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APIs · head to head

Swan vs Yapily

Swan logo

Swan

APIs

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

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Yapily logo

Yapily

APIs

Open banking API infrastructure for account data and pay-by-bank payments across Europe

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Yapily has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: 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.; Yapily production pricing itself is not published; only the resulting typical merchant transaction cost is publicly known, so the underlying platform fee still requires a sales conversation.
  • They diverge on capability: Swan covers Embedded business accounts, Yapily covers Unified open banking API.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Swan and Yapily actually diverge.

Attributes where Swan and Yapily differ
AttributeSwanYapily
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquoteFree sandbox, pay-as-you-go production
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 Swan

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

Only in Yapily

  • Unified open banking API
  • Account information access
  • Payment initiation
  • Free sandbox
  • Multi-country bank coverage
  • Webhooks and reconciliation tooling

What people use each for

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

Swan

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

Yapily

  • A merchant wanting a lower-cost payment method alongside card acceptancenot Swan
  • A lending or budgeting product needing bank account data for affordability checksnot Swan
  • A business wanting one API instead of separate integrations to each bank's own open banking standardnot Swan
  • A company prototyping open banking features for free in sandbox before committing budgetnot Swan

Where each one falls short

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

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.

Yapily

  • Production pricing itself is not published; only the resulting typical merchant transaction cost is publicly known, so the underlying platform fee still requires a sales conversation.
  • Consumer adoption of pay-by-bank still lags card payments, so merchants offering it as a checkout option typically see it used as a secondary rather than primary payment method.
  • Coverage depends on the banks in each country maintaining reliable open banking APIs, and inconsistent bank-side reliability across markets is a known category-wide weakness, not unique to Yapily but not solved by it either.
  • As infrastructure for both account data and payments, a company only needing one of those two capabilities is still evaluating a broader platform than it may need.
  • Regulatory dependence on PSD2 and UK open banking rules means the underlying legal framework, not just Yapily's product, could shift and affect what is possible on the platform.

Pricing, plan by plan

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

Yapily

Free
  • SandboxFree
    • Free testing environment
    • UK and European bank connections for development
  • Production$undefined/month
    • Pay-as-you-go pricing, exact rates not published
    • Typical pay-by-bank cost of 0.1 to 0.5% or a flat 5 to 30 pence per transaction

Which should you pick?

Choose Swan if

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

Choose Yapily if

  • You need unified open banking api.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, API.
  • You also want account information access.
Yapily review

Questions people ask

Is Swan or Yapily better?
Neither clearly leads. Swan starts at On request and Yapily at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Swan or Yapily?
Yapily has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Swan and Free for Yapily.
Does Swan or Yapily run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, API, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Yapily for free?
Yes. Yapily has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Swan starts at On request.
What is Swan best used for?
Swan is most often used for a vertical saas platform wanting to embed business bank accounts under its own brand, a marketplace wanting to issue cards to sellers or partners without becoming a licensed bank, a company wanting sepa payment initiation embedded directly into its own product, a european fintech wanting to avoid a six-figure setup fee and long lock-in typical of legacy banking-as-a-service deals. Of those, a vertical saas platform wanting to embed business bank accounts under its own brand and a marketplace wanting to issue cards to sellers or partners without becoming a licensed bank are not what Yapily is typically brought in for.
What can Swan do that Yapily cannot?
Swan covers Embedded business accounts, Card issuing, SEPA payments, Local account localisation. Yapily covers Unified open banking API, Account information access, Payment initiation, Free sandbox.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Swan: Which countries does Swan offer local accounts in?

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

Yapily: Is there a free way to try it?

Yes, sandbox access is free for development and testing.

Swan: Is pricing published?

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

Yapily: How much cheaper is pay-by-bank than card payments?

Typically 0.1 to 0.5% of transaction value, or a flat 5 to 30 pence, against 1.5 to 3.5% for card scheme fees.

Swan: Who regulates Swan?

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

Yapily: Is production pricing published?

No, production access is pay-as-you-go but exact rates require a sales conversation.

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