Is Strapi or Swan better?

Neither clearly leads. Strapi starts at $35/month and Swan at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, Strapi or Swan?

Strapi starts at $35/month and Swan at On request.

Does Strapi or Swan run on more platforms?

Strapi runs on Node.js, Cloud, Self-hosted, Docker. Swan runs on Web, API.

What is Strapi best used for?

Strapi is most often used for running a self hosted headless cms with a rest or graphql api, giving editors a content admin panel over a custom content model. Of those, running a self hosted headless cms with a rest or graphql api and giving editors a content admin panel over a custom content model are not what Swan is typically brought in for.

What can Strapi do that Swan cannot?

Strapi covers REST API, GraphQL API, Content management, PostgreSQL. Swan covers Embedded business accounts, Card issuing, SEPA payments, Local account localisation.

APIs · head to head

Strapi vs Swan

Strapi

APIs

Headless CMS with REST and GraphQL APIs

From: $35/month
Rated: -

Full review Website

Swan

APIs

European banking-as-a-service platform for embedding accounts, cards and payments into other products

From: On request
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

Each has a real cost: Strapi cloud pricing is per project, not per account, so a second project doubles the bill; Swan its regulatory base and strongest local account coverage are French and European, so companies needing US, UK-post-Brexit-specific, or broader global banking-as-a-service need an additional provider.
They diverge on capability: Strapi covers REST API, Swan covers Embedded business accounts.
Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Strapi and Swan actually diverge.

Attributes where Strapi and Swan differ
Attribute	Strapi	Swan
Starting price	$35/month	On request
Pricing model	subscription	quote
Platforms	Node.js, Cloud, Self-hosted, Docker	Web, API
Founded	2015	Unknown

Identical on both: 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 Strapi

REST API
GraphQL API
Content management
PostgreSQL
MySQL
MongoDB
AWS
Webhooks

Only in Swan

Embedded business accounts
Card issuing
SEPA payments
Local account localisation
ACPR regulation
Usage-based pricing

What people use each for

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

Strapi

Running a self hosted headless CMS with a REST or GraphQL APInot Swan
Giving editors a content admin panel over a custom content modelnot Swan

Swan

A vertical SaaS platform wanting to embed business bank accounts under its own brandnot Strapi
A marketplace wanting to issue cards to sellers or partners without becoming a licensed banknot Strapi
A company wanting SEPA payment initiation embedded directly into its own productnot Strapi
A European fintech wanting to avoid a six-figure setup fee and long lock-in typical of legacy banking-as-a-service dealsnot Strapi

Where each one falls short

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

Strapi

Cloud pricing is per project, not per account, so a second project doubles the bill
Starter at $35 a month allows 100,000 API requests, and overage is $1.50 per 25,000
Extra bandwidth is $30 per 100 GB and extra asset storage $0.60 per GB
Backups start at the Pro plan, weekly, and only become daily at Business
An uptime SLA is Business only, at $450 a month per project
Additional environments cost $60 a month on Pro and $300 a month on Business

Swan

Its regulatory base and strongest local account coverage are French and European, so companies needing US, UK-post-Brexit-specific, or broader global banking-as-a-service need an additional provider.
Pricing is described only philosophically (usage-based, no big setup fee) rather than published as an actual rate card, so a company still needs a sales conversation to get real numbers.
Embedding banking features into a product is a substantial compliance and design undertaking regardless of the vendor, and Swan handling the licence does not remove a platform's own KYC, AML and customer support obligations for the accounts it offers.
As a comparatively young, single-country-licensed e-money institution, its balance sheet and regulatory standing carry more concentration risk than a banking-as-a-service offering backed by an established, multi-jurisdiction bank.
Local account depth is explicitly limited to France, Germany and Spain, so a platform needing native local accounts in other European countries may find coverage thinner than expected.

Pricing, plan by plan

Strapi

$35/month

Starter$35/month
- 100k API requests
- 50 GB asset storage
- 50 GB asset bandwidth
Pro$90/month
- 1M API requests
- 250 GB asset storage
- 500 GB asset bandwidth
Business$450/month
- 10M API requests
- 1000 GB asset storage
- 1000 GB asset bandwidth

Swan

On request

Swan$undefined/month
- Usage-based pricing, no published rate card
- No long-term contract or large setup fee required
- Custom quote based on current, not forecast, usage

Which should you pick?

Choose Strapi if

You need rest api.
You work on Node.js, Cloud, Self-hosted, Docker.
You also want graphql api.

Strapi review

Choose Swan if

You need embedded business accounts.
You work on Web, API.
You also want card issuing.

Swan review

Questions people ask

Is Strapi or Swan better?: Neither clearly leads. Strapi starts at $35/month and Swan at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Strapi or Swan?: Strapi starts at $35/month and Swan at On request.
Does Strapi or Swan run on more platforms?: Strapi runs on Node.js, Cloud, Self-hosted, Docker. Swan runs on Web, API.
What is Strapi best used for?: Strapi is most often used for running a self hosted headless cms with a rest or graphql api, giving editors a content admin panel over a custom content model. Of those, running a self hosted headless cms with a rest or graphql api and giving editors a content admin panel over a custom content model are not what Swan is typically brought in for.
What can Strapi do that Swan cannot?: Strapi covers REST API, GraphQL API, Content management, PostgreSQL. Swan covers Embedded business accounts, Card issuing, SEPA payments, Local account localisation.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Strapi: How much do API request overages cost?

Additional API requests beyond the plan limit cost $1.50 per 25000 requests. Extra asset storage costs $0.60 per GB, and additional bandwidth costs $30 per 100 GB.

Source

Swan: Which countries does Swan offer local accounts in?

France, Germany and Spain specifically, alongside broader SEPA payment coverage.

Strapi: Is yearly billing available?

Yes, yearly billing saves up to 17% compared to monthly billing on Strapi Cloud plans.

Source

Swan: Is pricing published?

No, Swan describes a usage-based, no-large-setup-fee philosophy but requires a quote for actual numbers.

Strapi: What is included with the Pro plan?

The Pro plan costs $90 per month per project and includes 1M API requests, 250 GB asset storage, 500 GB bandwidth, multi-environment support, weekly backups, and manual backups.

Source

Swan: Who regulates Swan?

France's ACPR (Autorite de Controle Prudentiel et de Resolution), as a licensed e-money institution.

Strapi vs Swan

Strapi

Swan

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in Strapi

Only in Swan

What people use each for

Strapi

Swan

Where each one falls short

Strapi

Swan

Pricing, plan by plan

Strapi

Swan

Which should you pick?

Choose Strapi if

Choose Swan if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on Strapi

More on Swan

Keep looking

Other head to heads