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APIs · head to head

Stainless vs Tink

Stainless logo

Stainless

APIs

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

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Tink logo

Tink

APIs

European open banking platform for account data and payment initiation

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Stainless has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Stainless starter and Pro plan prices are not published and require contacting the company.; Tink visa owns Tink, and pay-by-bank exists to move payments off card rails, so the roadmap and pricing of the product you are using to reduce interchange are set by the company that earns the interchange.
  • They diverge on capability: Stainless covers SDK generation, Tink covers Account data access.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Stainless and Tink actually diverge.

Attributes where Stainless and Tink differ
AttributeStainlessTink
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelfreemiumquote
Free tierYesNo
Platformsweb, apiAPI, Web

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 Stainless

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

Only in Tink

  • Account data access
  • Payment initiation
  • EEA passporting
  • Categorisation
  • Account verification
  • Risk and affordability signals
  • Variable recurring payments support
  • Consent management

What people use each for

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

Stainless

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

Tink

  • A European lender that needs verified income and expense data from a borrower bank account across several EEA markets under one licencenot Stainless
  • A merchant offering pay-by-bank at checkout to avoid card acceptance costs on high value basketsnot Stainless
  • A fintech that does not hold its own PSD2 licence and needs to operate under an authorised provider passported across the EEAnot Stainless
  • A bank building an account aggregation view of a customer external accounts without negotiating with each institution individuallynot Stainless

Where each one falls short

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

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.

Tink

  • Visa owns Tink, and pay-by-bank exists to move payments off card rails, so the roadmap and pricing of the product you are using to reduce interchange are set by the company that earns the interchange.
  • Coverage is Europe only, so a product serving both European and United States users runs a second aggregator with a different data model and a separate contract.
  • PSD2 connection quality varies sharply by bank, and headline connection counts hide wide differences in success rate, consent lifetime and re-authentication frequency that determine what users actually experience.
  • Consent under PSD2 expires and requires periodic re-authentication, so any product depending on continuous data access has a recurring user friction it cannot design away, and drop-off at re-consent is a real product problem.
  • Pricing is quoted with data access and payment initiation priced separately, and there is no published rate card, so small merchants cannot compare pay-by-bank economics against card acceptance without a sales process.

Pricing, plan by plan

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

Tink

On request
  • Tink Platform$undefined/year
    • Priced by product, market and volume
    • Data access and payment initiation priced separately
    • Annual commitments typical for enterprise agreements

Which should you pick?

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

Choose Tink if

  • You need account data access.
  • You work on API, Web.
  • You also want payment initiation.
Tink review

Questions people ask

Is Stainless or Tink better?
Neither clearly leads. Stainless starts at Free and Tink at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Stainless or Tink?
Stainless has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Stainless and On request for Tink.
Does Stainless or Tink run on more platforms?
Stainless runs on web, api. Tink runs on API, Web.
Can I use Stainless for free?
Yes. Stainless has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Tink starts at On request.
What is Stainless best used for?
Stainless is most often used for generating typed sdks for a public api, producing an mcp server from an existing openapi spec, building an api documentation site alongside client libraries, giving open-source apis a free sdk generation path. Of those, generating typed sdks for a public api and producing an mcp server from an existing openapi spec are not what Tink is typically brought in for.
What can Stainless do that Tink cannot?
Stainless covers SDK generation, MCP server generation, Docs site generation, Webhooks and streaming support. Tink covers Account data access, Payment initiation, EEA passporting, Categorisation.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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
Tink: Who owns Tink?

Visa, since 2022. That is directly relevant if you are adopting pay-by-bank specifically to reduce card costs.

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
Tink: Do I need my own PSD2 licence?

No. Tink holds AIS and PIS licences from the Swedish FSA passported across the EEA, and customers can operate as its agent rather than obtaining their own authorisation.

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
Tink: Does Tink cover the United States?

No. It is a European platform. US coverage requires a separate provider.

Tink: How reliable are the bank connections?

It varies by institution far more than the headline count of roughly 6,000 connections suggests. Ask for per market and per bank success rates and consent lifetimes for the banks your users actually hold accounts with.

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