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APIs · head to head

Stoplight vs Tink

Stoplight logo

Stoplight

APIs

API design, documentation, and governance platform

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 Stoplight has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Stoplight the free plan allows one project and one user; 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: Stoplight covers API Design, Tink covers Account data access.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Stoplight and Tink actually diverge.

Attributes where Stoplight and Tink differ
AttributeStoplightTink
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelsubscriptionquote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, CloudAPI, Web
Founded2014Unknown

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 Stoplight

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

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.

Stoplight

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

Tink

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

Where each one falls short

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

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

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

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

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 Stoplight if

  • You need api design.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Cloud.
  • You also want api documentation.
Stoplight 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 Stoplight or Tink better?
Neither clearly leads. Stoplight 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, Stoplight or Tink?
Stoplight has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Stoplight and On request for Tink.
Does Stoplight or Tink run on more platforms?
Stoplight runs on Web, Cloud. Tink runs on API, Web.
Can I use Stoplight for free?
Yes. Stoplight has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Tink starts at On request.
What is Stoplight best used for?
Stoplight is most often used for api design and documentation, api governance and standards, team collaboration on api development, api mocking and testing. Of those, api design and documentation and api governance and standards are not what Tink is typically brought in for.
What can Stoplight do that Tink cannot?
Stoplight covers API Design, API Documentation, Governance, GitHub. Tink covers Account data access, Payment initiation, EEA passporting, Categorisation.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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
Tink: Who owns Tink?

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

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
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.

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
Tink: Does Tink cover the United States?

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

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
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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