 Solaris

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

Only in Stoplight

API Design
API Documentation
Governance
GitHub
GitLab
Jenkins
Azure DevOps
Web support

What people use each for

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

Solaris

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

Stoplight

API design and documentationnot Solaris
API governance and standardsnot Solaris
Team collaboration on API developmentnot Solaris
API mocking and testingnot Solaris

Where each one falls short

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

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.

Stoplight

The free plan allows one project and one user
Private projects, multi branch support and custom domains start at the Startup plan, $113 a month billed annually
SSO and shared style guides are Pro Team only, at $362 a month billed annually
Seats beyond each plan's allowance are $11 to $27 each per month depending on tier and billing period

Pricing, plan by plan

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

Stoplight

Free

FreeFree
- 1 project
- 1 user
- Basic API design and documentation features
Basic$56/month
- Annual: $44/user/year
- 3 included users; $14 per additional user (monthly)
- Unlimited projects
Startup$147/month
- Annual: $113/user/year
- 8 included users; $14 per additional user (monthly)
- Private projects
Pro Team$453/month
- Annual: $362/user/year
- 15 included users; $27 per additional user (monthly)
- Up to 20 teams

Which should you pick?

Choose Solaris if

You need german banking licence.
You work on Web, API.
You also want iban accounts.

Solaris review

Choose Stoplight if

You need api design.
You want to start without paying.
You work on Web, Cloud.
You also want api documentation.

Stoplight review

Questions people ask

Is Solaris or Stoplight better?: Neither clearly leads. Solaris starts at On request and Stoplight at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Solaris or Stoplight?: Stoplight has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Solaris and Free for Stoplight.
Does Solaris or Stoplight run on more platforms?: Solaris runs on Web, API. Stoplight runs on Web, Cloud.
Can I use Stoplight for free?: Yes. Stoplight has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Solaris starts at On request.
What is Solaris best used for?: Solaris is most often used for a retailer or platform launching a german current account or card product without applying for its own licence, a fintech that needs deposit taking and lending, which an e-money licence cannot provide, a european business needing german ibans because customers reject foreign ibans for salary and direct debit, a company requiring german statutory deposit protection on customer balances as a product claim. Of those, a retailer or platform launching a german current account or card product without applying for its own licence and a fintech that needs deposit taking and lending, which an e-money licence cannot provide are not what Stoplight is typically brought in for.
What can Solaris do that Stoplight cannot?: Solaris covers German banking licence, IBAN accounts, Card issuing, Lending as a service. Stoplight covers API Design, API Documentation, Governance, GitHub.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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.

Stoplight: How much does Stoplight cost?

Stoplight starts with a free plan (1 project, 1 user), then Basic at $56/month per user (or $44/year), Startup at $147/month per user (or $113/year), Pro Team at $453/month per user (or $362/year), and Enterprise at custom pricing.

Source

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.

Stoplight: How many included users are in each Stoplight plan?

Basic includes 3 users, Startup includes 8 users, and Pro Team includes 15 users. Additional users beyond the included count cost $14/month for Basic and Startup, or $27/month for Pro Team.

Source

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.

Stoplight: Does Stoplight offer a free trial?

Yes, all paid Stoplight plans include a 14-day free trial. The free plan has no trial period as it is always available.

Source

Stoplight: Does Stoplight's free plan have limitations?

Yes, the free plan includes only 1 project and 1 user. Users viewing public documentation anonymously are not counted toward the 1-user limit.

Source

Solaris vs Stoplight

Solaris

Stoplight

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in Solaris

Only in Stoplight

What people use each for

Solaris

Stoplight

Where each one falls short

Solaris

Stoplight

Pricing, plan by plan

Solaris

Stoplight

Which should you pick?

Choose Solaris if

Choose Stoplight if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on Solaris

More on Stoplight

Keep looking

Other head to heads